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| Mural located in downtown Concord |
community center near downtown. Downtown Concord is a hub of activity for the city, thanks to the centrally located BART for both commuters and visitors who frequent the main streets. Todos Santos Plaza, one of the original blocks laid out for the town during its establishment earlier in the century, is still the centerpiece of downtown activity. http://www.ci.concord.ca.us/
Major employers within the area providing thousands of jobs for the countless residents of Concord are as follows: Bank of America Technology Center, Chevron Credit Center, Conco Cement, Contra Costa Water District, Costco, Fry's Electronics, Harria & Associates, JC Penny, John Muir Medial Center, Macy's West, Sears, Shaw Environmental Infrastructure, T-Mobile, Wells Fargo Credit Center. These corporations have, in our mind, done well in hiring within the area in order to both profit and establish a solid relationship with its community members. Other such attractions which provide jobs for Concord
citizens are the Sleep Train Pavilion, Brenden Theaters (boasting 14 screens), Waterworld and Diablo Creek Golf Course. These large scale operations require a large work force, something in which they have acquired by recruiting within the surrounding city. Waterworld alone brings in around 250,000 visitors a year and thus requires a work force large enough to handle the sheer amount of park goers. Lowes, noted world wide for its large scale operations, received an award for major sales tax generation for its contribution in being a major employer of the community. This corporation has, and continues to, support its local area through funding natural disaster relief efforts, creating longstanding partnerships with Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together, as well as the "Lowes Toolbox for Education", a program providing educational grants to local schools throughout the county each year. http://www.ci.concord.ca.us/
According to the Concord official website (linked above), the city's many corporate businesses provide jobs for its thousands of residents, a fact which was disputed by one of the women we talked to later in the day. In her opinion, and from what she herself has witnessed during her own years as a Concord-ian, the jobs in Concord are few and far between, forcing many residents to expand outward and commute to make a living, deviating largely from the position held by the city's official website.
Something that caught our attention was Half-Price Books, the local bookstore located right off the main square in downtown. The located itself is large, perhaps consisting of half a block on each side of the corner it stands on. In a time where even large corporations such as Barnes and Noble and Borders can't make yearly sales it surprised us that a small town bookstore such as this can manage to stay in business. Their online website (http://www.hpbmarketplace.com/) caters to students shopping for textbooks as well as makes shipping throughout the nation easy and affordable.
Concord is also home to many shopping centers hosting a wide variety of restaurants, coffee shops, retail shops and businesses. One of the more frequently populated is the Sunvalley Shopping Center. Sunvalley is the largest retail shopping center in Contra Costa County with around 160 retail stores, services and eateries. As of July of this year the mall also hosts its own farmers market in further efforts of reaching out to the local community.
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| Todos Santos Plaza walkway located downtown |
According to the Concord official website (linked above), the city's many corporate businesses provide jobs for its thousands of residents, a fact which was disputed by one of the women we talked to later in the day. In her opinion, and from what she herself has witnessed during her own years as a Concord-ian, the jobs in Concord are few and far between, forcing many residents to expand outward and commute to make a living, deviating largely from the position held by the city's official website.
Something that caught our attention was Half-Price Books, the local bookstore located right off the main square in downtown. The located itself is large, perhaps consisting of half a block on each side of the corner it stands on. In a time where even large corporations such as Barnes and Noble and Borders can't make yearly sales it surprised us that a small town bookstore such as this can manage to stay in business. Their online website (http://www.hpbmarketplace.com/) caters to students shopping for textbooks as well as makes shipping throughout the nation easy and affordable.
Concord is also home to many shopping centers hosting a wide variety of restaurants, coffee shops, retail shops and businesses. One of the more frequently populated is the Sunvalley Shopping Center. Sunvalley is the largest retail shopping center in Contra Costa County with around 160 retail stores, services and eateries. As of July of this year the mall also hosts its own farmers market in further efforts of reaching out to the local community.
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