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. By the late 1930s, it was nearly a ghost town. The site has foundations and debris from its mining era.