Forest, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Forest, Texas
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 Forest, Texas
Location in Texas
Forest, Texas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Cherokee |
| Elevation | 296 ft (90 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 430 & 903 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2034940 |
Forest is a small community located in southeastern Cherokee County, Texas, in the United States. It is a quiet place where people live. In 2000, about 85 people called Forest home. It is part of a larger area that includes the cities of Tyler and Jacksonville.
A Look Back in Time
Forest began way back in 1847. A person named Wiley Thompson started the first businesses there. These included a store, a place to relax called a saloon, a watermill (which used water to power machines), a gristmill (for grinding grain), and a cotton gin (a machine that separates cotton fibers). All these were built near Larrison Creek.
The community got its name, Forest, because a traveler was resting under a tree and said they were there "for rest."
The first postmaster (the person in charge of the post office) for Forest was chosen in 1879. A church, the Forest Baptist Church, was started in 1888.
In the 1920s and 1930s, people in the Forest area grew a lot of tomatoes. They even built two sheds next to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas to pack the tomatoes.
The post office moved to Wells in 1887, then came back to Forest that same year. But in 1980, it moved permanently to Wells. By the 1980s, Forest was mostly a place where people raised cattle. The community's only store would open and close often.
The number of people living in Forest changed over time. In the early 1900s, about 100 people lived there. The population grew to its highest point of 120 people in the 1950s. By 2000, it had gone down to 85 people.
Where is Forest?
Forest is located on Farm to Market Road 1911. This road helps connect farms and small towns to bigger markets. Forest is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Alto, in the southeastern part of Cherokee County.
Learning in Forest
Students in Forest attend schools that are part of the Wells Independent School District.
