<P> The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas . William Kelso writes that Jamestown `` is where the British Empire began '' . It was established by the Virginia Company of London as `` James Fort '' on May 4 , 1607 ( O.S. ; May 14 , 1607 N.S. ) , and was considered permanent after brief abandonment in 1610 . It followed several failed attempts , including the Lost Colony of Roanoke . Jamestown served as the capital of the colony of Virginia for 83 years , from 1616 until 1699 . </P>
where was the first colony in north america located
Virginia