| Official Name: | Wake Forest, North Carolina |
| Named For: | The large wooded areas of North Wake County[1] |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Coordinates: | 35.9567°N -78.5247°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Carolina |
| Subdivision Name2: | Wake, Franklin |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1880 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Vivian A. Jones (R) |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 50.95 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 19.67 |
| Area Land Km2: | 50.55 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 19.52 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.40 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.15 |
| Elevation Ft: | 295 |
| Population Total: | 54741 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | 941.62 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 2438.83 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Codes |
| Postal Code: | 27587–27588 |
| Area Code: | 919, 984 |
| Website: | www.wakeforestnc.gov |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | −5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −4 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 37-70540[3] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2406816 |
Wake Forest is a town in Franklin and Wake counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital, Raleigh. At the 2020 census, the population was 47,601, up from 30,117 in 2010.[4] It is part of the Raleigh metropolitan area. Wake Forest was the original home of Wake Forest University for 122 years before it moved to Winston-Salem in 1956.
In 1832,[5] Dr. Calvin Jones, originally from New England, bought 615acres of forested land in Wake County, North Carolina. He built his plantation here. The sparsely populated area became known as the Forest of Wake, or Wake Forest. Jones sold his farm to the North Carolina Baptist Convention for $2,000, who opened the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute, later Wake Forest College, on the site. The Raleigh & Gaston Railroad, completed in 1840, established a depot in nearby Forestville 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 of Winston-Salem in 1956.[6] 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 by Forbes magazine as the 20th fastest growing suburb in America, with a 73.2 percent increase in population between 2000 and 2006.[7] [8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.4km2, of which 39.1km2 is land and 0.3km2 (0.80%) is water.[9]
Wake Forest is located in the northeast-central region of North Carolina, where the North American Piedmont and Atlantic 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 of Atlantic Beach, and four hours east of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Wake Forest enjoys a moderate subtropical climate, with moderate temperatures in the spring, fall, and winter. Summers are typically hot with high humidity. 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.
| 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 or Latino | 3,769 | 7.92% |
Wake Forest hosts the annual Wake Forest Dance Festival every fall at E. Carroll Joyner Park.
The DuBois Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10] The W. E. B. DuBois School opened in 1926 for the African-American community in Wake Forest before racial 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 a community center.[11]
Other listings in or near Wake Forest on the National Register of Historic Places are the Bailey-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, and Wakefields.[12] [13]
Wake Forest Historical Museum, also known as the Dr. 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.[14]
The Wake County Public Library System operates a branch in Wake Forest.[15]
Wake Forest is home to the Falls Lake State Recreation Area. Falls Lake Park contains the 12000acres Falls Lake and 26000acres of woodlands.[16]
Wake Forest is served by ten parks and community centers. They include the following:[17]
Wake Forest operates under the council–manager form of government. The citizens elect a mayor 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.[18] [19] 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).[20]
A new town hall facility opened in downtown Wake Forest in September 2010,[21] and was LEED Platinum certified in November 2011.[22] 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 the Wake County Public School System and Granville County Public School System. Public schools include:
Charter schools include Franklin 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,[23] All Saints Academy,[24] and St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School, serving grades K-8.[25] Wake Forest is also home to two Montessori schools, Wake Forest Montessori[26] and Children's House of Wake Forest.[27]
Wake Technical Community College[28] 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.