In 1588, the city was renamed "Philipeia of Our Lady of the Snows", in honor of King Philip II, who at the time accumulated the thrones of Spain and Portugal.

[11] In 1634, attracted by the sugar wealth of the then-capital of the Paraíba, the Dutch invaded and named it Fredrikstad (Frederick City), in honor of the prince of Orange, Frederick of Orange,[12] was one of the two main cities of New Holland, brought the town a period of great prosperity,[13] the installation of mills on the coast enabled greater efficiency in sugar production, with the main consequence being the guarantee of large profits, but, on the other hand, it required the practice of monoculture that was developed in increasing extensions of land, the latifundia.

After the decline of New Holland[12] and with the departure of the Dutch, the city was again dominated by the Portuguese and acquired the name "Parahyba do Norte" in 1654.

[15] João Pessoa has many green areas distributed among its avenues, parks, and residential neighborhoods, supporting its claim as "the second greenest city in the world" with more than 7 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi) of forested land, second only to Paris.

There is the Urban Tartarugas Project, which operates on the beaches of Bessa and Intermares, a spawning area for the hawksbill turtle, a scenario for environmental preservation.

The Cabo Branco beach, white sand and warm water; Playa Seixas, which is where the most eastern point of America is located.

There are 18 stations distributed along the Rio and Preguiça trails using as criteria elements mainly related to history, botany and ecology, contributing to knowledge of the environment and the need for its preservation.

It includes the largest natural urban Atlantic forest reserve in the country, and an important historical heritage of the capital of Paraíba.

[29] The João Pessoa Urban Trains System is operated by diesel components on one railway line with a 30 km extension spanning four municipalities, João Pessoa, Cabedelo, Bayeux and Santa Rita, constituted by the Cabedelo stretch, with 10 stations in operation, carrying around 10,100 passengers a day.

There are listed 37 hectares in area and estimated around 700 buildings, in addition to streets, squares and historic parks that integrate this set, comprising most of the neighborhoods of Varadouro and the Center of the city.

Its buildings make up a scenario of different styles and eras full of townhouses, squares, colonial houses and secular churches, being considered the main architectural collection of Paraíba, reporting the various phases of local history, and one of the largest and most important historical sites in[45] Brazil.

[46] The delimited area has assets that represent various periods in the history of João Pessoa, such as the baroque of the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco; from the rococo of the Church and Convent of the Third Order of Our Lady of Carmo, Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Snows; of the Neoclassical architecture of the Church of Saint Peter Gonzalez, Church and Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary, of the Baroque architecture of the São Francisco Cultural Center, Monastery of St. Benedict, of the Mannerist style of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, all from the 17th century;[47] of the colonial architecture and eclectic architecture of civil houses, in addition to Art Nouveau and Art Deco, from the 20s and 30s decades, predominant in square Antenor Navarro and in the former Hotel Globo, now transformed into a cultural center.

[50] Bessa Beach offers kayaking, popular among tourists, to reach four beautiful kilometers (2.5 mi) of coral and marine life in the blue sea of the "Caribessa".