Forest Park, Georgia

Forest Park is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. It is located approximately nine miles (14 km) south of Atlanta^[4] and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,932.

Forest Park, Georgia
City
Forest Park city hall
Flag Seal
Show Forest Park Show Clayton County Show Georgia Show the United States
Coordinates: 33°37′11″N 84°21′57″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Clayton
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Angelyne Butler, MPA
• City Manager	Ricky L. Clark, Jr.
Area [1]
• Total	9.37 sq mi (24.27 km2)
• Land	9.31 sq mi (24.11 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation	988 ft (301 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,932
• Density	2,140.92/sq mi (826.65/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	30297-30298
Area codes	404/678/470
FIPS code	13-30536[2]
GNIS feature ID	0331743[3]
Website	http://forestparkga.org/

In the 1800s, Forest Park was named Stump Town, due to the large number of stumps left behind from trees being cut for fuel for the trains passing to and from Atlanta. After being charted and incorporated in 1908, it became known as several names, such as Quick Station, Aster, and Forrest Station. Until the 1950s, Forest Park was spelled with two "R's" instead of just one.^[5]

History

Named after Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, Forest Park has its origins as a "wood and water stop" for the nation's burgeoning railroad system in the early to mid-1800s. Originally the third stop from Atlanta on the Macon and Western Railroad, the city was incorporated in 1908. The community was named for the parklike setting of the original town site.^[6] The 1,465-acre (5.93 km²) Fort Gillem was founded nearby in 1941 and was annexed into the city in 1973.

Geography

Forest Park is located at 33°37′11″N 84°21′57″W.^[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.4 square miles (24 km²), of which 9.4 square miles (24 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.43%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	173		—
1920	308		78.0%
1930	388		26.0%
1940	577		48.7%
1950	2,653		359.8%
1960	14,201		435.3%
1970	19,994		40.8%
1980	18,782		−6.1%
1990	16,925		−9.9%
2000	21,447		26.7%
2010	18,468		−13.9%
2020	19,932		7.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

Forest Park city, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop. 2000[9]	Pop. 2010[10]	Pop. 2020[11]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	7,557	3,555	2,467	35.24%	19.25%	12.38%
Black or African American alone (NH)	7,883	6,808	9,268	36.76%	36.86%	46.50%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	56	23	47	0.26%	0.12%	0.24%
Asian alone (NH)	1,268	1,448	1,375	5.91%	7.84%	6.90%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	7	9	0.01%	0.04%	0.05%
Some other race alone (NH)	26	34	102	0.12%	0.18%	0.51%
Mixed race or multi-racial (NH)	332	250	467	1.55%	1.35%	2.34%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,322	6,343	6,197	20.15%	34.35%	31.09%
Total	21,447	18,468	19,932	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,932 people, 6,618 households, and 4,038 families residing in the city.2010 census

Education

Public education in the city of Forest Park is provided by Clayton County Public Schools. Schools in the Forest Park area include four elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.

Elementary schools

• Hendrix Drive Elementary
• Fountain Elementary
• Edmonds Elementary
• Huie Elementary

Middle schools

• Babb Middle School
• Forest Park Middle School

High school

• Forest Park High School

Transportation

Air

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Highways

• Interstate 75
• Interstate 285
• U.S. Route 19
• U.S. Route 41
• State Route 3
• State Route 54
• State Route 331
• State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
• State Route 407 (unsigned designation for I-285)

Transit systems

MARTA serves the city.

There is commuter rail service in the planning stages along the Norfolk Southern line, with proposed stations in Forest Park, Morrow, Jonesboro, and initially ending at Lovejoy.

Notable people

• General Philip M. Breedlove, Commander, U.S. European Command
• Russel L. Honoré, retired Lieutenant General and former Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina
• Lil Gotit, rapper
• Lil Keed, rapper
• Cindy Schreyer, professional golfer and NCAA women's champion
• Tanya Snyder, co-owner and Co-CEO of the Washington Commanders
• Terrell Starr, Georgia State Senate
• Roscoe Thompson, retired NASCAR Cup Series driver
• Hines Ward, NFL wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers

See also

• Fort Gillem
• Morris Army Airfield