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EspañolTALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA
(Redirected from Tallahassee)
'Tallahassee' (pronounced ) is the capital of the State of Florida and the county seat of Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida in 1824. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 159,012,[1] while the Tallahassee metropolitan area is estimated at 336,501 (2006).
Tallahassee is the home of Florida State University, a major research university with strengths in both arts and sciences. Other local higher-education institutions include Florida A & M University, a historically-black university, Tallahassee Community College, and Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy; Barry University, Embry Riddle and Flagler also have branches in Tallahassee. It is also a regional center for trade and agriculture and is served by Tallahassee Regional Airport. With one of the fastest growing manufacturing and high tech economies in Florida,[2] its major private employers include a General Dynamics Land Systems manufacturing facility (military and combat applications), the headquarters of Talla-Com (a communications manufacturing firm owned by Tadiran Communications, Ltd., in Israel) and the manufacturing headquarters for Danfoss Turbocor (a manufacturer of oil-free high efficiency compressors).
Main articles: History of Tallahassee, Florida
The name "Tallahassee" is a Muskogean Indian word often translated as "abandoned fields" or "old fields" or "old town." This likely stems from the Creek (later called Seminole) Indians that migrated from Georgia and Alabama into this region during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Upon arrival, they found large areas of cleared lands that had previously been occupied by the Apalachee tribe.
The expedition of Panfilo de Narvaez encountered the Apalachees, although it did not reach the site of Tallahassee. Hernando de Soto and his expedition occupied the Apalachee town of Anhaica in the winter of 1538-1539. Based on archaeological excavations, this site is now known to have been located about one-half mile east of the present Florida capitol building.
During the 1600s, several Spanish missions were established in the territory of the Apalachee with the aim of procuring food and labor for the colony at St. Augustine. The largest of these, Mission San Luis de Apalachee, has been partially reconstructed by the state of Florida.
From 1821 through 1845, the rough-hewn frontier capital gradually grew into a town during Florida's territorial period.
In 1845, a Greek revival masonry structure was erected as the Capitol building in time for statehood. Now known as the "old Capitol" because of the new building constructed in the 1970s, it stands in front of the current new capitol high rise today.[3]
During the American Civil War, Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi not captured by Union forces. A small engagement, the Battle of Natural Bridge, was fought south of the city on March 6, 1865.
Following the Civil War, much of Florida's industry moved to the south and east, a trend that continues to this day. The end of slavery caused the cotton and tobacco trade to suffer, and the state's major industries shifted to citrus, lumber, naval stores, cattle ranching and tourism. The post-Civil War period was also a time when many of the former plantations in the Tallahassee area were purchased by wealthy northerners for use as winter hunting preserves.
Up until World War II, Tallahassee remained a relatively small southern town, with virtually the entire population living within a mile of the Capitol. The main economic drivers were the universities and state government, where politicians would meet to discuss spending money on grand public improvement projects to accommodate growth in places such as Miami and Tampa Bay, hundreds of miles away from the capital. By the 1960s, there was a movement to transfer the capital to Orlando, closer geographically to the growing population centers of the state. That motion was defeated, however, and the 1970s saw a long-term commitment by the state to the capital city with construction of the new capitol complex and preservation of the old capitol building.
In recent years, Tallahassee has seen an uptick in growth, mainly in government and research services associated with the state, Florida State University, and Florida A&M University.
Tallahassee is located at (30.451800, -84.272770). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 254.5 km² (98.2 mi²). 247.9 km² (95.7 mi²) of it is land and 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²) of it (2.59%) is water.
Tallahassee is noted for its hilly terrain, and the state capitol is located on one of the highest hills in the city. The elevation varies from near sea level to just over 200 feet in places. The flora and fauna are more typical of that found in the mid-south and low country regions of South Carolina and North Carolina. Although some palm trees do grow in the city, they are limited to the more cold-hardy varieties such as the state tree, the Sabal Palmetto. Pines, magnolias and a variety of oaks are the dominant trees. Of the latter, the Southern Live Oak is perhaps the most emblematic of the city.
