Forest City, North Carolina

History

The Alexander Manufacturing Company Mill Village Historic District, Cool Springs High School, East Main Street Historic District, Forest City Baptist Church, James Dexter Ledbetter House, Main Street Historic District, T. Max Watson House, and West Main Street Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Forest City is located at 35°19′52″N 81°52′12″W (35.331128, -81.870107).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21 km²), of which 8.2 square miles (21 km²) are land and 0.04-square-mile (0.10 km²) (0.24%) is water.

In 1999, Alexander Mills merged with and became a part of Forest City.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,549 people, 3,245 households, and 2,028 families residing in the town. The population density was 918.6 people per square mile (354.6/km²). There were 3,638 housing units at an average density of 442.7 per square mile (170.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.37% White, 28.83% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 1.38% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.72% of the population.

There were 3,245 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the town, the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,243, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $16,952 versus $12,601 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,248. About 15.6% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Town of Forest City is governed by a mayor and a board of commissioners. Steve Holland is currently serving as the Mayor of The Town of Forest City. The Town Board of Commissioners includes: Mayor Pro-Tem, Dr. Dee Dee Bright, Com. Chris Lee, Com. Shawn Moore, Com. Steve Holland, and Com. David Eaker.

Attractions

Forest City has many museums, ranging from the Rutherford County Farm Museum to the Bennett Classical Auto Museum. During the Christmas season the downtown Forest City area sparkles with over 500,000 lights, and horse-drawn carriage rides. Many people from other counties come to see this every year; it is also on many Christmas Light tours as well.

Forest City is also home to the Forest City Owls baseball club which is a member of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer league. The Owls who play at McNair Field in Forest City, won the CPL championship in 2009 with a record of 51-9, again in 2010 and were ranked as the #1 collegiate summer team in America.

Free public WiFi Internet has been provided by City Computer in the Downtown business district in parking areas and inside restaurants since August 2006.

Education

The local school district is Rutherford County Schools, which is based in Forest City.

Economy

In 2010, Forest City was selected as the location for a new $450 million data center for Facebook.