The area was first settled by Europeans in 1659.[1] On January 17, 1725, theProvince of Massachusetts Bay granted the Concord area as the Plantation of Penacook,[7]: 107 and it was incorporated on February 9, 1734, as the Town of Rumford.[7] GovernorBenning Wentworth gave the city its current name in 1765 following a boundary dispute with the neighboring town ofBow; the name was meant to signify the new harmony between the two towns.[8] In 1808, Concord was named the official seat of state government,[7] and theState House was completed in 1819; it remains the oldest U.S. state capitol wherein thelegislature meets in its original chambers.[9]
Concord is entirely within theMerrimack River watershed[10] and the city is centered on the river. The Merrimack runs from northwest to southeast through the city. The city's eastern boundary is formed by theSoucook River, which separates Concord from the town ofPembroke. TheTurkey River passes through the southwestern quarter of the city. The city consists of itsdowntown, including the North End and South End neighborhoods, along with the four villages ofPenacook, Concord Heights, East Concord, and West Concord.[11] Penacook sits along theContoocook River, just before it flows into the Merrimack.
The area was first settled by Europeans in 1659 as Penacook, after the Abenaki word "pannukog" meaning "bend in the river," referencing the steep bends of theMerrimack River through the area.[1] On January 17, 1725, theProvince of Massachusetts Bay, which then claimed territories west of the Merrimack, granted the Concord area as the Plantation of Penacook.[7]: 107 It was settled between 1725 and 1727 by CaptainEbenezer Eastman and others fromHaverhill, Massachusetts. On February 9, 1734, the town was incorporated as "Rumford",[7]: 147 from whichSir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, would take his title. It was renamed "Concord" in 1765 by GovernorBenning Wentworth following a bitter boundary dispute between Rumford and the town ofBow; the city name was meant to reflect the new concord, or harmony, between the disputant towns.[8] Citizens displaced by the resulting border adjustment were given land elsewhere as compensation. In 1779, New Pennacook Plantation was granted to Timothy Walker Jr. and his associates at what would be incorporated in 1800 asRumford, Maine, the site of Pennacook Falls.
Concord grew in prominence throughout the 18th century, and some of the earliest houses from this period survive atthe northern end of Main Street.[15] In the years following theRevolution, Concord's central geographical location made it a logical choice for the state capital, particularly after Samuel Blodget in 1807 opened acanal andlock system to allow vessels passage around theAmoskeag Falls downriver, connecting Concord withBoston by way of theMiddlesex Canal. In 1808, Concord was named the official seat of state government,[7]: 324–326 and in 1816 architect Stuart Park was commissioned to design a new capitol building for thestate legislature on land sold to the state by localQuakers.[16] Construction on theState House was completed in 1819, and it remains the oldest capitol in the nation in which the state's legislative branches meet in their original chambers. Concord was also named the seat ofMerrimack County in 1823, and theMerrimack County Courthouse was constructed in 1857 in the North End at the site of the Old Town House.[17]
In the early 19th century, much of the city's economy was dominated byfurniture-making, printing, andgranitequarrying; granite had become a popular building material for many monumental halls in the early United States, and Concord granite was used in the construction of both the New Hampshire State House and theLibrary of Congress inWashington, D.C.[18] In 1828, Lewis Downing joined J. Stephens Abbot to formAbbot and Downing.[7]: 339–340 Their most famous product was theirConcord coach, widely used in the development of theAmerican West, and their enterprise largely boosted and changed the city economy in the mid-19th century. In subsequent years, Concord would also become a hub for therailroad industry, with Penacook atextile manufacturing center usingwater power from theContoocook River. The city also around this time started to become a center for the emerging healthcare industry, withNew Hampshire State Hospital opening in 1842 as one of the firstpsychiatric hospitals in the United States.[19] The State Hospital continued to expand throughout the following decades, and in 1891Concord Hospital opened its doors as Margaret Pillsbury General Hospital, the first general hospital in the state of New Hampshire.[20]
Concord's economy changed once again in the 20th century with the declining railroad and textile industry. The city developed into a center for national politics due to New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, and many presidential candidates still visit the Concord area during campaign season.[21] The city also developed an identity within the emergingspace industry, with theMcAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center opening in 1990 to commemorateAlan Shepard, the first American in space from nearbyDerry, andChrista McAuliffe, a teacher atConcord High School who died in the 1986Space ShuttleChallenger disaster. Today, Concord remains a center for politics, law, healthcare, andinsurance companies.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 67.2 square miles (174.0 km2). 64.0 square miles (165.7 km2) of it are land and 3.2 square miles (8.4 km2) of it are water, comprising 4.81% of the city.[23] Concord is drained by theMerrimack River.Penacook Lake, the largest lake in the city and its main source of water, is in the west. The highest point in Concord is 860 feet (260 m) above sea level on Oak Hill, just west of the hill's 970-foot (300 m) summit in neighboringLoudon.