Summers in Tallahassee are typically hotter than in the Florida peninsula, and it is one of the few cities in the state to occasionally record temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38°C). The summer weather is characterized by brief intense showers and thunderstorms that form along the afternoon sea breeze from the Gulf of Mexico. The average summertime high temperature is 92°F(32°C). Conversely, the city is much cooler in the winter. In December and January, the average high temperature is 64°F(18°C) and the average low is 42°F(6°C). On occasion, the temperatures fall into the 20s and 10s at night, and during some extreme occasions temperatures in the single digits have been recorded. Tallahassee recorded the state's lowest temperature of -2°F (-20°C), on February 13, 1899. Over the last 100 years, the city has also recorded several snowfalls, the heaviest of which was 3 inches on February 13, 1958. Historically, the city usually records at least observed flurries once every four years, but on average, measurable amounts of snow (1" or more) occur only once every 15 years. The natural snow line (regular yearly snow falls) ends 200 miles to the north at Macon, Georgia.
Tallahassee is the 12th fastest growing metropolitan area in Florida. Tallahassee’s 12.4-percent growth rate is higher than both Miami and Tampa and half that of Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Naples-Marco Island.
As of the census of 2000, there were 150,624 people, 63,217 households, and 29,459 families residing in the city. The population density was 607.6/km² (1,573.8/mi²). There were 68,417 housing units at an average density of 276.0/km² (714.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.42% White, 34.24% African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.19% of the population.
There were 63,217 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.1% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.4% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city, the population was spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 29.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,571, and the median income for a family was $49,359. Males had a median income of $32,428 versus $27,838 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,981. About 12.6% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Educationally, Leon County is the highest educated county in Florida with 49.9% of the population with either a Bachelor's, Master's, professional or doctorate degree. The Florida average is 22.4% and the national average is 24.4%.
As of 2000, 91.99% of all residents spoke English as their first language, while 4.11% spoke Spanish, and 0.63% spoke French as their mother tongue. In total, 8.00% of the total population spoke languages other than English.[4]
★ 1988: Money Magazine's Southeast's three top medium size cities in which to live.
★ 1992: Awarded Tree City USA by National Arbor Day Foundation
★ 1999: Awarded All-America City Award by the National Civic League
★ 2003: Awarded Tree Line USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
★ 2006: Awarded "Best In America" Parks and Recreation by the National Recreation and Park Association.
★ 2007: Recognized by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine as one of the "Top Ten College Towns for Grownups" (ranking second, behind Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Tallahassee has traditionally been a politically progressive city. It has voted Democratic throughout its history with a high voter-turnout. As of April 2007 there were 85,343 Democrats and 42,230 Republicans in Leon County. Other affilations accounted for 22,284 voters.[5]
Voters of Leon County have gone to the polls four times to vote on consolidation of Tallahassee and Leon County governments into one jurisdiction combining police and other city services with already shared (consolidated) Tallahassee Fire Department and Leon County Emergency Medical Services. Tallahassee's city limits would (at current size) increase from 98.2 square miles to 702 square miles. Roughly 36 percent of Leon County's 250,000 residents live outside the Tallahassee city limits.
The proponents of consolidation have stated that the new jurisdiction would attract business by its very size. Merging of governments would cut government waste, duplication of services, etc. However, Professor Richard Feiock states that no discernible relationship exists between consolidation and the local economy.[6]
The first plan for the Capitol Center was the 1947 Taylor Plan, which consolidated several of the government buildings in one downtown area. In 1974, the Capitol Center Planning Commission for the City of Tallahassee, FL responded to the growth of its urban center with a conceptual plan for the expansion of its Capitol Center. Hisham Ashkouri, working for The Architects' Collaborative, led the urban planning and design effort. Estimating growth and related development for approximately the next 25 years, the program projected the need for 213,677 m² (2.3 million feet²) of new government facilities in the city core, with 3,500 dwelling units, 0.4 km² (100 acres) of new public open space, retail and private office space, and other ancillary spaces. Community participation was an integral part of the design review, welcoming Tallahassee residents to provide input as well as citizens’ groups and government agencies, resulting in the creation of six separate Design Alternatives. The best elements of these various designs were combined to develop the final conceptual design, which was then incorporated into the existing Capitol area and adjacent areas.
