The Wiltshire town of Amesbury has been confirmed to be the oldest continuous settlement in all of the UK.
The broad area includes Stonehenge.
A recent archaeological dig was able to ascertain that the area has been steadily occupied since BC8820. Its status has been recognised by the Guinness Book of Records.
It has been long believed that the area was a drawing card for worshippers coming from miles around. The dig uncovered evidence of people also living in the area, clearing the land and building on it.
David Jacques, from the University of Buckingham, said: "The first monuments at Stonehenge were built by these people. For years people have been asking why is Stonehenge where it is, now at last, we have found the answers."
Mr Jacques said the River Avon, which crosses the area, would have been like an A road with people travelling along it.
"They may have had the equivalent of local guides and there would have been feasting," he added.
"We have found remains of big game animals, such as aurochs and red deer, and an enormous amount of burnt flint from their feasting fires."
Moreover, evidence points to frogs' legs having been eaten there 8,000 years before the French took up the practice.
While Amesbury dates back toBC8820 and contains a standing stone circle possibly used for worship, Stonehenge itself was not created until BC2500.
Previously, Thatcham in Berkshire, 40 miles from Amesbury, held the record for the longest continuous settlement in the country.
The area is also peppered with one of Britain's longest Neolithic chamber tombs as well as Europe's largest man-made prehistoric mound.
