Visitor Information

Community

The Village of DeForest is a growing community located just ten minutes north of Madison.  DeForest is dedicated to ensuring a premier municipality for roughly 10,347 residents through its beautiful park system, safe neighborhoods, and quality public services.

The Village provides a full range of municipal services including Police and Fire protection, Parks, Public Works, Water and Sewer Utilities, Community Development, Library and General Administrative services.  Recreation programs year round keep the members of our community active and engaged.  DeForests convenient location and welcoming community make it an ideal place for families and businesses.

      

A little piece of History...

DeForest was named for Isaac DeForest, whose ancestry can be traced back to Belgium.  He arrived in this area in 1854 and accumulated large land holdings, most devoted to wheat farming.  He had the land platted in 1856, seeing the opportunity for establishing a village.  Unfortunately, because of the precipitous decline in wheat prices following the Civil War, he lost a great deal of money, sold his land in 1868 and moved to Wetmore, Kansas.  The name remained, however, and soon became the post office designation in the area and by 1872 a main station on the Madison-Portage Railway line.

Information provided by the DeForest Area Historical Society

Moving to DeForest?

Thinking of making a move to DeForest?  Welcome!  We are happy to have you.  To find out more about housing, social and economic statistics in our community you can visit the U.S. Census Bureau website.

Our residents continually boast about the wonderful schools and all that the school district has to offer the youth in our community.  To learn more about our schools visit the DeForest Area School District website.

When choosing a new community to make your home it is often difficult to find the answers you are looking for easily.  Click the Resident Information button at the top of this page to learn more about what it is like to be a resident of the Village of DeForest. And, view our Resident Guide.  Or, Contact Us!  We are happy to assist!