Concord

Concord lies on the Merrimack River in the wooded hills of south-central New Hampshire, a small capital that became the seat of state government in 1808. Granite quarried from the hills around it gave the state its "Granite State" nickname and built landmarks across the country, from the city's own gold-domed statehouse to buildings in Washington. The river valley made it a natural crossroads of the colonial interior.

The Merrimack runs south through the city toward Massachusetts, and the surrounding country is the rolling, forested terrain typical of southern New Hampshire, with the White Mountains rising to the north. Government, granite, and its river-valley setting define a quiet capital in a state known for plain-spoken independence.

• New Hampshire
  The Granite State, home of the White Mountains located in