Quote:
Originally Posted by Witchking
Historically 90+% of Coastal Cities get founded where a river empties into the ocean. Benefits of Ocean/Coastal trade and trade from the watershed of the river. River also a source of fresh water and has other benefits.
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Often, the town is founded as far inland as ocean-going ships can reasonably travel upriver. That allows better access to inland resources and limited harbor facilities in areas where there isn't a naturally protected bay.
If there are hostile sea rovers in the area, siting the city a ways inland also makes it less obvious to hostile ships and makes it easier to defend from sea-borne raiders.
In really hostile territory, it makes sense to build a compact hill fort with a palisade and ditch, with a watchtower to look out for hostiles. Trails would extend from the hill fort's gate down to the river. Other trails extend towards fields, sources of timber, and other resources. Once a well gets dug, trails will lead to it, assuming that it's not within the hill fort's walls.
Gradually, those trails will get turned into streets and people will build structures outside the fort's wall. Buildings will usually be sited along the river or along either side of the main trails, but close enough to the fort that it provides protection.
The first things an early settlement will have are shelters for the colonists and storage buildings for livestock and food production equipment. These could easily be tents or communal dwellings like longhouses.
People start by build simple shelters for themselves, their animals, and important equipment and supplies, then get to work ensuring a steady food and water supply.
If there are threats in the area, defenses go up - palisades, ditches, or both - and possibly watch towers. In high-threat areas, defenses might come first, with colonists living in tents or sleeping aboard anchored supply ships.
After that, there are communal structures, depending on what the community values most. Churches or temples, barracks, government buildings, marketplaces, warehouses and docks, schools, public baths, aqueducts.
Unless you've got a very wealthy person with access to a lot of excess labor, you won't have large private buildings for at least a generation. Any big or fancy building implies lots of labor and capital to build, so they'll be at least a generation away unless there is a huge influx of immigrants.
The main impression that visitors get will be "sparse and scruffy." There will be lots of rather shabby temporary shelters thrown together quickly, and just a few simple small buildings made using local resources.
You could do worse than look at archeological maps of historical cities like London, Paris, or New York City, or illustrations based on those maps. A map of Jamestown, VA might also be helpful, since it was abandoned less than a century after it was founded.