Forbestown is a census-designated place in Butte County, California. It lies at an elevation of 2772 feet. Its zip code is 95941 and its area code is 530. Forbestown had a population of 320 at the 2010 census. Forbestown is named for B.F. Forbes, who opened a store there in 1850. The post office was established in 1854, closed in 1925, and re-opened in 1936. Forbestown's heyday was the last half of the nineteenth century, when it was a large mining center.