Concord (/ˈkɒŋkərd/KON-kerd)[10] is the most populous city inContra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024,[11] making it the tenth most populous city in theSan Francisco Bay Area.[12][13] Founded in 1869 asTodos Santos byDonSalvio Pacheco II, a notedCalifornio ranchero, the name was later changed to Concord. The city is a major regional suburbanEast Bay center within the San Francisco Bay Area, and is 29 miles (47 kilometers) east ofSan Francisco.
The United States Census Bureau defines anurban area in the East Bay which is separated from the San Francisco–Oakland urban area and with Concord as the principal city: the Concord–Walnut Creek, CA urban area had a population of 538,583 as of the2020 census, making it the80th largest in the United States.[9]
The valleys north ofMount Diablo were inhabited by theMiwok people, who huntedelk and fished in the numerous streams flowing from the mountain into theSan Francisco Bay. It is important to note Miwok and other indigenous people still live within city limits. In 1772, Spanish explorers began to cross the area but did not settle there. In 1834, the Mexican land grantRancho Monte del Diablo at the base of Mount Diablo was granted to Salvio Pacheco (for whom the nearby town ofPacheco is named).
Concord was founded under the name of Todos Santos ("all saints"; a name still borne by the central city plaza and park between Willow Pass Road and Salvio Street), on the initiative of Pacheco in 1869. It achieved prominence in the 19th century, when most residents of Pacheco relocated to Concord to avoid the devastation of fire and flood which crippled Pacheco's formerly booming economy. Concord wasincorporated on February 5, 1905.[14]
The area around Concord in the surrounding Ygnacio and Clayton valleys was a large agricultural area. The crops grown included grapes, walnuts, almonds, wheat, hay, and even tomatoes. The area to the east (now the site of the Concord Naval Weapons Station) was the site of a few enormous wheat ranches of over 5,000 acres (20 km2), and was almost a sea of wheat all the way to the marshes borderingSuisun Bay. DuringProhibition, many vineyards were removed and replaced with walnut orchards. The town ofCowell, now incorporated into Concord, produced cement.
Themunitions on board aNavy cargo ship exploded while being loaded duringWorld War II, resulting in the largest number of casualties amongAfrican Americans in any one incident during that war. On the evening of July 17, 1944, a massive explosion instantly killed 320 sailors, merchant seamen, and civilians working at the pier. The blast was felt 30 miles (48 km) away. A subsequent refusal by 258 black sailors to load any more ammunition was the beginning of the Navy's largest-ever mutiny trial, in which 50 men were found guilty. Future Supreme Court JusticeThurgood Marshall sat in on most of the proceedings and declared that he saw a prejudiced court.[16]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.5 square miles (79 km2), all of it land.
The focal point of downtown Concord is Todos Santos Plaza, which encompasses an entire city block and is known for itsfarmers market, free summer concerts, and large number of surrounding restaurants. Much of the area immediately around downtown has recently been redeveloped, with new high-density apartment and condominium projects to take advantage of the proximity to public transportation and to the area surrounding the park. Despite this, some crime and homelessness remain issues in the downtown area.[18][19]
Concord is bordered on the west byPleasant Hill and theunincorporated community ofPacheco, on the south byWalnut Creek, on the southeast byClayton, on the northeast byPittsburg and the unincorporated community ofBay Point, and on the north by the unincorporated community ofClyde. Although it shares no border with Concord,Martinez (thecounty seat) is located almost immediately adjacent to Concord on the northwest. The North Concord BART station is also known as Martinez BART.
