Regarding Ayvalık, although there is information about Yunt (today’s Cunda) islands in Piri Reis’s Kitab-ı Bahriye, no information was found about Ayvalık. In Seyyid Noah’s Atlas, although there is extensive information about this region in the Foreland map prepared by Ahmet III in 1726, there is no information about Ayvalık. In Evliya Çelebi’s Travel Book, the map showing the entire Aegean coast is also in Ayvalık. No information about or settlement was mentioned.

There is no exact record of where the name came from. But there are different opinions on this issue.
In his book “History of Ayvalık” by the Greek writer Yorgi Sakkari, who is known for his researches on the history of Ayvalık, he writes that the people who came here came from the town of Lesbos Island named “Balchik” in Greek and “Kidonie” and the name of this place was inspired by “Kidonie”.
“Ayfada” (Ayvada), which is a mussel type, is shown as the source of the name in Kukunara’s book named Ayvalık, the capital of Eolya, who left Ayvalık during the exchange period.
In the book of French historian Raffanel named “Ayvalık”, it is written that the name comes from the quince trees that were abundant in the region at the time. This claim has never been confirmed and has always remained the quince trees that once existed.

The first information about Ayvalık houses belongs to the 19th century. There is no information and documentation regarding the houses before this period. Considering that the population density in Ayvalık was Greeks in these dates, it is revealed that the first owners and users of the houses in the specified date and today are Greeks. When the historical process of Ayvalık is examined carefully, there is not much Turkish settlement in the city. If there is, it is seen that this is terminated with the autonomy certificate given to Ayvalık. The city completed its structural formation during the period when the Greeks lived. The Greeks built the houses considering their own needs and used them until the exchange. After the exchange, with the use of the houses by the Turks, there were changes, but this process ended with the protection law.
The roads are uphill and narrow in the city, which is built on the skirt of the hill, and there are many dead-end streets. The alleys descending perpendicularly towards the sea end with the main streets running parallel to the sea. Under the road, there are commercial establishments that run parallel to the sea. The most striking feature of the settlement areas is that it was built small and adjacent.