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Big small town

Living in Forest, VA

Forest is a big small town of 13,430 people in Bedford County, Virginia. It's about 5 miles from Lynchburg, VA and 99 miles from Richmond, VA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 86°F and winter highs 46°F, with about 12 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $320k and rent runs about $1k a month.

13,430people
$320kTypical home
$1,315/moRent
86° / 46°Summer / winter
12"Snow
235Sunny days
119Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 13,430
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 987 people per sq mi
  • 99 mi to Richmond, VA
  • 5 mi to Lynchburg, VA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $320k (≈$2,017/mo)
  • Median rent $1,315/mo
  • Median household income $82k
  • Property tax about 0.4% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 86°F
  • Winter highs around 46°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 235 sunny days a year (81 totally clear)
  • 130 cloudy days a year
  • 40 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 119 days a year with rain or snow
  • 12" of snow a year
  • 4 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 3 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (115 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (569 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 39
  • 26% of households have kids
  • 21% are 65 or older
  • 45% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 10% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 24 min
  • 0% walk or take transit to work
  • 5 mi to LYH airport
  • 95 mi to GSO (major hub)
  • 7 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 75% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1992
  • 93% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 797 ft
  • 110 mi to the ocean
  • 24 mi to a big lake
  • 6 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 42 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 7 mi to the nearest campground
  • 9 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 180 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 38 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 23 museums within 25 mi
  • 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Grocery store in town
  • 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 14 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 6 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 10 congregations per 10k people
  • 5 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Bedford County: R+50 in 2024
  • Virginia: D+6 in 2024

Natural hazards

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

Places near Forest

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