James River is the largest waterway lying wholly within the state of Virginia. Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in America, was settled on the banks of this stream in 1607. The river rises in the Allegheny Mountains at the meeting point of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers. From here the James flows southeastward for about 340 miles (547 kilometers). It empties into Chesapeake Bay through the Hampton Roads channel. The Appomattox, one of the chief branches of the James, enters the river 66 miles (106 kilometers) from the sea. From this point down to the sea, the James is a tidal stream and can accommodate large ocean steamers.
