The James River flows about 340 miles from the junction of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers in Botetourt County to Hampton Roads at the Chesapeake Bay. In 1607 the first permanent English settlement in the New World was established on its banks at Jamestown. The colonists used the river as a path for exploration. With modern cities and shipyards as well as ancient plantations lining its banks, the James River remains one of Virginia's most important natural resources.