Concord, New Hampshire

Old Town House, 1790

The area that would become Concord was originally settled thousands of years ago by Abenaki Native Americans called the Pennacook.[6]^: 65 The tribe fished for migrating salmon, sturgeon, and alewives with nets strung across the rapids of the Merrimack River. The stream was also the transportation route for their birch bark canoes, which could travel from Lake Winnipesaukee to the Atlantic Ocean. The broad sweep of the Merrimack River valley floodplain provided good soil for farming beans, gourds, pumpkins, melons and maize.

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 the Merrimack River through the area.[1] On January 17, 1725, the Province of Massachusetts Bay, which then claimed territories west of the Merrimack, granted the Concord area as the Plantation of Penacook.[6]^: 107 It was settled between 1725 and 1727 by Captain Ebenezer Eastman and others from Haverhill, Massachusetts. On February 9, 1734, the town was incorporated as "Rumford",[6]^: 147 from which Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, would take his title. It was renamed "Concord" in 1765 by Governor Benning Wentworth following a bitter boundary dispute between Rumford and the town of Bow; the city name was meant to reflect the new concord, or harmony, between the disputant towns.[7] 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 as Rumford, Maine, the site of Pennacook Falls.

Concord grew in prominence throughout the 18th century, and some of the earliest houses from this period survive at the northern end of Main Street.[8] In the years following the Revolution, Concord's central geographical location made it a logical choice for the state capital, particularly after Samuel Blodget in 1807 opened a canal and lock system to allow vessels passage around the Amoskeag Falls downriver, connecting Concord with Boston by way of the Middlesex Canal. In 1808, Concord was named the official seat of state government,[6]^{: 324–326} and in 1816 architect Stuart Park was commissioned to design a new capitol building for the state legislature on land sold to the state by local Quakers.[9] Construction on the State 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 of Merrimack County in 1823, and the Merrimack County Courthouse was constructed in 1857 in the North End at the site of the Old Town House.[10]

In the early 19th century, much of the city's economy was dominated by furniture-making, printing, and granite quarrying; 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 the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.[11] In 1828, Lewis Downing joined J. Stephens Abbot to form Abbot and Downing.[6]^{: 339–340} Their most famous product was their Concord coach, widely used in the development of the American 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 the railroad industry, with Penacook a textile manufacturing center using water power from the Contoocook River. The city also around this time started to become a center for the emerging healthcare industry, with New Hampshire State Hospital opening in 1842 as one of the first psychiatric hospitals in the United States.[12] The State Hospital continued to expand throughout the following decades, and in 1891 Concord Hospital opened its doors as Margaret Pillsbury General Hospital, the first general hospital in the state of New Hampshire.[13]

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.[14] The city also developed an identity within the emerging space industry, with the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center opening in 1990 to commemorate Alan Shepard, the first American in space from nearby Derry, and Christa McAuliffe, a teacher at Concord High School who died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Today, Concord remains a center for politics, law, healthcare, and insurance companies.

• 
  First Concord Bridge, 1795
• 
  State House c. 1906
• 
  Main Street c. 1908
• 
  City Hall in 1913
• 
  Old Library c. 1915
• 
  Old Post Office in 1910

Downtown Concord in 2017

View along the Merrimack River from Terrill Park

Concord is located in south-central New Hampshire at 43°12′24″N 71°32′17″W (43.2070, −71.5371).[15] It is 38 miles (61 km) north of the Massachusetts border, 40 miles (64 km) west of the Maine border, 54 miles (87 km) east of the Vermont border, and 170 miles (270 km) south of the Canadian border at Pittsburg.

According to the United 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.[16] Concord is drained by the Merrimack 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 neighboring Loudon.

Concord lies fully within the Merrimack River watershed[17] 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 of Pembroke) is formed by the Soucook River, a tributary of the Merrimack. The Turkey 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, the Contoocook River enters the Merrimack at the village of Penacook.