Concord lies fully within the Merrimack Riverwatershed[10] and is centered on the river, which runs from northwest to southeast through the city. Downtown is located on a low terrace to the west of the river, with residential neighborhoods climbing hills to the west and extending southwards towards the town of Bow. To the east of the Merrimack, atop a 100-foot (30 m) bluff, is a flat, sandy plain known as Concord Heights, which has seen most of the city's commercial development since 1960. The eastern boundary of Concord (with the town ofPembroke) is formed by theSoucook River, a tributary of the Merrimack. TheTurkey River winds through the southwestern quarter of the city, passing through the campus of St. Paul's School before entering the Merrimack River in Bow. In the northern part of the city, theContoocook River enters the Merrimack at the village of Penacook.
Aerial view of downtown Concord (looking east)
Concord is 16 miles (26 km) north ofManchester, New Hampshire's largest city, and 66 miles (106 km) north ofBoston.
The city of Concord is made up of its downtown, including its North End and South End neighborhoods, plus the four distinct villages ofPenacook, Concord Heights, East Concord, and West Concord.[11]
Concord, as with much of New England, is within thehumid continental climate zone (KöppenDfb), with long, cold, snowy winters, warm (and at times humid) summers, and relatively brief autumns and springs. In winter, successive storms deliver moderate to at times heavy snowfall amounts, contributing to the relatively reliable snow cover. In addition, lows reach below 0 °F (−18 °C) on an average 15 nights per year, and the city straddles the border betweenUSDA Hardiness Zone 5b and 6a.[24] However, thaws are frequent, with one to three days per month with 50 °F (10 °C)+ highs from December to February. Summer can bring stretches of humid conditions as well as thunderstorms, and there is an average of 12 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs annually. The window for freezing temperatures on average begins on September 27 and expires on May 14.[25]
The monthly daily average temperature range from 20.6 °F (−6.3 °C) in January to 70.0 °F (21.1 °C) in July. Temperature extremes have ranged from −37 °F (−38 °C) in February 1943 to 102 °F (39 °C) in July 1966.
As of the2020 United States census, there were 43,976 people residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 687.7 people per square mile (265.5 people/km2). At the 2010 census there were 42,695 residents and 10,052 families in the city, as well as 18,852 housing units at an average density of 293.2 per square mile (113.2/km2).
