97 towns or communities in America are, or once were, called “Concord,” and I have visited them all. Over the past 10 years, I have met hundreds of Concordians and asked them about their lives in their Concord. I have been deeply moved by their stories and their perspectives on life in America.

This project started with frustrating searches on the internet. In the pre-Google days, if you typed in “Concord Pizza,” you would be directed to Concord, California—not ideal if you were in another state and hungry for takeout. A search for “Concord Library” gave you a list of dozens of Concords sprinkled across the country: North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Michigan.

I am a history teacher and a curious person. As I researched the history of my Concord in Massachusetts, I kept running into these other Concords across the country. I began asking questions. How many Concords were there? Were these Concords related in some way to our Concord? Did all these places have anything in common? The most powerful question was: What is life like in these other Concords? This led to the final question: Could I visit them all?

In 2015, my daughter, Heather, needed her car to be delivered to Arizona, so instead of taking the interstates, we meandered our way through eight different Concords in five days. The following year, I was honored to be the Grand Marshal of the 4th of July parade in Concord, Arkansas (population 244) before heading to East Texas, where there are 13 towns named Concord, all with populations of less than 200. None of them knew of each other’s existence.

There are beautiful, wild Concords in Idaho, Vermont, and Maine. There are bustling, crowded Concords in Ohio,  Missouri, and New York. Many Concords struggle to stay relevant. Some are now just a crossroad or an abandoned cemetery. But each had a story to tell.

Over the next few years, I traveled during school vacations, often with a companion. My son Tom accompanied me through the eight Concords of Ohio. My brother Bill joined me for a sweep through eight more Concords in the Upper Midwest. The whole family spent Christmas in San Francisco while I explored neighboring Concord, California. Most often, it was my wife, Liz, who joined the adventures. Liz drove while I wrote. She photographed while I interviewed. She patiently waited as I stood still, waiting for serendipity.

I also learned about myself. I had to become organized and fearless. By nature, I am a reticent person, but I forced myself to pull the car over and talk to strangers. I would interrupt their lives with my introduction:
“Hi, I’m Rob Morrison from Concord, Massachusetts, and I’m visiting all the Concords in America. Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”
[slight head tilt, pause]
“That’s cool.”
Yeah. It really has been cool.

The 97 Concords of America

How to navigate this site

In my travels, I've met and interviewed over a thousand people, taken over 10,000 photographs and short videos, and written hundreds of stories about the 97 Concords I've visited.  I suspect that this website will never be "finished."  However, here you are, so what's the best way to navigate this site?
1) Try the "Top five." Most visitors to websites only check out a couple of links/stories, so I've tried to capture my best adventures and misadventures here.
2) The pulldown menu has links to the regions of the country.  It's a bit fiddly to navigate, depending on your device, but this is the way this site was originally set up.
3) I've linked my trip in chronological order in the Concord, Massachusetts tab.  Click on the buttons to follow a trip.  I think this is my favorite way to get a sense this project.  Each Concord had a story to tell, but each itinerary had its its own theme running through it.
4) The search bar is great if you know what you're looking for!