Wake Forest, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 White Street | |
 Seal | |
 Location inWake County and the state ofNorth Carolina. | |
| Coordinates:35°57′24″N78°31′29″W / 35.95667°N 78.52472°W /35.95667; -78.52472 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Counties | Wake,Franklin |
| Incorporated | 1880 |
| Named after | The large wooded areas of northern Wake County[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Vivian A. Jones (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.67 sq mi (50.95 km2) |
| • Land | 19.52 sq mi (50.55 km2) |
| • Water | 0.15 sq mi (0.40 km2) 0.76% |
| Elevation | 295 ft (90 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 47,601 |
• Estimate (2023) | 54,337 |
| • Density | 2,438.8/sq mi (941.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 27587–27588 |
| Area codes | 919, 984 |
| FIPS code | 37-70540[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2406816[3] |
| Website | www |
Wake Forest is a town inWake andFranklin counties in theU.S. state ofNorth Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital,Raleigh. At the2020 census, the population was 47,601,[5] up from 30,117 in2010.[6] It is part of theRaleigh metropolitan area. Wake Forest was the original home ofWake Forest University for 122 years before it moved toWinston-Salem in 1956.
In 1832,[7] Dr.Calvin Jones, originally fromNew England, bought 615 acres (2.49 km2) of forested land in Wake County, North Carolina. He built hisplantation here. The sparsely populated area became known as the Forest of Wake, or Wake Forest. Jones sold his farm to the North CarolinaBaptist Convention for $2,000, who opened the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute, later Wake Forest College, on the site. TheRaleigh & Gaston Railroad, completed in 1840, established a depot in nearbyForestville that stimulated the school and surrounding village. College leaders convinced the railroad to move the depot even closer to the college in 1874, leading to more economic development. This community was incorporated as the "Town of Wake Forest College" in 1880. In 1909, the word "College" was removed from the name of the town. The college moved to the much larger city ofWinston-Salem in 1956.[8]Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary began offering classes on the original campus of Wake Forest University in 1950, and occupied the entire campus when the university completed its move.
In 2007, the town was listed byForbes magazine as the 20th fastest growing suburb in America, with a 73.2 percent increase in population between 2000 and 2006.[9][10]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.67 square miles (50.9 km2), of which 19.52 square miles (50.6 km2) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km2) (0.76%) is water.[2]
Wake Forest is located in the northeast-central region of North Carolina, where theNorth American Piedmont andAtlantic Coastal Plain regions meet. This area is known as the "Fall Line" because it marks the elevation inland at which waterfalls begin to appear in creeks and rivers. Its central Piedmont location situates Wake Forest approximately three hours by car west ofAtlantic Beach, and four hours east of theGreat Smoky Mountains.
Wake Forest enjoys a moderatesubtropical climate, with moderate temperatures in the spring, fall, and winter. Summers are typically hot with highhumidity. Winter highs generally range in the low 50s°F (10 to 13°C) with lows in the low-to-mid 30s °F (−2 to 2 °C), although an occasional 60 °F (15 °C) or warmer winter day is not uncommon. Spring and fall days usually reach the low-to-mid 70s °F (low 20s °C), with lows at night in the lower 50s °F (10 to 14 °C). Summer daytime highs often reach the upper 80s to low 90s °F (29 to 35 °C). The rainiest months are July and August.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 456 | — | |
| 1890 | 858 | 88.2% | |
| 1900 | 823 | −4.1% | |
| 1910 | 1,443 | 75.3% | |
| 1920 | 1,425 | −1.2% | |
| 1930 | 1,536 | 7.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,562 | 1.7% | |
| 1950 | 3,704 | 137.1% | |
| 1960 | 2,664 | −28.1% | |
| 1970 | 3,148 | 18.2% | |
| 1980 | 3,780 | 20.1% | |
| 1990 | 5,769 | 52.6% | |
| 2000 | 12,588 | 118.2% | |
| 2010 | 30,117 | 139.3% | |
| 2020 | 47,601 | 58.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 54,337 | [5] | 14.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 32,087 | 67.41% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 7,480 | 15.71% |
| Native American | 88 | 0.18% |
| Asian | 1,751 | 3.68% |
| Pacific Islander | 24 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,402 | 5.05% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 3,769 | 7.92% |
As of the2020 census, there were 47,601 people, 14,732 households, and 11,104 families residing in the town.
Wake Forest hosts the annualWake Forest Dance Festival every fall at E. Carroll Joyner Park.
The DuBois Center is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[13] TheW. E. B. DuBois School opened in 1926 for theAfrican-American community in Wake Forest beforeracial segregation ceased in 1971. After the school outgrew the facility and moved to a new location, the building was vacant for a decade until the DuBois Alumni Association purchased the building and made it into acommunity center.[14]
Other listings in or near Wake Forest on the National Register of Historic Places are theBailey-Estes House,Downtown Wake Forest Historic District,Glen Royall Mill Village Historic District,Lea Laboratory,Oakforest,Powell House,Purefoy-Chappell House and Outbuildings,Purefoy-Dunn Plantation,Rock Cliff Farm,Royall Cotton Mill Commissary,South Brick House,Thompson House,Wake Forest Historic District,Wakefield Dairy Complex, andWakefields.[15][16][17]
Wake Forest Historical Museum, also known as theDr. Calvin Jones House, was built in 1820 and was the residence of the first president of Wake Forest College and the center of activities that took place at the school. The museum displays the history of the town of Wake Forest as well as Wake Forest University. The house contains collections of photos, books, college publications, furniture, documents, professors’ writings, and medical, law and sports memorabilia.[18]
Wake County Public Libraries operates a branch in Wake Forest.[19]
Wake Forest is home to theFalls Lake State Recreation Area. Falls Lake Park contains the 12,000-acre (49 km2)Falls Lake and 26,000 acres (110 km2) of woodlands.[20]
Wake Forest is served by ten parks and community centers. They include the following:[21]
Wake Forest operates under thecouncil–manager form of government. The citizens elect amayor and board of commissioners as the town's governing body. The town manager is appointed by the board to serve as the chief operating officer administering all municipal affairs.[22][23] The current mayor is Vivian A. Jones (R, term expires 2025) and the board of commissioners are James E. "Jim" Dyer (R, 2023), Nick Sliwinski (R, 2025), Chad D. Sary (R, 2023), R. Keith Shackleford (D, 2025), and Adam B. Wright (D, 2023).[24]
A newtown hall facility opened in downtown Wake Forest in September 2010,[25] and wasLEED Platinum certified in November 2011.[26] All town departments are housed in the facility, except police (which has its own building nearby) and public works.
The town is served by twelve public schools which are administered by theWake County Public School System andGranville County Schools. Public schools include:
Charter schools includeFranklin Academy (K–12), Wake Forest Charter Academy (K–8), Endeavor Charter School (K–8), and Envision Science Academy (K–8). Private schools include Thales Academy,[27] All Saints Academy,[28] andSt. Catherine of Siena Catholic School, serving grades K–8.[29] Wake Forest is also home to twoMontessori schools: Wake Forest Montessori[30] and Children's House of Wake Forest.[31]
Wake Technical Community College[32] is an area two-year college with a north campus on Louisburg Road in Raleigh.Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is a seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention. It began offering classes in 1950 on the original campus of Wake Forest University and is commonly known by its acronym, SEBTS.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Geographic data related toWake Forest, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapMunicipalities and communities ofFranklin County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofWake County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Greater Raleigh Metropolitan Region (Raleigh–Cary, MSA; part of theResearch Triangle) | ||
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