Forest Park is a city in

Clayton County Clayton County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Clayton County, Georgia in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area * Clayton County, Iowa It was also the former name of Clay County, Arkansas Clay County is a county located in the U.S. ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States. It is located approximately nine miles (14 km) south of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and is part of the Atlanta–

Sandy Springs Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

– Marietta

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

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

History

Originally the third stop from

on the

Macon and Western Railroad The Macon and Western Railroad was an American railway company that operated in Georgia in the middle of the 19th century. Originally chartered as the Monroe Railroad and Banking Company in December 1833, it was not until 1838 that it opened for bus ...

, 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 support ...

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 (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

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

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 19,932 people, 6,618 households, and 4,038 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 18,468 people, 6,877 households, and 4,839 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,233 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 19.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 37.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.50% Native American, 7.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 34.3% of the population. There were 6,845 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 22.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.42. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 13.9% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,556, and the median income for a family was $36,029. Males had a median income of $27,381 versus $23,104 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $13,778. About 12.0% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the city of Forest Park is provided by

Clayton County Public Schools The Clayton County Public School District (CCPS) is a fully Cognia accredited public school district headquartered in Jonesboro, Georgia, U.S. It administers schools inside of Clayton County, Georgia. Serving more than 52,000 students, Clayton ...

. Schools in the Forest Park area include four elementary schools, two middles schools and one high school.

Elementary schools

Hendrix Drive Elementary, Fountain Elementary, Edmonds Elementary, and 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 St ...

Interstate 285 * US 19

U.S. Route 19 U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie. The highway's southern ...

U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

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 Philip Mark Breedlove (born September 21, 1955) is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as the commander of U.S. European Command, as well as the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO Allied Comm ...

, Commander, U.S. European Command *

Russel L. Honoré Russel L. Honoré ( ; born September 15, 1947) is a retired lieutenant general who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina resp ...

, retired Lieutenant General and former Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina *

Cindy Schreyer Cynthia "Cindy" Schreyer (born January 21, 1963) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. She also competed as Cindy McCurdy from 1998 to 2000. Schreyer started playing golf at the age of 15. Schreyer won several amateur ...

, professional golfer and NCAA women's champion *

Terrell Starr Terrell Starr (June 5, 1925 – April 19, 2009) was a Democratic member of the Georgia State Senate from 1968 to 2007. Born in Clayton County, Georgia, Starr was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1968. He lived in Jonesboro, Georgia Jones ...

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia Ho ...

Roscoe Thompson Roscoe Thompson (July 5, 1922 in Forest Park, Georgia, Forest Park, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia – April 10, 1988) was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Grand National Series driver who drove from 1948 (at the age of 26) to 1962 (at the age of 4 ...

, retired NASCAR Cup Series driver *

Hines Ward Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ...

, NFL wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers *

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

, Rapper * Lil Gotit, Rapper

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