Forest Hills, MI location
Forest Hills’s story
Forest Hills in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 2 maps from 1918 on.
Explore the history →
Forest HillsMI
A town of 28,695.
9 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Larry Pieniazek, Lar (commons) or Lar(en:wp) (primary) · CC BY 2.5
Population
28,695
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$499K
Census ACS
Household income
$158K
median
Median age
42.3
years
Jobs based here
14,508
Balanced
Is Forest Hills a good place to live?
71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Forest Hills, against 26% in Michigan’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Cannonsburg State Game Area, at 484 acres with 4.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. We don’t grade Forest Hills yet; the figures below are still real.
A growing town
Forest Hills has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
25,867 counted in 2010 and 28,573 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Getting set up
Moving to Forest Hills: who provides what
Forest Hills is unincorporated, so Kent County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGrand Rapids water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKent CountyKent County provides services here
SchoolsForest Hills Public SchoolsLowell Area Schools2 districts serve Forest Hills; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCascade Township ClerkCascade Charter Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49301, 4954649301 60% · 49546 39%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Forest Hills.
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: low risk in Forest Hills, mostly inland flooding
The FEMA hazard score for Forest Hills comes to 26 of 100. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1982: 33. 68% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 16%.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
33
paid flood claims since 1982
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Forest Hills brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 17°; snowfall runs to about 66 inches a winter.
66″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–34°
Spring36–57°
Summer58–81°
Fall41–61°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
The median household income in Forest Hills is higher than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
Just over a tenth of Forest Hills working residents work locally. Jobs based in the town fell to 14,508 in 2021, 3,641 fewer than in 2011. Forest Hills’ average trip to work stands at 20 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 9 miles.
12%work in town
| Forest Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $158,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 23% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Forest Hills12%
Grand Rapids25%
Cascade Township11%
Kentwood9%
Ada Township7%
9 mi
median commute distance
14,508
jobs based in Forest Hills
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Health
Forest Hills stands out in Michigan and nationally, with fewer of its adults who feel lonely
Among adults in Forest Hills, 13% report frequent mental distress. One in ten adults report frequent physical distress in the town, where Michigan’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 14%. On top of that, only 6 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Forest Hills. The town beats the Michigan average on 25 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Forest Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 25% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
25 better6 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Forest Hills | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.8% | 15.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.3% | 10.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.9% |
Mercy Health Saint Mary's
8.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Conservation land takes up 9.3% of Forest Hills
Across 20 parks and preserves: 45 miles of trail. In Forest Hills, the trail network density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
9.3%conserved
| Forest Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
9.3%
conserved · 3,015 of 32,326 acres
45 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seidman Park | 8 mi | 436 |
| 2. Cannonsburg State Game Area | 4.8 mi | 484 |
| 3. Cascade Peace Park | 4.2 mi | 201 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
A home in Forest Hills sells for about $711K at the median
A home in Forest Hills typically sold within 7 days of listing. In Forest Hills, the median rent is $1,958 a month. For households in the town, the share who own their home is 94%.
$711Kmedian sale price
| Forest Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,958 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 94% | 84% | 73% |
Market temperature
7
days on market
101.6%
sale-to-list price
39
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 33 attractions →Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Forest Hills. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
8 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
5 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
6 mi Theme parkRamona Park9 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
11 mi Zoo & aquariumJohn Ball ZooSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Ball Zoo: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Forest Hills
16pages on Forest Hills
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
8 within 15 miles of the center of Forest Hills
Calvin Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Grand Rapids5.4 miCalvin UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Grand Rapids5.4 mi$39,350 tuitionGrand Rapids Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grand Rapids8.9 mi$4,179 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Forest Hills residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Forest Hills
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Forest Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 28,573 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous CDP in Michigan. It is also the largest CDP by area in the state of Michigan, encompassing nearly all of Ada Township and most of the northern half of Cascade Township. The Forest Hills Public Schools District serves most of the community.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 51 sq mi
- Elevation
- 630 ft
Forest Hills’s neighbors
9 towns share a border with Forest Hills.
Ada TownshipCannon TownshipGrand Rapids TownshipCascade TownshipVergennes TownshipKentwoodLowell TownshipNorthviewPlainfield TownshipForest Hills
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ada Township | #34 | A | C− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Cannon Township | #89 | A | C | — | A+ | A |
| Grand Rapids Township | #43 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Cascade Township | #61 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Vergennes Township | #163 | A− | C− | — | A | A− |
| Kentwood | #453 | C+ | C+ | D | B | B |
| Lowell Township | #63 | A | C | — | A | A− |
Ada Township, Cannon Township, Grand Rapids Township, Cascade Township, Vergennes Township and Lowell Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Forest Hills isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Forest Hills with a neighbor →
Questions about Forest Hills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Forest Hills, MI a good place to live?
We don’t grade Forest Hills yet; the figures below are still real.