Forest City is a small town located in North Carolina. Its population is approximately 8,000 and it has a rural feel to it. Despite its size, the town offers residents access to an array of health services from local hospitals and medical facilities. The Rutherford Hospital is the main healthcare provider in town, providing a wide range of medical services including emergency care, primary care, outpatient services, and rehabilitation. Additionally, Rutherford County Medical Center operates an urgent care center for those with non-emergency medical needs. Other nearby facilities include a pharmacy, dental office, physical therapy clinic, and mental health provider. All of these serve to provide residents of Forest City with access to quality medical care regardless of their age or ability level.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 124 physicians per 100,000 population in Forest City. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Forest City area is 111.3 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
111.3 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Forest City area is 69 (100=best). The US average is 55.
69 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Forest City area is 98 (100=best). The US average is 87.
98 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Forest City commutes 25.8 minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Forest City area is 58 (100=best). The US average is 58.
58 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.