answers.input_text: short
answers.span_text: 35 ° 58 ′ 24 '' N 78 ° 31 ′ 8 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 35.97333 ° N 78.51889 ° W
questions: where is wake forest located in north carolina
name: Wake Forest, North Carolina
contexts: Wake Forest , North Carolina Town Location in Wake County and the state of North Carolina . Coordinates : 35 ° 58 ′ 24 '' N 78 ° 31 ′ 8 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 35.97333 ° N 78.51889 ° W ﻿ / 35.97333 ; - 78.51889 Coordinates : 35 ° 58 ′ 24 '' N 78 ° 31 ′ 8 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 35.97333 ° N 78.51889 ° W ﻿ / 35.97333 ; - 78.51889 Country United States State North Carolina Counties Wake , Franklin Incorporated 1880 Government Mayor Vivian A. Jones Area Total 15.2 sq mi ( 39.4 km ) Land 15.1 sq mi ( 39.1 km ) Water 0.1 sq mi ( 0.3 km ) Elevation 387 ft ( 118 m ) Population ( 2010 ) Total 30,117 Estimate ( 2016 ) 40,112 Density 2,000 / sq mi ( 760 / km ) Time zone Eastern ( EST ) ( UTC − 5 ) Summer ( DST ) EST ( UTC − 4 ) ZIP Codes 27587 -- 27588 Area code ( s ) 919 , 984 FIPS code 37 - 70540 GNIS feature ID 1023094 Website www.wakeforestnc.gov