In 2010 there were 17,592 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were headed by married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26, and the average family size was 2.90.[33]
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.[33]
For the period 2019–2023, the median annual income for a household in the city was $83,701. Theper capita income for the city was $45,420. About 8.7% of those in Concord were below thepoverty line during 2019–2023.[34]
Concord city, New Hampshire – Racial 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 racial makeup of the city in 2020 was 84.5% White, 4.9% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 4.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races. 4.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[33]The most reported ancestries in2020 were:[38]
In 2020, the top employer in the city remained the State of New Hampshire, with over 6,000 employed workers, while the largest private employer was Concord Hospital,[12] with just under 3,000 employees. According to the City of Concord's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[39] the top 10 employers in the city for the Fiscal Year 2020 were:
Historically, Concord served as an important railroad terminal and station for theBoston and Maine Railroad. The former Concord Station was located at what is now aBurlington department store on Storrs Street. The station itself was built in 1860, but the fourth and most famous iteration of the station was built in 1885, which had a brick head house designed byBradford L. Gilbert. The head house was demolished in 1959 and replaced by a smaller "McGinnis Era" station. By 1967, all passenger rail services to Concord had been discontinued.[40] For 13 months in 1980 and 1981,MBTA Commuter Rail ran two round trips a day between Boston and Concord. Since then, there has not been any passenger rail service to Concord.[14]
In 2021, Amtrak announced their plan to implement new service between Boston and Concord by 2035.[41]
Local bus service is provided byConcord Area Transit (CAT), with three routes through the city.[42] Regional bus service provided byConcord Coach Lines andGreyhound Lines is available from the Concord Transportation Center at 30 Stickney Avenue next to Exit 14 on Interstate 93, with service south to Boston and points in between, as well as north toLittleton and northeast toBerlin.
General aviation services are available throughConcord Municipal Airport, located 2 miles (3 km) east of downtown. There is no commercial air service within the city limits; the nearest such airport isManchester–Boston Regional Airport, 23 miles (37 km) to the south.
Concord's downtown underwent a significant renovation between 2015 and 2016, during the city's "Complete Streets Improvement Project". At a proposed cost of $12 million, the project promised to deliver on categories of maintenance to aginginfrastructure, improvedaccessibility, increasedsustainability, a safer experience for walkers, bikers and motorists alike, and to stimulateeconomic growth in an increasingly idle downtown.[43][44] The main infrastructural change was reducing the four-lane street (two in each direction) to two lanes plus a turning lane in the center. The freed-up space would contribute to extra width for bikes to ride in either direction, increased curb size and an added median where there is no need for a turning lane.[45] Concord opted to addshared lane markings for bikes, rather than a dedicatedprotected bike lane.
By adding curb space, this project created new opportunities for pedestrians to enjoy the downtown. Many power lines were buried, andstreet trees, colorful benches, art installations, and othergreen spaces were added, all allowing people to reclaim a space long dominated by cars.[45] Main Street underwent serioustraffic calming, including aroad diet, increased diagonal parking, widening sidewalks, adding shared lane markings, adding trees, texturing medians and coloring crosswalks red.[46] Another aspect of the new construction was adding heated sidewalk capabilities, utilizing excess steam from the local Concord Steam plant, and minimizing sand and snow blowing needed during the winter months.[45]
Funding for Complete Streets came from a combination of $4,710,000 from aUSDOT TIGER grant and the rest from the City of Concord.[45] The project was initially proposed as costing $7,850,000, but ran over budget due to overambitious ideas.[47] After scrapping some of the most expensive offenders, the budget ended up at $14.2 million, with the project actually coming in $1.1 million below that.[48] Although adding final aesthetic touches with the extra money were debated, the city council ended up deciding to save for financially straining years ahead.[48] The design was carried out by McFarland Johnson, IBI Group, and City of Concord Engineering.[43][45][49]
Concord is governed via the council-manager system. The city council consists of a mayor and 14 councilors, ten of which are elected to two-year terms representing each of the city wards, while the other four are elected at-large to four-year terms. The mayor is elected directly every two years. The current mayor as of 2024 is Byron Champlin, who was elected on November 7, 2023, with more than 75% of the vote.[51]
According to the Concordcity charter, the mayor chairs the council,[52] however has very few formal powers over the day-to-day management of the city.[52] The actual operations of the city are overseen by thecity manager,[52] currently Thomas J. Aspell Jr.[53] The current police chief is Bradley S. Osgood.[54]
Across from the state capitol, the former Eagle Hotel on Main Street was a downtown landmark in Concord from its opening in 1827 until it closed in 1961. It was added in 1978 to theNational Register of Historic Places.Veterans Monument in Concord
Concord leans strongly Democratic in presidential elections; the last Republican nominee to carry the city was then Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush in 1988. Voter turnout was 72.7% in the 2020 general election,[56] down from 76.2% in 2016,[57] but still above the 2020 national turnout of 66.7%.[58]
TheNew Hampshire State House, designed by architect Stuart Park and constructed between 1815 and 1818, is the oldest state house in which the legislature meets in its original chambers.[9] The building was remodeled in 1866, and the third story and west wing were added in 1910.
