Forest: Government & Civic
Forest's civic structure: Forest operates as an cdp (unincorporated) (city hall: (828) 245-0148). Sits in U.S. Congressional District 6. Municipal code published via municode. Nearest courthouse: Lynchburg Courthouse (9.6 mi away). Federal spending in the surrounding county runs $8,178 per resident ($0.6B FY2024).
- $8,178 federal spending per resident in the surrounding county (vs Virginia $14,580).
City Hall & Contacts
| Contacts · City Hall · Phone | (828) 245-0148 |
|---|---|
| Contacts · City Hall · Phone How Found | Google Places API — Text Searc |
| Contacts · City Hall · Phone Verified At | 2026-04-15 |
| Contacts · City Hall · Address | 128 N Powell St, Forest City, NC 28043, USA |
| Contacts · Governing Body · Type | county |
| Contacts · Governing Body · Name | COUNTY OF BEDFORD |
| Contacts · Governing Body · Address | 122 E MAIN ST |
| Government Structure · Government Type | 0 - CDP (unincorporated) |
| Government Structure · Government Name | FOREST |
| Municipal Code · Publisher | municode |
| Municipal Code Publisher | municode |
| Municipal Code URL | https://library.municode.com/va/forest-cdp-virginia |
Sources: Census Govt Units + municipal websites · Inferred from Census place type in full_name · Municode/eCode360 directory scrape — matched by state + place FIPS · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Mayor & City Council
| Mayor | Ben Clapsaddle |
|---|
State Representation
Federal and state legislative representation: U.S. Congressional district, U.S. Senators, and state legislative districts. Officials change with elections.
| State Legislative Districts · Upper Chamber | 51023 |
|---|---|
| State Legislative Districts · Lower Chamber | 51022 |
Federal Representation
Federal and state legislative representation: U.S. Congressional district, U.S. Senators, and state legislative districts. Officials change with elections.
Senators (2)
| Congressional District · District | 6 |
|---|---|
| Congressional District · Congress | 118th |
Voting & Eligibility
| State Campaign Finance · Total Contributions | 441,087,504.55 |
|---|---|
| State Campaign Finance · Total Transactions | 5,962,017 |
| State Campaign Finance · Num Committees | 25 |
| State Campaign Finance · Cycle | 2,024 |
| State Campaign Finance · Per Capita | 51.57 (vs Virginia $14,580) |
| Voting · Citizen Voting Age Pop | 9,307 |
| Voting · Citizen 18Plus | 9,082 |
| Voting · Noncitizen 18Plus | 225 |
| Voting · Eligible Voter Pct | 69.3% |
Sources: FEC API schedule_a/by_state — aggregated by state · Census ACS — citizen voting age population
Justice & Courts
Court infrastructure — county courthouses + nearest state/federal courts. Distance reflects driving miles to the nearest courthouse.
| Courthouses Detail · County total | 1 |
|---|---|
| Nearest Courthouse · Name | Lynchburg Courthouse |
| Nearest Courthouse · City | Lynchburg |
| Nearest Courthouse · Distance | 9.6 mi |
Sources: HIFLD / IRS BMF · HIFLD Courthouses · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Legal Framework
| Legal Framework · Contractor Licensing | See state licensing board — check licensing_boards in town data |
|---|---|
| Legal Framework · Building Code | Check municipal_code URL for local building code adoption |
| Legal Framework · Property Homestead | Varies by state — check state constitution |
| Legal Framework · Workers Comp | State workers' compensation statute — mandatory in most states |
| Legal Framework · Consumer Protection | State consumer protection act — varies |
| Legal Framework · Landlord Tenant | State landlord-tenant act — varies |
| Legal Framework · Environmental Agency | State environmental agency — varies |
Sources: State statutes — compiled from official state code
Disaster History
Federal Disaster Declarations (15)
Federal Spending
Federal dollars flowing to the surrounding county — grants, direct payments, contracts, loans (USAspending.gov).
| Federal Spending · Federal Spending Fy2024 | $649,842,883 |
|---|---|
| Federal Spending · Per Capita | 8,178.03 (vs Virginia $14,580) |
| Federal Spending · Population | 79,462 people (vs Virginia 42,214) |
Sources: USAspending API
Other
| Live Links · Weather Forecast | https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=37.306466&lon=-79.305633 |
|---|---|
| Live Links · Weather Alerts | https://alerts.weather.gov/search?point=37.306466,-79.305633 |
| State Fiscal · Gdp Billions | 612 |
| State Fiscal · Fed Taxes Paid Per Capita | 13,628 |
| State Fiscal · Fed Spending Received Per Capita | $19,746 |
| State Fiscal · Balance Per Capita | 6,118 |
| State Fiscal · Net Recipient | Yes |
Sources: NWS API — built from school coordinates · Tax Foundation, Rockefeller Institute of Government, BEA GDP