Official data from theNational Weather Service cooperative station in Concord shows average January temperatures are a maximum of 57.2 °F (14.0 °C) and a minimum of 41.6 °F (5.3 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 87.8 °F (31.0 °C) and a minimum of 58.2 °F (14.6 °C). There are an average of 45.0 days with highs of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher and 3.8 days with lows of 32 °F (0.0 °C) or lower. The highest recorded temperature was 113 °F (45.0 °C) on September 1, 2017. The lowest record temperature was 24 °F (−4.4 °C) on December 23, 1998.[21]
Average annual precipitation is 23.91 in (607 mm), falling on an average of 71 days annually. The wettest year was 1995, with 46.62 inches (1,184 mm) and the driest year was 2007, with 10.57 inches (268.5 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 12.79 inches (324.9 mm) in December 2005, which included the 24-hour maximum rainfall of 3.95 inches (100 mm) on December 31.[21]
Concord city, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The census reported that 98.9% of the population lived in households, 0.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized.[27]
There were 45,800 households, out of which 31.5% included children under the age of 18, 49.0% were married-couple households, 7.4% werecohabiting couple households, 26.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 17.5% had a male householder with no partner present. 23.0% of households were one person, and 10.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.71.[27] There were 31,500families (68.8% of all households).[28]
The age distribution was 20.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% aged 18 to 24, 29.3% aged 25 to 44, 26.1% aged 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.5years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males.[27]
There were 47,597 housing units at an average density of 1,557.9 units per square mile (601.5 units/km2), of which 45,800 (96.2%) were occupied. Of these, 59.1% were owner-occupied, and 40.9% were occupied by renters.[27]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $109,195, and theper capita income was $49,514. About 6.0% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line.[29]
The2010 United States census[30] reported that Concord had a population of 122,067. The population density was 3,996.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,542.9/km2). The ethnic makeup of Concord was 78,767 (64.5%)White, 4,371 (3.6%)African American, 852 (0.7%)Native American, 13,538 (11.1%)Asian (4.4% Filipino, 2.4% Chinese, 1.3% Indian, 0.7% Vietnamese, 0.6% Japanese, 0.6% Korean), 816 (0.7%)Pacific Islander, 15,969 (13.1%) fromother ethnicities, and 7,754 (6.4%) from two or more ethnicities. Hispanic orLatino of any ethnicity were 37,311 persons (30.6%).
The Census reported that 121,020 people (99.1% of the population) lived in households, 512 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 535 (0.4%) were institutionalized.
There were 44,278 households, out of which 15,421 (34.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 21,725 (49.1%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 5,642 (12.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,707 (6.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,952 (6.7%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 512 (1.2%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 10,406 households (23.5%) were made up of individuals, and 3,625 (8.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73. There were 30,074families (67.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.22.
The population was spread out, with 28,000 people (22.9%) under the age of 18, 10,946 people (9.0%) aged 18 to 24, 35,834 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 32,903 people (27.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 14,384 people (11.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
There were 47,125 housing units at an average density of 1,542.8 per square mile (595.7 per square kilometer), of which 44,278 were occupied, of which 27,069 (61.1%) were owner-occupied, and 17,209 (38.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%. 71,004 people (58.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 50,016 people (41.0%) lived in rental housing units.
In 2017, Concord had 65,061 registered voters with 31,759 (48.8%) registered as Democrats, 14,447 (22.2%) registered as Republicans, and 15,623 (24%)no party preference voters.[32]
Concord has been primarily abedroom community for San Francisco and Oakland over the last forty years, but during the last decades, jobs within the city have increased.[33]BevMo! is headquartered in Concord. Concord also has a strong retail sector including theSunvalley Shopping Center, which used to be one of the 50 largest malls in the United States,[34]auto dealerships, andCostco.[35] The city is also home to the lastSears in California and one of only 7 remaining in the United States, and the lastFuddruckers in California.
The station consists of two areas: the inland area (5,170 acres [2,092 hectares]) which is within the Concord city limits, and tidal area (7,630 acres [3,088 ha]).[38] Because of changes in military operations, parts of the inland area began to bemothballed and by 1999, the CNWS had only a minimal contingent of military personnel. In 2007, the U.S. Federal Government announced that the inland portion of the CNWS will be closed. The tidal area of the base is not scheduled for closure.[37] The tidal area was transferred to the U.S. Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) and is now known as Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO).[39][40] The city is working on a reuse plan that may include developing the land while keeping a large portion for open-space and parks projects. The city has had many meetings on this subject and any plan for reuse is subject to approval by the Navy.[38][41]
Main thoroughfares include Willow Pass Road, Concord Avenue, Concord Boulevard, Clayton Road, Monument Boulevard, Ygnacio Valley Road, Oak Grove Road and Treat Boulevard.[42] The city is also served byInterstate 680, and state highways4 and242.
