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Big small town

Living in Forest City, NC

Forest City is a big small town of 7,363 people in Rutherford County, North Carolina. It's about 27 miles from Spartanburg, SC and 59 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 89°F and winter highs 51°F, with about 4 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $161k and rent runs about $813 a month.

7,363people
$161kTypical home
$813/moRent
89° / 51°Summer / winter
4"Snow
244Sunny days
122Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 7,363
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 857 people per sq mi
  • 59 mi to Charlotte, NC
  • 27 mi to Spartanburg, SC
  • 19 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $161k (≈$1,014/mo)
  • Median rent $813/mo
  • Median household income $36k
  • Property tax about 0.7% of value
  • 8.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 89°F
  • Winter highs around 51°F
  • Muggy summers (dew point 64°F)
  • 244 sunny days a year (101 totally clear)
  • 121 cloudy days a year
  • 36 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 122 days a year with rain or snow
  • 4" of snow a year
  • 1 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 2 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Low violent crime (281 per 100k)
  • High property crime (4,087 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 35
  • 38% of households have kids
  • 18% are 65 or older
  • 15% have a college degree
  • Very diverse community
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 28 min
  • 4% walk or take transit to work
  • 36 mi to GSP airport
  • 53 mi to CLT (major hub)
  • 27 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 73% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1965
  • 83% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 988 ft
  • 201 mi to the ocean
  • 75 mi to a big lake
  • 20 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 38 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 7 mi to the nearest campground
  • 18 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 215 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 25 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 15 museums within 25 mi
  • 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 19 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 47% of North Carolina districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 7 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 28 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 5 mi to the nearest vet
  • Dog park in town
  • 19 congregations per 10k people
  • 13 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Rutherford County: R+48 in 2024
  • North Carolina: R+3 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Low hurricane risk
  • Moderate tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Moderate drought risk
  • Low winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Forest City

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