Wake Forest

Wake Forest North Carolina is part of Wake County. Wake Forest is a short drive from Raleigh the state capital. Dr. Calvin Jones purchased 615 acres of forestland in 1820 that later was named the Forest of Wake as well as Wake Forest. Jones later sold his property to the North Carolina Baptist Convention. They created the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute, which later became Wake Forest College. In 1880, the area was incorporated, as the Town of Wake Forest College, however in 1909, the word college was dropped from the name and it became the Town of Wake Forest. In 1956, the Wake Forest College moved to Winston-Salem North Carolina. A few years prior to the move, the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, an offshoot of the Southern Baptist Convention, started holding classes on campus. They took over the whole campus when the university vacated the buildings. Nearby is the Falls Lake State Recreational Area with approximately 30,000 acres with Falls Lake covering about 12,000 of those acres. This lake was created after the flood in 1978 when the Neuse River flooded the area causing extensive damage to private property and corporate holdings. The US Army Corps of Engineers developed the Falls Lake Project, which oversaw the building of the dam. The dam was finished in 1981. The lake provides a large number of hiking and mountain biking trails for everyone ranging from easy to the more extreme accomodating those who want a little more challenge. A separate swimming area with a nice beach is available for family swimming. The lake is used for a vast number of water sports from kayaks and canoes to jet skis and motor boats. There are numerous places around the lake to launch a canoe or kayak. One choice would be the Beaver Dam boat launch where launching a motor boat is forbidden. For family excursions, The Atlantic beach is a short three-hour drive away or about four hours to drive up to The Great Smokey Mountains. Wake Forest has several museums available, historical sites, and great places to eat, making this a great place to visit.