Town Profile
Named in 1635, Concord is an old historic town on the western axis of suburban Boston. Located at the junction of the Concord/Sudbury/Assabet Rivers, Concord was settled early by the English as a frontier outpost of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was the first interior, non-tidal water town in Massachusetts. The community had also been the site of seasonal Indian camps because of the plentiful runs of shad, salmon and herring.
Concord still retains many well-preserved colonial houses, nine of them on or near Concord green and witnesses of the famous Battle of Concord. In this historic battle which ushered in the Revolutionary War, a column of British infantry was badly mauled by colonists during a 16-mile long running battle that saw 273 British and 95 American dead. Concord also has a significant literary history, having been the home of the leaders of the intellectual movements of 19th century America. Louisa May Alcott, Bronson Alcott, Emerson and Hawthorne lived in Concord at one time or another and Thoreau wrote his internationally known philosophical treatise at Walden Pond in Concord.
Concord evolved from a frontier town into a prosperous regional center with a mixed society including small yeoman farmers, affluent gentry and immigrants from Italy and Norway. There are high-style, handsome houses as relics of this affluent society along with some country estates. One of the well-preserved sights in the community is the Victorian Gothic state prison built in 1878 and still housing prisoners.
Skyrocketing land prices in the real estate boom of the 1980's resulted from Concord's proximity to Boston and the 128 technical/industrial corridor, coupled with a vigorous regional economy. Considerable concern is felt by Concord residents about the pressures on the town from its significant tourist industry and suburban development.
Geography
Eastern Masachusetts, bordered by Maynard and Acton on the west, Carlisle on the north, Bedford and Lincoln on the east and southeast, and Sudbury on the south. Concord is 15 miles south of Lowell, 18 miles north of Boston, 34 miles northeast of Worcester, and 215 miles from New York City.
- Total Area: 25.89 sq. miles
- Land Area: 24.92 sq. miles
- Population: 17,076
- Density: 685 per sq. mile
Government
Municipal Offices Main Number: (978) 369-2100
Form of Government; Board of Selectmen, Town Manager, Open Town Meeting. Incorporated as a town in 1635.
Museums
- Concord Art Association
37 Lexington Road
(978) 369-2578 - Concord Museum
200 Lexington Road
(978) 369-9763 - Minute Man National Historical Park
174 Liberty Street
(978) 369-6993 - The Old Manse
Monument Street
(978) 369-3909 - Orchard House
399 Lexington Road
(978) 369-4118 - Ralph Waldo Emerson House
28 Cambridge Turnpike-at Lexington Road
(978) 369-2236 - The Thoreau Lyceum
156 Belknap Street
(978) 369-5912
Transportation and Access
Concord is situated in the Greater Boston Area, which has excellent rail, air, and highway facilities. State Route 128 and Interstate Route 495 divide the region into inner and outer zones, which are connected by numerous "spokes" providing direct access to the airport, port, and intermodal facilities of Boston.
Major Highways
The principal highway is cross-state Route 2, which connects State Route 128 with Interstate Route 495.
Rail
Commuter rail service is available to North Station, Boston, from Concord Station (travel time 35-42 min; 40 MBTA parking spaces) and West Concord (travel time 39-46 min; 204 MBTA parking spaces). The Bay Colony Railroad and the Springfield Terminal Railway provide freight rail service and interchange traffic in Concord. Contact numbers: Bay Colony (617) 380-3556; STRR (978) 663-1073.
Bus
Concord is a member of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which provides THE RIDE, a paratransit service for the elderly and disabled. Yankee Line offers commuter bus service (1 trip daily) to Boston.
Other
L.G. Hanscom Field, a joint civil-military airport, is located in neighboring Bedford. A Reliever Airport with Commercial Service (CR), it has a 5,106' asphalt runway and a 7,001' concrete and asphalt runway. Instrument approaches available: Precision and Non-precision. There is fixed route bus service from Hanscom Field to the MBTA Red Line.