★ Amos P. Godby High School - website
★ Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University High School
★ Florida State University High School
★ James S. Rickards High School
★ John Paul II Catholic High School - website
★ Lawton Chiles High School - website
★ Leon High School
★ Lincoln High School
★ Maclay School - website
★ North Florida Christian High School - website
★ SAIL High School - website
Also see Leon County for more details.
★ Barry University School of Adult and Continuing Education - Tallahassee Campus
★ Flagler College - Tallahassee Campus
★ Florida A&M University
★ Florida State University
★ Keiser University - Tallahassee
★ Lewis M. Lively Area Vocational-Technical School - website
★ Tallahassee Community College
Law Enforcement Services are provided by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Capitol Police, Florida State University Police Department, Florida A&M University Police Department, the Tallahasse Community College Police Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Fire and Rescue services are provided by the Tallahassee Fire Department and Leon County Emergency Medical Services.
Hospitals in the area include Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare and Capital Regional Medical Center.
★ Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park
★ Challenger Learning Center
★ Florida State Capitol
★ Florida Supreme Court
★ Lake Ella
★ Lake Jackson
★ Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park
★ Lake Munson
★ Lake Talquin
★ Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science (MOAS) website
★ Mission San Luis de Apalachee
★ Myers Park
★ National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
★ Railroad Square Art Park - website
★ Tallahassee Museum
★ Tom Brown Park
★ Young Actors Theatre
Located nearby are:
★ Natural Bridge Battlefield State Historic Site near Woodville
★ Wakulla Springs State Park near Crawfordville
★ First Friday Festivals at Railroad Square (Every first Friday of each month)
★ Greek Food Festival
★ Red Hills Horse Trials
★ Springtime Tallahassee
★ Southern Shakespeare Festival
★ Tallahassee Wine and Food Festival
★ Winter Festival
★ The Tallahassee Tigers are an American Basketball Association team that will begin their inaugural season in November 2007.
★ The Tallahassee Titans are an World Indoor Football League team that will play their second season in February 2008.
★ The Florida State University Seminoles compete in the NCAA Division 1, and the Bowl Subdivision in football.
★ The Florida A&M University Rattlers compete in the NCAA Division 1, and the Playoff Subdivision in football.
★ Local public high schools and middle schools compete in athletics, and share Gene Cox Stadium for football.
★ Tallahassee Regional Airport (KTLH)
★ Tallahassee Commercial Airport (K68J)
StarMetro (formerly TalTran) provides bus service throughout the city.
CSX operates two rail lines in the city. Amtrak's Sunset Limited historically served the city, but has been suspended since Hurricane Katrina.
★ The Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad, now a state trail.
★ The Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad.
