Jamestown

The English captain and adventurer John Smith, c. 1624, who led an expedition to, and produced important maps of, the coastline of New England in North America. Having set up one of the first English settlements in Virginia, he was captured by Indians and claimed to have been saved from certain death by the chief's daughter, Pocahontas.

First permanent British settlement in North America, established by Captain John Smith in 1607. It was capital of Virginia from 1624–99.

In the nearby Jamestown Festival Park there is a replica of the original Fort James, and models of the ships (Discovery, Godspeed, and Constant) that carried the 105 pioneers.

The colony initiated the first representative government in North America; it also brought the first slaves and built the first Anglican church there. Subject to a high mortality rate, the population remained small, and the settlement burned 1608. It was about to be abandoned when Lord De La Warr arrived with new supplies.

Jamestown

City in Chautauqua County, southwestern New York State; population (2000) 31,700. Jamestown lies at the southern end of Lake Chautauqua, 100 km/62 mi south-southwest of Buffalo.

Jamestown developed from 1806 onwards as a furniture and textile centre; industrialization intensified following the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. The town received an influx of skilled workers from Sweden in the 1840s, and the Erie Railroad arrived in the following decade. Modern manufactured goods from the town include washing machines, dryers, tools, bearings, car parts, office furniture, kitchen equipment, and voting machines. The surrounding area contains orchards, vineyards, market gardens, and dairy farms. Jamestown is a base for the resort areas of Lake Chautauqua and the Allegheny Mountains, and home to Jamestown Community College (founded 1950).

Jamestown

City and seat of Stutsman County, south-central North Dakota; population (2000) 15,500. The city stands at the confluence of the James and Pipestem rivers, 145 km/90 mi west of Fargo.

The settlement of Jamestown grew up near Fort Seward in the 19th century. It is primarily an agricultural centre, trading and distributing wheat, livestock, poultry, and dairy goods. There are also cement and concrete works here. The Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, which covers 64.5 sq km/25 sq mi, is situated 32 km/20 mi to the north.