Forest, Virginia, United States

🇺🇸 Forest is a place (CDP) in eastern Bedford County, Virginia, United States. It is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 13.9 square miles (35.9 km²), of which 13.7 square miles (35.6 km²) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km²), or 0.89%, is water.

Economy Forest is a suburban part of metropolitan Lynchburg, containing many subdivided properties carved from and around surrounding farms and woodlands. The Ivy Hill community is the largest development and is built around the Ivy Hill Golf Course. The community has been experiencing rapid growth and development over the past 20 years, especially after U.S. Route 221 (Forest Road) was widened to four lanes in 2009. The growth of commercial businesses and housing, which slowed during the Great Recession, is expected to continue into the near future.

Forest has no real town centre since the original one was torn down without a trace, but the area along Forest Road from the post office to the Forest Library is generally regarded as the central part of the community; however, the community extends all the way along Forest Road from the middle school to Graves Mill Shopping Center. The political attitudes of the majority of the population are conservative. There are a few older homes along a loop behind the library and two churches that would have been in close proximity to the former Norfolk & Western rail station, which was torn down in the late 2010s. This might have been considered the main stop for Forest prior to sub-urbanization and commercial development along Forest Road.

Liberty University's Center for Engineering Research and Education (CERE) in the New London Business & Technology Center park on U.S. Route 460 in New London is a small but increasingly significant engineering centre developed with partnerships by private industry, regional governments, the Tobacco Commission, in addition to the University. Existing businesses in the park include Simplimatic Automation, NanoSeptic Technologies, and a 40,000 square foot shell building is available for sale or lease.

Demographics As of the census of 2020, there were 11,709 people residing in the CDP. There were 5,012 housing units. The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.5% White, 6.8% African American or Black, 0.2% American Indian, 3.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.0% of the population.

Government The United States Postal Service operates the Forest Post Office within the CDP.

Law enforcement is provided by the Bedford County Sheriff's Office. Fire protection is provided by the Forest Volunteer Fire Company, which operates a fire station within the CDP. Emergency medical services are provided by the Campbell County Volunteer Rescue Squad and Bedford County Department of Fire and Rescue, which operates from a station within the CDP.

Education The CDP is served by Bedford County Public Schools. Public school students residing in Forest are zoned to attend one of four nearby elementary schools, Forest Middle School, and Jefferson Forest High School. A private school, Timberlake Christian School, is also located in neighboring Timberlake.

The closest higher education institutions to the CDP are located in Bedford and Lynchburg.

Infrastructure The Bedford Regional Water Authority maintains public water and wastewater systems in the CDP.

A partnership with a subsidiary of Blue Ridge Towers and Bedford County to increase broadband access throughout Forest and the entire county is also underway.

Transport: Air The nearest airport offering commercial service is Lynchburg Regional Airport, which offers flights through American Airlines to Charlotte, North Carolina. Private charter flights are available through Virginia Aviation. There is also a public general aviation (GA) airport, New London Airport, which is open for all GA pilots.

Transport: Road • US Route 221

Transport: Rail The closest passenger rail service is located at Kemper Street station in Lynchburg, which is a stop for Amtrak's Crescent and Northeast Regional trains.

Attractions and entertainment A popular attraction of Forest is Poplar Forest, the summer home of Thomas Jefferson, which is open to the public for visitation and is the subject of ongoing archaeological studies. The home is also used for events. Nearby attractions include Point of Honor in Lynchburg, the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, and the Peaks of Otter in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The nearest urban centre is downtown Lynchburg, approximately 10 miles (16 km) north-east of town.