Forest Hill, now part of Toronto, was incorporated as a village in 1823. The village was named after the summer home of John Wickson; previously it had been known as Spadina Heights (a name which continued to be applied to the neighbourhood into the twentieth century).

Its original boundaries were Bathurst Street to the west, Upper Canada College to the east, Eglinton Avenue to the north, and Lonsdale Road and a portion of Montclair Avenue to the south (the original boundaries of school section 30). Neighbourhoods north of Eglinton were later incorporated into Forest Hill.

In 1967 Forest Hill and the village of Swansea were annexed by the City of Toronto.

Forest Hill is, along with Rosedale and the Bridle Path, one of Toronto's three wealthiest neighbourhoods.

Forest Hill Village is a part of Forest Hill occupying most of the original area of the village.