Forest City tourist information
Forest City Iowa
Forest City is often called "the smallest big town in Iowa." With a population of 4,500 friendly people, Forest City offers all of the charm and warmth of small-town America.
Our town is warm, friendly, and safe. You will have to go a long way to find better people than your friends in Forest City.
What is now Forest City began as a crossroads on the Shelby-Rutherfordton and Spartanburg-Lincolnton Roads. Originally, the town was incorporated as Burnt Chimney in 1877. A replica near the site of the original chimney adorns the public square today. The "chimney" was the remains of the McArthur home that marked the crossroads.
The name was changed to Forest City in 1887, named after a prominent citizen, Forest Davis. The 1880 census counted 110 residents in the small crossroads town. By 1890, 419 people lived in Forest City - the increase was primarily due to the coming of the railroad and the building of the Florence Mill. By 1910, Forest City was a flourishing community with 1,090 residents with electric lights and water and 12 passenger trains daily.
In 1914, the Forest City Betterment Club embarked on a project to beautify the town's Main Street and today the original landscaped medians and fountain still exist. In 1927, the town was selected as one of the ten most beautiful and best planned towns in the United States by the US Department of Agriculture. By 1940, Forest City had 4,068 residents and had established itself as the commercial hub of the county.
Today, the population of Forest City is 7,450. The town remains the commercial hub, and the legacy of "community betterment" can still be seen in the pride the town and its residents take in keeping Forest City a beautiful and livable community.
Forest City aerial map
Please click on any icon on the Forest City aerial tourist map, to find close by places, offering hotels and tourist information. You can zoom in and zoom out our touristical map as well as switch between satelite and map view of Forest City.
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