The city of Concord is served by the dailynewspaper theEast Bay Times (formerly theContra Costa Times) published by Bay Area News Group-East Bay (part of theMedia News Group, Denver, Colorado), with offices inWalnut Creek. The paper was originally run and owned by theLesher family. Since the death ofDean Lesher in 1993, the paper has had several owners. The publisher also issues a weekly paper, theConcord Transcript for Concord and nearbyClayton.
Concord is primarily served by radio stations from the San Francisco and Sacramento markets. TheClayton Valley Charter High School operates a student-run rock station licensed to Concord,KVHS. The city is also served byKKDV, a Walnut Creek-based rebroadcaster of country stationKBAY. AM stationKABN formerly operated from 1963 to 2004.
Concord is served by television stations broadcasting primarily out of San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose. Over-the-air reception is difficult in many parts of the city due to hills on either side of the valley.
The sole Concord-licensed television station,KTNC, is an owned-and-operated station ofTri-State Christian Television; it had broadcast from the top ofMount Diablo. In 2017, the station's broadcast spectrum was sold in the FCC's spectrum incentive auction; the station now shares a signal withKCNS,KMTP-TV, andKEMO-TV on theSutro Tower in San Francisco, maintaining its virtual channel 42.
Concord is served by theMount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD). Among the MDUSD schools isMt. Diablo High School, opened in 1901 and currently home to four academies, including the Digital Safari Academy, a three-year program involving the integration of multimedia with the core curriculum through integrated, project-based learning.
Beyond MDUSD schools,Clayton Valley Charter High School is also home to several acclaimed academies. Catholic schoolsDe La Salle High School for boys andCarondelet High School for girls are also located here. De La Salle's football team holds the U.S. record winning streak of 151 games, set between 1992 and 2004. During that span, De La Salle won 12 California North Coast sectional championships and was named national champion five different times (once byESPN, four times byUSA Today). In August 2014, a Hollywood film titledWhen the Game Stands Tall was released with the plot line based on their 151-game winning streak.
Concord High School won the 2010 Northern California Boys Division II Football Championship, coached by Brian Hamilton.Ygnacio Valley High School won the 1987 Northern California Boys Division I Basketball Championship, coached by Jim Grace.
Concord is the home of the annualConcord Jazz Festival and was the home of theConcord Records jazz record label until it was bought in 1999. Jazz musicianDave Brubeck was born in Concord[45] and in 2006 a park adjacent to Concord High School on Concord Boulevard was renamed in his honor.
Concord is also home to the 21-time World ChampionBlue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. The corps is made up of talented musicians from around the world. The Concord Blue Devils are the most decorated drum and bugle corps in the history ofDrum Corps International.[46]
TheConcord Pavilion, a 12,500-seat outdoor amphitheater designed byFrank Gehry, hosts concerts and community events, beginning with the Concord Jazz Festival in 1975.[47]
Matteo's Dream is an all-abilities playground in anurban park in Concord, named for Matteo Henderson, a boy with serious disabilities including blindness,cerebral palsy, and cognitive development. Persons with disabilities are able to drive their wheelchairs directly onto the structure. Features of the playground are specially engineered to accommodate people with various disabilities.[49]
Artwork produced by Japanese and American citizens to celebrate the sister city relationship between Concord andKitakami, located at the civic center
In 1974, Concord became a sister city withKitakami,Iwate, inJapan. The city established a small Japanese-style park in the city, and placed half of a sculpture,The Communion Bridge, in it. The matching half of the bridge is in Kitakami.[55]
^Harris, Joel A. (2009).Images of America: Concord. San Francisco: Arcadia Publishing.ISBN978-0-7385-6913-0.
^Durham, David L. (1998).California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 618.ISBN1-884995-14-4.
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