Forest Park is a city in

Clayton County, Georgia Clayton County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 297,595 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The county seat is Jonesboro. Clayton County is one of the core counties of the ...

, United States. It is located approximately south of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and is part of the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...

. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,932. 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.

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

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. The

Fort Gillem Fort Gillem was a United States Army Post located in Forest Park, Georgia, on the southeast edge of Atlanta in Clayton County. Founded in 1941, it was a satellite installation of nearby Fort McPherson. The base housed different supply and suppo ...

was founded nearby in 1941 and was annexed into the city in 1973.

Geography

Forest Park is located at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.43%) is water.

Demographics

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 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

Interstate 285 * US 19

U.S. Route 19 * US 41

U.S. Route 41 * Georgia 3

State Route 3 * Georgia 54

State Route 54 * Georgia 331

State Route 331 * Georgia 401

State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75) * Georgia 407

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 Semaja Zair Render (born August 6, 1999), known professionally as Lil Gotit, is an American rapper and singer. Early life Semaja Zair Render was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the youngest of seven children. Render was initially raised on Southeas ...

, rapper *

Lil Keed Raqhid Jevon Render (March 16, 1998 – May 13, 2022), known professionally as Lil Keed, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He was signed to Young Thug's record label YSL Records, as well as 300 Entertainment. His song " Nam ...

, rapper * Cindy Schreyer, professional golfer and NCAA women's champion * Tanya Snyder, co-owner and Co-CEO of the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

* Terrell Starr,

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral leg ...

* Roscoe Thompson, retired NASCAR Cup Series driver *

Hines Ward Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American American football, football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach for Arizona State Sun Devils football, Arizona State. He played as a wide receiver in the National Foo ...

, NFL wide receiver of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

References

External links

City of Forest Park, Georgia
- official site
"Municipality Statistics by Race and Gender," Georgia Secretary of State
{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Clayton County, Georgia