To list the three major cities the following criteria was used. The first is to establish the dates for the list. The time frame is cities before 1776, since in 1776 American gained its independence from Britain and is no longer considered a colony. The second is the population. The population is an indicator of several factors such as economic growth and political power. The third is location. Geographical location plays a significant role in the list. Geography includes climate, natural resources, and proximity to major transportation centers. In the case of the colonies, roads were not well developed, so proximity to major ports is a determining factor. Another aspect of this list is by colonial region, which becomes evident when the cities are plotted on a map.

Historians believe the population of the American colonies in 1776 to be a little more than 2.5 million people. There was no census until 1790, and this is the best estimate the Census Bureau was able to calculate. The census count in 1790 recorded there were nearly four million people in America. The first major cities of the colonies by population are Philadelphia (40,000 residents), New York (25,000 residents), Boston (15,000 residents), and Charleston (12,000 residents). Charleston is included to provide some geographic perspective to your question.

All of the cities on the list are port cities. During colonial times, the cities had very diverse economies and were hubs for transportation for their respective regions. Philadelphia and New York served as the temporary capitals of the United States. These were the centers of political power in the early years of the nation. As an aside, there were eight cities that served as temporary capitals until Washington was chosen. When located on a map, the regional geographic importance of each municipality becomes visually evident. Based on these factors, these cities were the major cities in the American colonies before 1776.