:''See also History of Tallahassee, Florida''
★ Interstate 10
★ U.S. Route 27
★ U.S. Route 90
★ U.S. Route 319
★ State Road 20
★ State Road 61
★ State Road 363
★ Apalachee Parkway
★ Blair Stone Road
★ Capital Circle, Tallahassee
★ Wally Amos — founder of the "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie brand; actor
★ Red Barber — sportscaster
★ Gene Cox - Hall of Fame [High School Football Coach][2]
★ Matt Battaglia — actor
★ Robert "Bobby" C. Bowden - college football coach
★ Jim Butterworth — documentary filmmaker
★ Ricky Carmichael — Motocross/Supercross Champion
★ George Clinton — musician
★ Jim Cramer — host of CNBC's Mad Money
★ Kim Crosby — NASCAR driver
★ Paul Dirac — Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose theories predicted antimatter
★ Cathy Jenéen Doe — actress
★ Ernst von Dohnányi — composer and pianist
★ Kyan Douglas –- the "grooming expert" from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"
★ Faye Dunaway — actress
★ Faith Eidse — author
★ Carlisle Floyd — opera composer
★ Michael Gaines - Swift TE for the Carolina Panthers
★ Cheryl Hines — actress
★ Reggie Jefferson - former MLB player
★ Will Kirby — Big Brother 2 (2001) winner
★ Sir Harold Kroto — Nobel Prize-winning chemist who helped discover fullerenes
★ Allison Miller — actress
★ Jerrie Mock — aviator and first woman to fly around the world solo
★ Jim Morrison — musician
★ Catherine Willis Gray Murat — great-grandniece of George Washington
★ Prince Achille Murat — nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte
★ Gabrielle Reece — professional volleyball player, model
★ Burt Reynolds — actor
★ Marcus Roberts-- jazz pianist, composer and music professor at Florida State University
★ Robert Schrieffer — Nobel Laureate, BCS Theory of Superconductivity
★ Richard Simmons - fitness expert
★ Ernest I. Thomas — raiser of the original flag at Iwo Jima[7]
★ Craig Waters — spokesman for the Florida Supreme Court
★ T-Pain — rapper
★ No Address — Music Group
★ Mayday Parade — Music Group
★ Creed — Music Group
★ Mira — Music Group
★ Dead Prez — alt hip hop duo
★ Taylor Jacobs — NFL professional athlete
★ Tahesia Harrigan — Professional sprinter (BVI)
★ Cealey Godwin — Winner of Endurance 5
★ Yngwie Malmsteen — musician
★ Jeff VanderMeer — World Fantasy Award-winning author
★ CSS Tallahassee - 1864 Confederate cruiser
★ USS Tallahassee - 1908 United States Navy monitor originally named USS Florida
★ USS Tallahassee - 1941 United States Navy aircraft carrier renamed USS Princeton
★ USS Tallahassee (CL-116) - 1944 United States Navy light cruiser
★ Tallahassee Community School, Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia - website
Tallahassee has been mentioned in song, motion pictures, and TV.
★ 1947 - Bing Crosby recorded the song, ''Tallahassee'', with the Andrews Sisters, including the lyric: "When you see land all green and grassy ... sit down and rest your chassis, you're in Tallahassee."
★ 1959 - Freddy Cannon released a single entitled, ''Tallahassee Lassie.'' Dick Clark subsequently used it on American Bandstand for a dance contest.[8]
★ 1976 - The Aerosmith album ''Rocks'' in the song ''Last Child'' with the lyric, "Take me back to a south Tallahassee." [9]
★ 1982 - The soundtrack for the film "Spring Break" has a song called "Hooray For The City"[10] by Jack Mack & The Heart Attack[11] which lists Tallahassee among several cities mentioned in the lyrics.
★ The 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes, the fictional town of Whistle Stop, Alabama has the Tallahassee & Albany Railroad running through it. This railroad never existed.
★ 1993 - In the film True Romance written by Quentin Tarantino, Tallahassee is mentioned as the home of Alabama Whitman played by Patricia Arquette.
★ 1999 - In the film The Green Mile, the Cajun prisoner, Eduard Delacroix, played by Michael Jeter, who is about to be executed is told that Mr. Jingles, his pet mouse, will live in Mouseville.
★
★ Dialogue: Brutus "Brutal" Howell played by David Morse says, "How about Mouseville?" Eduard Delacroix played by Michael Jeter says, "Mouseville?" Brutal replies, "Tourist attraction down in Florida. Tallahassee, I think. Is that right, Paul? Tallahassee?" Paul Edgecomb played by Tom Hanks says, "Yeah, that's right. Tallahassee. Just down the road apiece from the dog university." ''(transcribed from DVD)''
★ 2002 - The Mountain Goats album, ''Tallahassee,'' is composed entirely of songs from the perspective of a couple living in Tallahassee.