South from the Eagle Hotel on Main Street is Phenix Hall, which replaced "Old" Phenix Hall, which burned in 1893. Both the old and new buildings featured multi-purpose auditoriums used for political speeches, theater productions, and fairs.Abraham Lincoln spoke at the old hall in 1860;Theodore Roosevelt, at the new hall in 1912.[60]
Walker-Woodman House, built from 1733 to 1735, as it appearedc. 1908
North on Main Street is the Walker-Woodman House, also known as the Reverend Timothy Walker House, the oldest standing two-story house in Concord.[61] It was built for the Reverend Timothy Walker between 1733 and 1735.
On the north end of Main Street is thePierce Manse, in which President Franklin Pierce lived in Concord before and following his presidency.[62] The mid-1830sGreek Revival house was moved from Montgomery Street to North Main Street in 1971 to prevent its demolition.
Beaver Meadow Golf Course, located in the northern part of Concord, is one of the oldestgolf courses in New England.[63] Besides this golf course, other important sporting venues in Concord includeEverett Arena and Memorial Field.
The SNOB (Somewhat North Of Boston) Film Festival, started in the fall of 2002, brings independent films and filmmakers to Concord and has provided an outlet for local filmmakers to display their films. SNOB Film Festival was a catalyst for the building in 2007 of Red River Theatres, a locally owned, nonprofit, independent cinema named after the1948 film featuring John Wayne.[64]
Concord's public schools are within theConcord School District, except for schools in thePenacook area of the city, which are within the Merrimack Valley School District, a district which also includes several towns north of Concord. The only public high school in the Concord School District isConcord High School, which had about 1,450 students as of Fall 2023. The only public middle school in the Concord School District is Rundlett Middle School, which had roughly 770 students as of Fall 2023.[65] Concord School District's elementary schools underwent a major re-configuration in 2012, with three newly constructed schools opening and replacing six previous schools.Kimball School and Walker School were replaced byChrista McAuliffe School on the Kimball School site, Conant School (and Rumford School, which closed a year earlier) were replaced by Abbot-Downing School at the Conant site, and Eastman and Dame schools were replaced by Mill Brook School, serving kindergarten through grade two, located next to Broken Ground Elementary School, serving grades three to five. Beaver Meadow School, the remaining elementary school, was unaffected by the changes.
Concord schools in the Merrimack Valley School District includeMerrimack Valley High School and Merrimack Valley Middle School, which are adjacent to each other and to Rolfe Park in Penacook village, and Penacook Elementary School, just south of the village.
Other area private schools include Concord Christian Academy,Parker Academy, Trinity Christian School, and Shaker Road School. Also in Concord isSt. Paul's School, a boarding school located in the city's West End neighborhood.
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Concord were kept at downtown from September 1868 to April 1941 and at Concord Municipal Airport since May 1941; snow records date from December 1942. For more information, seeThreadEx
^abcdefghLyford, James; Amos Hadley; Howard F. Hill; Benjamin A. Kimball; Lyman D. Stevens; John M. Mitchell (1903).History of Concord, N.H. Concord, N.H.: The Rumford Press. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on July 15, 2014. RetrievedJune 2, 2014.
^abMoore, Jacob (1824).Annals of the Town of Concord. Concord, N.H.: Jacob B. Moore. pp. 31–34.
^"Station: CONCORD MUNI AP, NH".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived fromthe original on July 10, 2023. RetrievedMay 18, 2021.
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