Concord is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The land which Concord now occupies along the banks of the Merrimack River was settled thousands of years ago by Native Americans. The broad sweeps of the river valley, good soil for farming, and easy transportation on the Merrimack made the site of Concord equally inviting to English-speaking settlers in the eighteenth century. Settled by immigrants from Massachusetts in 1725, the community grew in prominence during the eighteenth century. Some of Concord's earliest houses remain today at the north end of Main Street. In the years following the American Revolution, the City's central location made it a logical choice for the state capital, and in 1808 Concord was named the official seat of state government. Today the 1819 State House is the oldest state capitol in which the legislative branches meet in their original chambers.