Valley ForgeTN
Today 2,136 people live in this town, first settled in 1890.
Is Valley Forge a good place to live?
The best of Valley Forge’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. 12% of residents are under 18 in Valley Forge, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Only 17 of Tennessee’s 292 towns score higher on cost of living. Valley Forge's public schools trail 88% of Tennessee towns on state tests and graduation. 13% of the land in Valley Forge is conserved, above both Tennessee’s towns (1.8%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Cherokee National Forest, at 250 acres. Valley Forge has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
100% of working residents leave Valley Forge for work
Where Valley Forge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Valley Forge grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Valley Forge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Valley Forge: who provides what
Valley Forge is unincorporated, so Carter 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 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Valley Forge.
A larger share of adults in Valley Forge report frequent physical distress than in the typical Tennessee or U.S. town
Among 177 Tennessee towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Valley Forge. 30% of Valley Forge adults say their health is fair or poor. Of 31 CDC measures, Valley Forge beats the Tennessee average on 1 and trails it on 15. In Valley Forge, 48% of adults have high blood pressure, and 18% have diabetes.
| Valley Forge | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 41% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Valley Forge | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.7% | 76.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Valley Forge earns a D for schools
Its one school is below. Public schools: the Carter County school district. Enrollment at Valley Forge’s public school: 186 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 186 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Top of a very high hazard risk in Valley Forge: inland flooding
Compared with 81% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Valley Forge is higher. Expected losses in Valley Forge break down as 81% from inland flooding and 6% from strong winds.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Valley Forge stands out in Tennessee and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
Valley Forge’s median household income stands at $55,000. Employers in Valley Forge shed 92 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 107. In Valley Forge, 15% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Johnson City (28%), Elizabethton (24%) and Kingsport (6%).
| Valley Forge | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Valley Forge: four seasons and pleasant summers
The range runs from 26° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 6 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cherokee National Forest | — | 250 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes in Valley Forge sell for about $262K
For households locally, the share who own their home is 90%. Valley Forge’s midpoint rent is $699 a month.
| Valley Forge | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $699 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mount Mitchell and 16 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Valley Forge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi MountainMount Mitchell
25 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
25 mi MountainGrandfather Mountain32 mi Theme parkTweetsie Railroad
14 mi National forestCherokee National Forest19 mi Theme parkLand of OzPhoto credits
Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Grandfather Mountain: Original uploader was KyleAndMelissa22 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Cherokee National Forest: Ryan Rice at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Valley Forge
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Valley Forge
About 3 of every 100 Valley Forge residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
About Valley Forge
Unincorporated community in Tennessee, US
Valley Forge is an unincorporated community in Carter County, Tennessee, located along US Route 19E/321 and SR-67, south of Elizabethton and north of Hampton. It is home to one of the largest churches in Carter County: Valley Forge Christian Church. New businesses are popping up, including a new A & L Vape and Tobacco off 19E.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Valley Forge’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Valley Forge.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge | — | — | A | — | D | D− |
| Hampton | — | — | A+ | — | D | D |
| Elizabethton | #55 | B− | A− | C | A | D |
Valley Forge and Hampton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Valley Forge and Hampton report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Valley Forge with a neighbor →
Questions about Valley Forge
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Valley Forge, TN expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $158,000, 52% below the Tennessee 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 A.