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From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

The Jamestown Colony was the first permanent European settlement in North America. It was founded on May 14, 1607 by the Virginia Company, which was granted a charter by King James I of England to establish a colony in the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia. In 1624, Virgina became a crown colony and Jamestown served as the capital until 1698 when it moved to Williamsburg.