Forest City, North Carolina

Forest City, formerly known as "Burnt Chimney,"[5] is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,476 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in Rutherford County.

Forest City, North Carolina
Town
Main Street
Nickname(s): 
The F
Motto(s): 
"Small Town, Deep Roots"
Location of Forest City, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°19′52″N 81°52′12″W
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
CountyRutherford
Area
 • Total8.59 sq mi (22.23 km2)
 • Land8.57 sq mi (22.19 km2)
 • Water0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation
1,047 ft (319 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total7,476
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
7,162
 • Density835.80/sq mi (322.70/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
28043
Area code(s)828
FIPS code37-24080[3]
GNIS feature ID1020302[4]
Websitewww.townofforestcity.com

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.[6]

Geography

Forest City is located at 35°19′52″N 81°52′12″W (35.331128, -81.870107).[7] The town lies along a merged stretch of U.S. Route 221A and U.S. Route 74 Bus. This merged highway widens into a four-lane boulevard as it passes through the town's historic district. The town of Spindale borders Forest City to the west, and the town of Bostic lies just to the northeast.

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
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1880110—
1890419280.9%
19001,090160.1%
19101,59246.1%
19202,31245.2%
19304,06976.0%
19405,03523.7%
19504,971−1.3%
19606,55631.9%
19707,1799.5%
19807,6887.1%
19907,475−2.8%
20007,5491.0%
20107,476−1.0%
2019 (est.)7,162[2]−4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

The population recorded for the town in 2014 was recorded to be 7,324 people. Forest City made up .002% of the total US population and .07% of the total North Carolina State population in 2014. [9] The number of households reported from 2014 to 2018 was 3,182 and the number of people per household was reported to be 2.23 people per household. The percentage of people aged 5 or older that speak a language other than English at home was 8.4% as recorded from 2014 to 2018. The population density in 2014 was 853.12 per square mile (p/mi^2). The racial makeup of the town was 70.5% White alone, 23.9% Black alone, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 0.6% Asian alone, 0.2% two or more races, 9.0% Hispanic or Latino, and 66.5% White alone, not Hispanic or Latino. The number of veterans recorded from 2014 to 2018 was 278 veterans. The percentage of foreign-born persons was recorded from 2014 to 2018 as 3.6% 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.

The reported percentage of people under the age of five years old in the town was 6.2%. The percentage of people under the age of 18 years old was 25.5%. The percentage of people 65 years old and over was 20.5%. The percentage of female persons was 55.3%, making the percentage of male persons 44.7%.

The median household income from 2014 to 2018 in terms of the worth of the dollar in 2018 was $27,861. The income per capita for the past 12 months as recorded from 2014 to 2018 was $17,716. The percentage of persons in poverty was 31.8%. [10]

Government

The Town of Forest City[11] 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[12] includes: Mayor Pro-Tem, Dr. Dee Dee Bright, Com. Chris Lee, Com. Shawn Moore, Com. Justin Conner, and Com. David Eaker.

Attractions

Forest City has many museums, ranging from the Rutherford County Farm Museum to the Bennett Classical Auto Museum.[13]

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.

Education

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

Higher education

Isothermal Community College is located in Forest City, NC. The tuition ranges from $131.00 to $1,281.00 depending on the number of credit hours. [14] The college provides the Lee L. Powers Service Scholarship to those who reside in Rutherford or Polk Counties and receive in-state tuition which will cover all costs of attending the college. [15]

Economy

In 2010, Forest City was selected as the location for a new $450 million data center for Facebook.[16][17]

Renovations done to the town in 2019 added Forest City Pavilion on Park Square. The venue was designed by Odom Engineering, PLLC. This was a multimillion-dollar project that was undertaken by the town that attracts tourists and increased the value of surrounding homes. [18]

The Thermal Belt Rail Trail project, a bike and walking trail spanning 13.36 miles, was completed, in part, to develop the town’s economy. [19]

The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and Rutherford County Economic Development partnered to offer an Emergency Small Business Assistance Grant in response to the pandemic caused by the spread of COVID-19. The grant provides a maximum of $2,500 per company. [20]

The total percentage of people aged 16 and older in Forest City that made up the labor force according to the census reported from 2014 to 2018 was 48.7%. The percentage of women recorded in the labor force aged 16 or older was 45.9% from 2014 to 2018 according to information provided by the census. The total number of people that received health care and social assistance receipts/revenue in 2012 ($1,000) was 87,506. The total retail sales reported in 2012 ($1,000) was 403,012. [21]

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. "History and Facts". Town of Forest City. Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
  6. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  7. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. "Population of Forest City, North Carolina". Populations. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  10. "Forest City town, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2012-05-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2012-05-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Bennett Classics Antique Auto Museum". www.bennettclassics.com.
  14. "Tuition Rate Schedule". Isothermal Community College. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  15. "Lee L. Powers Service Scholarship". Isothermal Community College. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  16. Archived March 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  17. "Rutherford County 12/07/10 - Facebook's Data Center Project Hires Locally". Rutherfordncedc.com. 2010-12-07. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
  18. "Forest City Pavilion On Park Square". Town of Forest City. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  19. "Thermal Belt Rail Trail". Town of Forest City. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  20. "COVID-19". Town of Forest City. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  21. "Forest City town, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.