Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire, serves as the state capital and has played a significant role in the region's history since its designation in 1808. Nestled in central New Hampshire, the city is characterized by its rich natural landscape, including the Merrimack River and several lakes and ponds, which contribute to its fertile soil and scenic beauty. Historically, Concord was a center for carriage manufacturing and granite quarrying, industries that shaped its economic landscape in the 19th century. The city has a diverse historical narrative that includes the indigenous Pennacook people and the early English settlers who transformed the area.
Concord is notable for its political importance, particularly as it hosts the first presidential primary in the United States every four years, drawing national attention. The city has evolved economically, shifting from traditional manufacturing to a focus on government, healthcare, technology, and education in recent decades. With a population of about 44,500, it remains predominantly White, though there is a notable presence of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial residents. Key landmarks such as the New Hampshire State House and the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center highlight its historical and cultural significance. Overall, Concord offers a unique blend of history, politics, and natural beauty, making it an intriguing destination for visitors and residents alike.
Subject Terms
Concord, New Hampshire
Concord has been the capital of New Hampshire since 1808. The city was an important center for carriage manufacturing in the nineteenth century, and, like other cities in the Granite State, its granite quarry industry played a large role in Concord's development. The political heart of New Hampshire, Concord also maintains a large presence on the national stage of American politics that transcends the city's small stature. Every four years, this small city becomes the focal point for the nation's political energy, as New Hampshire residents vote in what is traditionally the first presidential primary election to be held in the country.
Landscape
Concord is located in central New Hampshire. The city comprises approximately sixty-four square miles of land area. The Merrimack River runs through Concord in a southwesterly direction, and the Turkey River, one of the tributaries of the Merrimack, passes through the southwestern corner of the city. Some of the many other bodies of water within the city limits include Penacook Lake in the northwestern part of the city (the lake provides Concord with its supply of drinking water) and Horseshoe and Fort Eddy Ponds to the south.
As a result of its prime location within the watershed area of the Merrimack River, the city's soil is notably rich and fertile (this same feature means that Concord is also subject to the effects of flooding). In December 2023, heavy rainfall combined with record warm temperatures that melted the region's snowpack, combined to produce severe flooding that impacted Concord and the state of New Hampshire. Granite and sand formations underlie much of the city's terrain, resulting in rather steep slopes in many places.
Concord experiences a variable climate with all four seasons; summers are brief but pleasant, winters can be long and cold, and magnificent red and gold foliage marks the fall months. The average high temperature in January is around 31.6 degrees Fahrenheit, with average lows about 12.9 degrees. In July, average highs reach 83 degrees Fahrenheit and lows fall to 59.2 degrees. A significant portion of the city's land area is taken up by dense forests filled with, among other species, elm, maple, oak, and beech trees. Some of these trees are sustainably harvested by the city for timber, with the profits from this industry being partially shuttled into the maintenance of a comprehensive system of hiking trails, a popular attraction for locals and tourists alike.
People
According to the United States Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) estimates, Concord had a total of 44,503 residents, making it the third-largest city in the state. The city's population is largely homogeneous, with 85.7 percent of its inhabitants being White, 3.6 percent Hispanic or Latino, 3.4 percent African American or black, 4 percent Asian, and 3.9 percent multiracial. Concord's predominantly white population is largely due to historical factors. During the nineteenth century, the largest number of foreign-born immigrants to New Hampshire, drawn mostly by jobs in the state's busy textile mills, came from England, Ireland, French-speaking Canada, and Germany. As of the 2022 ACS, an estimated 8.2 percent of Concord's population were foreign-born immigrants.
Economy
The industries that have driven Concord's economy have shifted several times during the city's history. Because natural rock formations are widespread throughout the region, the granite industry has been an important business since the early nineteenth century, when the first quarry was opened in Concord (with labor drawn from the local prison). Before long, the city was producing more granite than any other state in New England. By 1890, the industry reached its peak, with forty quarries in operation; the smooth, fine stone that was pulled from the area came to be known as Concord granite. Other historically important industries include carriages and railroads. Lewis Downing and Stephen Abbot, owners of the Abbot-Downing Company, made the city famous for its Concord Coach, the first example of which was built in 1825.
