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Texas›Orange County
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Forest HeightsTX

Population 1,795: a town in Texas.

Population
1,795
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$120K
Census ACS
Household income
$81K
median
Median age
36.9
years
Jobs based here
680
Balanced

Is Forest Heights a good place to live?

The best of Forest Heights’ subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for walkability. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Forest Heights, above both Texas’ towns (12%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 21 of Texas’ 998 towns score higher on cost of living. On the outdoors, just 78 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do worse. Forest Heights has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestA+Cost of livingWeakestD−WalkabilityC−Hazard riskCHealth

How Forest Heights grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Forest Heights is from typical.

How grading works

Cost of livingTypical home $120K, 1.8 years of the Beaumont metro’s $65K median household incomeA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.4 of 20; 2.6% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Hazard riskHurricanes top the listC−Open →HealthWest Calcasieu Cameron Hospital 23.4 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & income$81K median household incomeCOpen →SchoolsBehind 55% of Texas districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Who lives hereMedian age 36.9; 7% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Forest Heights: who provides what

Forest Heights is unincorporated, so Orange County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerEntergy Texas13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSouth Newton WSCNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesOrange CountyOrange County provides services here
SchoolsLittle Cypress-Mauriceville Consolidated Independent School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereOrange County Early Voting ClerkOrange County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code7763277632 100%Census 2020

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 Forest Heights.

HealthC

On CDC estimates, Forest Heights is less healthy than 73% of U.S. towns

Forest Heights: 27% of adults get no exercise outside work. On the CDC’s 31 measures, Forest Heights is ahead of Texas on 6 and behind on 9. In Forest Heights, just over two in five adults sleep under 7 hours, and 17% smoke cigarettes.

27%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
Forest HeightsTexas townsU.S. towns
Depression (CDC PLACES)26%22%23%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)41%39%36%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)17%14%14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)38%35%35%
31 measures vs. Texas
6 better16 too close to call9 worse
What stands outForest HeightsTX
Fewer uninsured adults11.6%19.1%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity12.5%16.4%
More adults with COPD8.7%5.7%
West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital
23.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
Full pageForest Heights’ health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsMore smokersHospitals & doctors nearby23.4 miles to an ER · West Calcasieu Cameron HospitalHow adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distressEvery CDC estimateBetter than TX on 6 of 31

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−

Top of a high hazard risk in Forest Heights: hurricanes

Expected losses in Forest Heights break down as 48% from hurricanes and 23% from inland flooding. On expected storm and flood damage, Forest Heights sits above 72% of U.S. communities.

72risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
72High riskLowerHigher
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
Full pageForest Heights’ hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesHigh riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters24 disaster declarations · Declared for the countyGet ready0.1 events a year, on average · Ready for hurricanes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

The climate in Forest Heights brings mild winters and hot summers

Forest Heights’ typical July afternoon high stands at 92°F.

92°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter43–64°
Spring58–78°
Summer72–91°
Fall59–80°
Nov 23
typical first frost
Feb 28
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
Full pageForest Heights’ climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 92°, January lows 42°Rain & snow61″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard ofHeating & coolingBoth heating and coolingThen and now+0.9° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C

Forest Heights has 1.4 jobs for every working resident, and 667 people commute in

The top destinations are Orange (18%), Beaumont (14%) and Houston (7%). Commuting out is the norm in Forest Heights: 3% of working residents work locally. Employers in Forest Heights added 527 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 680. Half of commuters travel less than 24 miles.

3%work in town
Forest HeightsTexas townsU.S. towns
Working residents who work in town2.6%8.3%8%
Average trip to work25 minutes25 minutes25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Forest Heights3%
Orange18%
Beaumont14%
Houston7%
Port Arthur6%
24 mi
median commute distance
680
jobs based in Forest Heights
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 4% of U.S. towns
Full pageForest Heights’ work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here680 jobs based here · BalancedWhere people work3% work in Forest HeightsCommute times25 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 24 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HousingCost of living grade A+

The median home in Forest Heights sells for about $126K

For households in Forest Heights, the share who are owner-occupiers is 81%.

$126Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in September
Full pageForest Heights’ housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page
Prices over the yearsPrices over the yearsYears of income to buyA typical home costs 1.5 years of incomeRentsRents

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Spindletop and 11 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Forest Heights. Close and well known come first.

All 12 attractions →
24 mi LandmarkSpindletop18 mi National PreserveBig Thicket National Preserve228K visitors a year24 mi MuseumSpindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum10 mi MuseumStark Museum of Art23 mi MuseumEdison Museum23 mi MuseumArt Museum of Southeast Texas
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Spindletop: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Big Thicket National Preserve: NPS, Public domain · Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edison Museum: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Art Museum of Southeast Texas: R. Rothenberger, CC BY 3.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Forest Heights

15pages on Forest Heights
The big questions
SchoolsB−Behind 55% of TX districtsHealthCBetter than TX on 6 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingA+Work & commuteC$81K median household income · 680 jobs hereNatural hazardsC−FEMA risk higher than 72% of U.S. communities · hurricanes
Out and about
PlacesAttractions12 nearby · Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center 9 miLibraryDeweyville Branch LibraryCollegesLamar State College-Orange is 10 mi away
The story
Climate92° summer highs
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Forest Heights

Lamar State College-OrangeCommunity college · Public · Orange10 mi$3,540 in-state tuition

About 1 of every 100 Forest Heights residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Forest Heights

Unincorporated community in Texas, US

Forest Heights is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in Orange County, Texas, United States. It is located immediately east of State Highway 87 in northeastern Orange County, approximately five miles north of Little Cypress and eight miles north of Orange. As of the 2020 census, Forest Heights had a population of 1,329. Forest Heights is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Public education in the community is provided by the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Consolidated Independent School District.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.9 sq mi
Elevation
26 ft

Questions about Forest Heights

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Forest Heights, TX expensive?

Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $120,000, 60% below the Texas 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+.