Forest CityFL
Today 15,312 people live in this town, first settled in 1884. Public schools that outperform most of Florida.
Is Forest City a good place to live?
Much to like here, and you pay for it. Schools are its strong suit (A−): its schools outperform 82% of the state's. Forest City’s overall B+ puts it 33rd of 634 in Florida. That leaves it better than three quarters of U.S. towns. What holds it back is cost of living (C−): the typical home is worth about $370K, 4.7 years of the Orlando metro’s $79K median household income. On the outdoors, just 62 of Florida’s 779 towns do worse. Only 18 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on hazard risk. This Florida town is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 69% of U.S. towns.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · USGS PAD-US.
What makes Forest City stand out
Where Forest City beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Lake Elementary School | PK–5 | 849 |
| Forest Lake Education Center | PK–8 | 690 |
| Forest City Adventist School | PK–8 | 201 |
| Widest gap | Forest City | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.6% | 7.2% |
98% of working residents leave Forest City for work
Where Forest City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Forest City grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Forest City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Walt Disney World Resort and 55 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Forest City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Theme parkWalt Disney World Resort
Big draw13 mi Theme parkUniversal Studios Florida9.5M visitors a year
Big draw15 mi Theme parkUniversal Epic Universe
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaCamping World Stadium
Big draw13 mi Theme parkUniversal's Islands of Adventure9.5M visitors a year
9 mi Stadium & arenaKia CenterPhoto credits
Walt Disney World Resort: Anthony Quintano from Westminster, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Universal Studios Florida: Radiobroadcastcenter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Universal Epic Universe: Martin Lewison, CC BY 2.0 · Camping World Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Universal's Islands of Adventure: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Kia Center: 350z33 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moving to Forest City: who provides what
Forest City is unincorporated, so Seminole County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Forest City.
Forest City carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Florida (mostly inland flooding), has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and pairs an A− for schools with high home prices.
For schools, Forest City earns an A−
That grade comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $370K.
Below: Two of its 6 schools, each with why it was picked. The public schools here belong to the Seminole school district. Public school enrollment in Forest City: 1,969 students across 2 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teague Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,120 | B |
| Forest Lake Academy. PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 417 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Residents of Forest City are healthier than 81% of U.S. towns
Among adults in Forest City, 29% have obesity, below both Florida’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (35%). 16% of Forest City adults have been diagnosed with depression. In Forest City, 12% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 32% have high blood pressure.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Forest City | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.6% | 7.2% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3% | 3.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0% of Forest City is conserved land
2.0 miles of trail. The concentration of trails for Forest City comes to 0.4 miles per square mile, where Florida’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most of Forest City’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.4 jobs for each of them
Commuting out is the norm in Forest City: 2% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Orlando (20%), Altamonte Springs (7%) and Maitland (5%). Since 2013, Forest City has added 303 jobs, to 2,828 in 2023. Half of commuters travel less than 10 miles.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Forest City, expect mild winters and hot summers
The Sanford weather station, 15 miles away, records that about 109 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 48.9°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.1°.
Snowfall is close to zero. The town’s January low comes in at 49°F.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 49°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Younger than Florida overall
People 65 and older are 15% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). Among adults 25 and older in Forest City, 40% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. In Forest City, the midpoint age is 40.6 years.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 31% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 41.7, men 39.5.
| Forest City | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.8% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.1% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.7% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.5% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.3% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.1% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.4% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Compared with most of Florida and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Forest City is lower
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 97% of Florida towns, with expected losses of about $273 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Forest City, 43% come from inland flooding and 27% from tornadoes. The town has had 13 paid flood insurance claims since 1986. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Forest City after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median home in Forest City sells for about $423K
Forest City’s midpoint rent stands at $1,777 a month. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 62%. Also worth knowing: homes sold in Forest City spent a median 57 days on the market.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,777 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Forest City
Colleges nearby
11 within 15 miles of the center of Forest City
About 4 of every 100 Forest City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Forest City’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Forest City.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City | #33 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A− |
| Altamonte Springs | #204 | B− | C− | C− | A− | B+ |
| Wekiwa Springs | #30 | A− | D | — | A− | A |
Forest City and Wekiwa Springs report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Forest City with a neighbor →
Questions about Forest City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Forest City, FL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Forest City grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #33 of 634 in Florida. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Forest City, FL expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $370,000, 1% below the Florida typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.