Jamestown

Jamestown functions as the capital city of Saint Helena, situated within the administrative region of Saint Helena. Positioned geographically at coordinates -15.92488 latitude and -5.71816 longitude, the settlement sits at an elevation of 10 meters above sea level.

The municipality operates within the Atlantic/St_Helena timezone and supports a recorded population of 637 residents. Within the territory, inhabitants utilize the SHP currency for financial transactions and communicate primarily in English.

As the primary capital of the island territory, Jamestown serves an essential administrative role. Historical records distinct from this territory also reference a prominent early American settlement, originally established by the Virginia Company of London as James Fort on May 4, 1607, under the Old Style calendar, or May 14, 1607, under the New Style calendar. Located on the northeast bank of the James River in what later became James City County, that historical North American location was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, positioned about 2.5 miles or 4 kilometers southwest of present-day Williamsburg.

The original Virginia settlement was chosen to evade Spanish naval patrols, though the river island was infested with mosquitoes, lacked potable water, and was utilized by the Paspahegh people. Out of 214 original settlers, only 60 survived the severe 1609 to 1610 winter known as the Starving Time. Economic fortunes shifted in 1612 when West Indies tobacco was successfully cultivated, driving an economic boom. Jamestown served as the colonial capital from 1616 until 1699, witnessing seminal events in 1619 including the first legislative assembly in the New World, a labor strike, and the arrival of the first recorded African slaves in the Virginia colony.

Following Bacon's Rebellion and a fire in 1676, the settlement was rebuilt before the colonial capital moved to Williamsburg in 1699. The site eventually ceased to exist as an active settlement during the 18th century, transitioning into an archaeological site known as Jamestown Rediscovery. Today, Historic Jamestowne on Jamestown Island operates through a cooperative effort by the Jamestown National Historic Site and Preservation Virginia, while the Jamestown Settlement living history interpretive site is operated by the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation, a state agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia.