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–Not graded
History · Forest Hills

2 of Forest Hills’ places are on the National Register

Most of Forest Hills was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1918 on.

2on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Forest Hills’ archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Forest Hills’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Forest Hills’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Forest Hills’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewForest Hills, MI location: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Forest Hills, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Forest Hills yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

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.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 25,867 to 28,573 (+10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Forest Hills, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Forest Hills, MI locationDate?Forest Hills, MI location
On the map

Forest Hills on the map, 1918 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Forest Hills. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Forest Hills on the 1918 USGS mapForest Hills on the 1978 USGS map1918Lowell sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Forest Hills.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Forest Hills, MI location
Retake this viewForest Hills, MI location

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Forest Hills’ page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Forest Hills

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Forest Hills

Nobody well known was born in Forest Hills itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
S
Sean LewisAmerican soccer player · b. 1992
B
Brian HydeAmerican distance runner · b. 1972
H
Howard Henry PeckhamAmerican historian · b. 1910
H
Hugh BlacklockAmerican football player · b. 1893
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Ada Township1 historic placeB−Cannon TownshipIts storyC+Grand Rapids TownshipIts storyC+Cascade Township2 historic placesCVergennes Township2 historic placesA−KentwoodIts storyDLowell TownshipIts storyB−NorthviewIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPlainfield TownshipIts storyC−

Questions about Forest Hills’ history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.