More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #315 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Forest Hill was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1950.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Forest Hill is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #315 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Forest Hill’s overall grade.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Forest Hill’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1860.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Forest Hill’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Forest Hill began around 1860. The community was called Brambleton Station and Forest Hill Village before being named Forest Hill. By 1896 the community had its first schools and was established as a suburb of Fort Worth. In 1905 Old Mansfield Road and Forest Hill Drive were the city's two main roads. In 1912 citizens drilled a "crooked hole well," the first private water system in the community. By 1925 the community had 25 residents and two businesses. Forest Hill gained a new source of water in the early 1940s. By 1944 Trentman Company and the Johnson Campbell Company began building homes. The owners of the private water system sold it to Texas Water Company.
In 1860, according to Wikidata. the census of 1950 counted 1,519 people here.
How does Forest Hill rank for history?
Forest Hill is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #315 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Forest Hill?
4% of Forest Hill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1971.
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).
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
