Forest City North Carolina
“Small Town…Deep Roots”
Town of Forest City NC
Forest City located in Rutherford County North Carolina has a lot to offer their historic downtown has a many boutiques, antique shops and local restaurants. Along with classic soda fountain eateries, old time cars, and summer baseball. Forest City is known for its winter Hometown Holidays celebration where the entire Main Street is lit up with more than one million lights. This tradition has been going on since 1930. Forest City is located six miles east of Rutherfordton, the county seat, and is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
History of Forest City NC
Forest City began as a crossroads and 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 where the town began. The name was changed to Forest City ten years later in 1887. Forest City was named after a prominent citizen, Forest Davis. The town began to prosper 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 started 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.
- Chimney Rock State Park
- Hickory Nut Gorge Falls
- Hometown Holidays Celebration
