Jamestown, city, Chautauqua county, southwestern New York, U.S. It lies at the south end of Chautauqua Lake, 70 miles (113 km) southwest of Buffalo. It was named for James Prendergast, a settler from Pittstown, who in 1811 purchased 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land there and built a mill; a settlement developed, and furniture and textiles were early manufactures. Abundant waterpower, the opening of the Erie Canal (1825), and the arrival of the Erie Railroad in the 1850s encouraged industrial development.

Jamestown’s manufactures include precision bearings, furniture, diesel engines, vehicular cooling systems, brass furniture hardware, and refractory products. Many dairy farms are in the vicinity, and the city is a base for the nearby resort areas of Chautauqua Lake and the Allegheny Mountains. Jamestown Community College, part of the State University of New York system, was founded in 1950. Inc. village, 1827; city, 1886. Pop. (2000) 31,730; (2010) 31,146.