The city's economy has generally shifted away from manufacturing and toward more white-collar industries since the late twentieth century. Two of Concord's biggest industries in the early twenty-first century are government and health care, with federal, state, and local offices contributing numerous jobs to the economy. Other key industries include technology, distribution, finance, education, and business services, and manufacturing remains significant as well.
According to the 2022 ACS, Concord residents were moderately well-off, with a median household income of $77,874. About 9.6 percent of Concordians lived below the poverty line at that point.
Landmarks
The golden-domed New Hampshire State House (now topped by a metal eagle that replaced the original wooden one) is one of downtown Concord's most important historical landmarks. Dating back to 1819, the State House served as the foundation around which other new businesses and homes were built on the city's Main Street. Naturally, designer Stuart Park stipulated that Concord granite be used for the building's construction.
Other architectural landmarks in Concord include a string of historic hotels and residences, including the five-story Eagle Hotel on North Main Street, whose guests include former US presidents. The elegant Chamberlin House, whose gables and porches reflect its Queen Anne design, was constructed by the superintendent of the Concord Railroad, Horace E. Chamberlin. The Benjamin Kimball House, to which the Capitol Theater and Masonic Building are now attached, is notable for its many Romanesque arches and towers. (Benjamin Kimball was one of Concord's most prominent nineteenth-century businessmen.)
Concord's McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center was named in honor of teacher Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire resident and member of the Teacher in Space project who was killed in 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded just moments into its planned flight, and Alan Shepard, who was the first American to go into space. The science center is equipped with a large planetarium and a host of exhibits on astronomy, aviation, and engineering. An elementary school was also named in McAuliffe's honor.
The Museum of New Hampshire History is another popular Concord-area institution and showcases examples of local antique furniture and an original Concord Coach.
History
The earliest inhabitants of the Concord area were the Pennacook people (after whom Lake Pennacook is named), also known as the Western Abenaki. The Pennacooks lived throughout New Hampshire, but Concord was the site of their largest village. Shortly after the arrival of English settlers, however, the number of Pennacooks declined sharply as a result of illness brought in by the new population, conflict with the settlers, and voluntary migration.
In the early eighteenth century, the site that would become Concord was settled by English-speaking migrants from the nearby state of Massachusetts because of its prime location on the river and its rich soil. Initially known as Penacook Plantation, the settlement was incorporated six years after its founding and renamed Rumford. However, it was not long before the Province of New Hampshire staked a claim for the site, on the grounds that it fell within the province's property lines. A lengthy court battle between Massachusetts and New Hampshire followed, concluding in 1762 in favor of New Hampshire. Concord received its current name out of the settlers' desire to indicate the fact that this longstanding disagreement had been resolved in a peaceful manner.
In 1808, after having made several previous moves, the New Hampshire State Legislature settled on Concord, and the city was officially declared the state capital. This had the welcome effect of immediately accelerating Concord's economic development, as well as the growth of its population. Soon, the city would be transformed into a bustling center for granite quarrying, furniture making, textiles, and carriage manufacture. Concord's location, between Boston and Canada, also made it a major nineteenth-century regional railroad hub.
Over the course of its history, Concord has become more significant as an economic and cultural center in the state. Its busy downtown streets retain a deep sense of history, due to the large number of notable buildings the city has taken care to preserve, and the city remains in the spotlight of American politics due to New Hampshire's early presidential primaries.
Concord has continued to be a geographic crossroads, with distribution industry benefiting from major interstate highways nearby. Despite its significant history of rail transportation, however, passenger rail service to the city was terminated in 1965. A yearlong pilot project was undertaken in 1981, but service failed to resume. The government has periodically studied the possibility of connecting Concord and the southern cities of Manchester and Nashua to the Lowell-Boston commuter line in northern Massachusetts; the project entered the development phase in 2021.
Bibliography
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"QuickFacts: Concord City, New Hampshire." United States Census Bureau, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/concordcitynewhampshire/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.