Aerial view of downtown Concord (looking east)

Concord is 16 miles (26 km) north of Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city, and 66 miles (106 km) north of Boston.

As of the census of 2020, there were 43,976 people residing in the city. The population density was 687.7 people per square mile (265.5/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). 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.[28]

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.[28]

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.[28]

For the period 2009–2011, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $52,695, and the median income for a family was $73,457. Male full-time workers had a median income of $49,228 versus $38,782 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,296. About 5.5% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.[29]

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 is Jim Bouley, who has served 14 years as mayor and was elected to a record eighth term on November 2, 2021.[43]

According to the Concord city charter, the mayor chairs the council,[44] however has very few formal powers over the day-to-day management of the city.[44] The actual operations of the city are overseen by the city manager,[44] currently Thomas J. Aspell, Jr.[45] The current police chief is Bradley S. Osgood.[46]

In the New Hampshire Senate, Concord is in the 15th District, represented by Democrat Becky Whitley since December 2020. On the New Hampshire Executive Council, Concord is in the 2nd District, represented by Cinde Warmington, the sole Democrat on the council. In the United States House of Representatives, Concord is in New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Ann McLane Kuster.

New Hampshire Department of Corrections operates the New Hampshire State Prison for Men and New Hampshire State Prison for Women[47] in Concord.

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 the National 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 President George H. W. Bush in 1988. Voter turnout was 72.7% in the 2020 general election,[48] down from 76.2% in 2016,[49] but still above the 2020 national turnout of 66.7%.[50]

Newspapers and journals

• Concord Monitor (daily)
• Concord NH Patch (daily)
• New Hampshire Bulletin (daily)
• The Concord Insider (weekly)
• The Hippo (weekly)

Radio

• WKXL 1450 AM (News Talk Information)
• WNHN-LP 94.7 FM (Jazz, Blues, Progressive Talk)
• WEVO 89.1 FM (Public radio)
• WJYY 105.5 FM (Top 40)
• WAKC 102.3 FM (Contemporary Christian)
• WICX 102.7 FM (Catholic Radio)

The city is otherwise served by Manchester area stations. New Hampshire Public Radio is headquartered in Concord.

Television

• WPXG-TV (Channel 21) (Ion Television)
• Concord TV Public-access television cable TV station

New Hampshire historical marker

The New 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.[51] The building was remodeled in 1866, and the third story and west wing were added in 1910.

Across from the State House is the Eagle Hotel on Main Street, which has been a downtown landmark since its opening in 1827. U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford Hayes, and Benjamin Harrison all dined there, and Franklin Pierce spent the night before departing for his inauguration. Other well-known guests included Jefferson Davis, Charles Lindbergh, Eleanor Roosevelt, Richard M. Nixon (who carried New Hampshire in all three of his presidential bids), and Thomas E. Dewey. The hotel closed in 1961.[52]

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.[53]

Walker-Woodman House, built from 1733 to 1735, as it appeared c. 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.[54] It was built for the Reverend Timothy Walker between 1733 and 1735.

On the north end of Main Street is the Pierce Manse, in which President Franklin Pierce lived in Concord before and following his presidency.[55] The mid-1830s Greek 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 oldest golf courses in New England.[56] Besides this golf course, other important sporting venues in Concord include Everett 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 of Red River Theatres, a locally owned, nonprofit, independent cinema in 2007. The SNOB Film Festival is one of the many arts organizations in the city.

Other sites of interest include the Capitol Center for the Arts, the New Hampshire Historical Society, which has two facilities in Concord, and the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, a science museum named after Christa McAuliffe, the Concord teacher who died during the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, and Alan Shepard, the Derry-born astronaut who was the second person and first American in space as well as the fifth and oldest person to walk on the Moon.

• Watson, David (1864), The Concord city directory, Concord: McFarland & Jenks, OL 24340203M

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Concord, New Hampshire.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Concord, New Hampshire.

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Concord, New Hampshire.

• Official website
• Concord School District
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
• New Hampshire Historical Society
• Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce
• Visit Concord NH