Concord is a city in Cabarrus county, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 79,066, with an estimated population in 2015 of over 85,000. It is the county seat and the largest city in Cabarrus County. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second-largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area and is the twelfth largest city in North Carolina.
The city was a winner of the All-America City Award in 2004. Located near the center of Cabarrus County in the Piedmont, it is 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Charlotte center city.
Concord is the home of Charlotte Motor Speedway and numerous NASCAR driver headquarters.
Concord, located in today’s rapidly growing northeast quadrant of the Charlotte metropolitan area, was first settled about 1750 by German and Scots-Irish immigrants. The name “Concord” means “with harmony,” arrived at after a lengthy dispute over where the county seat should be located. By United States standards, Concord is considered an old town, as it was incorporated in 1806. Today, markers identifying the original town limits can be seen in the downtown area.
Concord has a diverse economy comprising shipping and transportation, banking, manufacturing, motorsports, and various service sectors.
Downtown shopping features merchants offering antiques, fine collectibles, and arts and crafts. Concord is also home to the large retail venue Concord Mills, and Charlotte Motor Speedway. These two are the primary economic driving forces of the city.
Concord is the home to Charlotte Motor Speedway, a NASCAR Research and Development Office (which also is the headquarters for research for touring and sportscar racing operations), and several professional race teams, including Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. The speedway opened in 1959 by owner Bruton Smith, who is a native of Oakboro, North Carolina. Smith’s company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc., owns Charlotte Motor Speedway. The company also owns and operates a dragstrip and dirt track facility adjacent to the speedway. Concord is also home to Windshear, Inc., a firm that owns a state-of-the-art wind tunnel facility used to test the aerodynamics of vehicles (mostly motorsports vehicles).
Take some time to visit Concord North Carolina and enjoy everything this awesome little city has to offer.