Growing and thriving for 30 years.
In the 1980s, some faculty members and neighbors of Duke University envisioned an exceptional retirement experience near their university setting. They banded together, acquired land near the Duke campus, and created a team to explore the possibilities.
From the outset, the team relied on advice from Duke’s Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke alumni, retired faculty and staff, and local and nationwide retirees to gain a broad perspective of a fulfilled retirement. With insight from these groups and many visits to prominent retirement communities across the country, their dream began to take shape.
The Forest at Duke, Inc. organized in October 1988 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. The new entity worked swiftly to plan, build, own, and manage the new retirement community. As a master campus plan developed, soon-to-be residents reserved their future homes and construction began. Finally, in September of 1992, the very first residents moved into their newly completed homes.
In 2022, The Forest celebrated 30 years of community, accomplishment, and life. We invite you to come and see us as we continue growing into the next 30 years and beyond!
To read more about the history of The Forest at Duke, be sure to check out two of our previous blog articles:
- Building a Dream: Forest Beginnings—Learn about our community’s earliest days. From the dream that started it all to the construction that built the home we enjoy today, there’s much to tell!
- The More Things Change: Kin and Community on the Pickett Farm—The history of the land The Forest at Duke was built upon includes a long-running tobacco farm, a failed condominium project, and possible ties to a former Native American settlement.
