About Forest
Set in the central part of Virginia, Forest is a small unincorporated community.
Officially, Forest is a census-designated place — a real, named community that residents call home, governed at the county level. The community covers 13.61 square miles.
📰 Forest News Today
- 8-foot python named Nanner blamed by officials for Virginia school fire; teacher says Nanner is innocent NBC News · Aug 18
- 8-Foot Python Accused of Starting Devastating School Fire That Damaged Eight Classrooms and Killed a Tortoise people.com · Aug 18
- Virginia teacher and firefighters feud over whether a python started schoolhouse fire The Guardian · Aug 18
- Proposed rollback of federal roadless rule could affect West Virginia national forests WV News · Aug 18
- Snake reportedly starts fire at Virginia middle school: How it happened WMTW · Aug 17
Live headlines via Google News — updates through the day.
What Makes Forest Unique
- One of 5 places in the US named Forest — but the Virginia one has a character all its own.
- An unincorporated community — no city hall of its own, which often means lower local taxes and county-managed services.
- Part of the fabric of Virginia — one of 688 recognized communities statewide.
Why People Love It Here
- Quiet streets and a slower rhythm — the kind of place people move to on purpose.
- Housing dollars stretch further here than in the nearest metro.
- Easy reach of Lynchburg (5 mi) — commute to the city, live where it's calm.
📍 Neighborhoods in Forest
📍 Bethel Estates📍 Beverly Hills📍 Blumont Estates📍 Boonsboro Meadows📍 Citation Run📍 Clay📍 Clay's Crossing📍 Forest Lakes📍 Forest Oaks📍 Forestdale📍 Glenbrooke📍 Heritage Hills📍 Homestead Haven📍 Hunters Creek📍 Huntingwood📍 Kenwood Hills📍 Lake Vista📍 Maple Hills📍 Meadow Wood📍 Oakview📍 Poplar Grove📍 Rainbow Forest📍 Rolling Hill📍 Running Cedar Ridge
Click a neighborhood to see it on the map.
🍽️ Where to Eat in Forest
- 221 Tap & Table — american
- Benjamin's Restaurant
- Bräuburgers — burger
- Bull's Steakhouse — steak house
- Crisp — salad
- Graziano's — italian
- Joe Bean's — coffee shop (café)
- Kinship Roasters — coffee shop (café)
- La Carreta — mexican
- Lori's — pizza
Local spots mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.
🎡 Fun Things to Do
- Poplar Forest Museum · Museum
Attractions mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.
🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Forest
Parks mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · "reviews" opens each park's live Google reviews.
🏫 Schools in Forest
- Forest Elementary
- Forest Middle
- Jefferson Forest High
- New London Academy Elementary
- Thomas Jefferson Elementary
Public schools, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES) 2023–24 directory.
⚡ Quick Facts
StateVirginia
TypeCDP
Population (2024)—
Land area13.61 sq mi
Coordinates37.3749, -79.2772