The first permanent English settlement in the Virginia colony was called Jamestown.
The Virginia Company established Jamestown in 1607 on an island in the James River. The settlement was named for King James I of England and became the capital of the Virginia Colony. Its founding marked the beginning of a permanent English presence in the region that later became the United States.
Jamestown’s early years were extremely difficult. Colonists faced disease, food shortages, conflict, and uncertain relations with nearby Indigenous peoples. The settlement survived partly through leadership by figures such as John Smith and through the cultivation and export of tobacco, which became economically important under John Rolfe.
Jamestown was not the first European settlement anywhere in North America, nor was it England’s first attempt. Roanoke had been established earlier but did not become permanent. Jamestown remained Virginia’s capital until 1699, when the seat of government moved to Williamsburg.