Concrete is a town in north-central Skagit County, Washington, in the North Cascades at the confluence of the Baker and Skagit rivers. Its population was 801 at the 2020 census, and it is part of the Mount Vernon-Anacortes metropolitan area. The town's name reflects its industrial origins. Concrete became a leading center for cement production after the Washington Portland Cement Company was established in 1905 on the east bank of the Baker River, exploiting local limestone and clay deposits. Cement manufactured in Concrete was used in major construction projects, and the industry remained central from the early 1900s through the 1960s. Today, the Concrete Heritage Museum preserves that history, and the town remains home to Puget Sound Energy's Baker River Hydroelectric Project, with the Upper and Lower Baker dams nearby. The rivers are the community's defining natural feature. The Baker and Skagit rivers meet at Concrete, providing fishing, river access, and a scenic setting at the edge of the North Cascades, with State Route 20 — the North Cascades Highway — running through the area and connecting it to the Skagit Valley and the mountains beyond. Public schools are provided by the Concrete School District, a small district serving roughly 500 students. The town's housing mixes older homes near the historic core with rural properties along the river valleys, and the surrounding forested terrain and mountain scenery shape the landscape. Residents value the quiet pace, the mountain setting, and the sense of history that the town's industrial past leaves in its streets and buildings. The result is a small, historically rooted mountain community offering river recreation, industrial heritage, and a gateway location to the North Cascades and the Skagit Valley.