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James River

James River
James River at the crossing of the Blue Ridge Parkway
A map of the James River drainage basin
Map
EtymologyKing James VI and I
Native namePowhatan (Powhatan)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of Cowpasture River and Jackson River
 • locationIron Gate, Allegheny Mountains, Virginia
 • coordinates37°47′4″N 79°46′33″W / 37.78444°N 79.77583°W / 37.78444; -79.77583[2]
MouthHampton Roads
 • location
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia
 • coordinates
36°56′30″N 76°26′37″W / 36.94167°N 76.44361°W / 36.94167; -76.44361[2]
Length348 mi (560 km)
Basin size10,432 sq mi (27,020 km2)
Discharge 
 • average6,835 cu ft/s (193.5 m3/s)[1]
 • minimum10 cu ft/s (0.28 m3/s)
 • maximum313,000 cu ft/s (8,900 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftChickahominy River
 • rightAppomattox River
The James at Percival's Island Riverwalk in Lynchburg, Virginia

The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County 348 miles (560 km)[3] to the Chesapeake Bay.[4] The river length extends to 444 miles (715 km) if the Jackson River, the longer of its two headwaters, is included.[3] It is the longest river in Virginia. Jamestown and Williamsburg, Virginia's first colonial capitals, and Richmond, Virginia's current capital, lie on the James River.

  1. ^ USGS data, accessed February 14, 2011
  2. ^ a b "James River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 1, 2011
  4. ^ "James River | Virginia, Map, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. March 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.

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