Concord

Concord: Old Cabarrus County Courthouse

Concord, city, seat of Cabarrus county, south-central North Carolina, U.S. It lies near the eastern edge of the Piedmont region, about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Charlotte. The name emanates from the amicable settlement of a dispute over the site. Concord was founded in 1796, and in 1799 the discovery of the Reed Gold Mine, 10 miles (16 km) southeast, started the North Carolina gold rush. Mining declined by the 1850s. The community became a textile centre in the 20th century, producing a wide variety of cotton goods and hosiery.

Textiles are still of major importance to the economy; livestock raising dominates the area’s agriculture. Concord is the seat of Barber-Scotia College (1867), and Confederate Memorial Hall (1941) has American Civil War relics. Lake Norman is about 25 miles (40 km) to the west. Inc. 1837. Pop. (2000) 55,977; Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord Metro Area, 1,330,448; (2010) 79,066; Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord Metro Area, 1,758,038.