★ 2004-present - ''Lost'', the television series.
★
★ What Kate Did. Series episode #33. (Production Code: 209). Season 2, Episode 9. Aired November 30, 2006. Kate Austen played by Evangeline Lilly is buying a bus ticket and says, "Tallahassee one-way, please." Marshal Edward Mars played by Fredric Lehne says, "Tallahassee? I spent a week in Tallahassee one night. It's all strip malls and Waffle Houses. What's a pretty girl like you going to do down in Tallahassee?"[12]
★
★ Lockdown. Series episode #41 (Production Code: 217). Season 2, Episode 17. Aired Wednesday March 29, 2006. Dr. Jack Shepherd played by Matthew Fox and James "Sawyer" Ford played by Josh Holloway are playing poker. Sawyer says, "Okay, I'll call you with the aspirin and raise you with a bottle of Amoxicilin." Jack says, "Do you even know what Amoxicilin is?" Sawyer replies, "You may have been to Phuket, Doc, but I've been to Tallahassee. Let's just say something was burning and it wasn't from the sunshine." [13]
★
★ The Man from Tallahassee. Series episode #61 (Production Code: 313). Season 3, Episode 13. Aired March 21, 2007. The man from Tallahassee is Anthony Cooper played by Kevin Tighe, father of John Locke played by Terry O'Quinn. In the episode, Ben played by Michael Emerson says to another man from his hospital bed, "Bring me the man from Tallahassee." Later John Locke says, "The man from Tallahassee - what is that? Some kind of code?"
★
★ In an ABC podcast, two of the executive producers, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, said about Tallahassee: "It just happens to be a nexus point where many of our characters have crossed paths." "Like a hellmouth?" Cuse asked. "Yeah, like a hellmouth," Lindelof replied. ''(Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat, March 23, 2007)''.
★
★ The Brig. Series episode #67 (Production Code: 319). Season 3, Episode 19. Aired Wednesday May 2, 2007. Inside the land bound hull of a mid 1800s British slave ship, ''The Black Rock'', James "Sawyer" Ford played by Josh Holloway confronts Anthony Cooper played by Kevin Tighe. Sawyer says, "How did you get here...to the island?" Cooper replies, "To the island, huh, huh, (chuckles). OK, I'm driving down I-10 through Tallahassee when 'bam' somebody slams into the back of my car. I go right into the divider at 70 miles an hour the next thing I know the paramedics are strapping me to a gurney stuffing me in to the back of an ambulance and one of them actually smiles at me as he pops the IV into my arm. And then nothing. Just black. And the next thing I know I wake up in a dark room tied up gag in my mouth and when the door opens I'm looking up at the same man I threw out a window, John Locke, my dead son." ''(transcribed from DVD)''
★ T-Pain Popular R&B artist T-Pain stands for "Tallahassee Pain," a reference to his growing up in the state's capital.
★
★ 2007 - The song, ''Tallahassee Love'' on the Epiphany CD by T-Pain.[14]
The Bob Dylan/Johnny Cash song "Wanted Man indicates that the narrator is wanted in Tallahassee, among other cities.
Tallahassee has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
★ Krasnodar, Russia
★ Konongo-Odumase, Ghana
★ St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
★ Sligo, Ireland
★ Ramat HaSharon, Israel
1. Census data
2. BIG BEND: Rounding out the Economy
3. MOSQUITO COUNTY 1842
4. &ea=&order=r Modern Language Association Data Center Results of Tallahassee, FL
5. Leon Supervisor of Elections Office
6. City County Consolidation Efforts: Selective Incentives and Institutional Choice
7. The Pacific Campaign, , Dan, van der Vat, Simon & Schuster, 1991, ISBN 0-671-73899-2
8. FREDDY CANNON - A "BOOM BOOM" CAREER
9. Aerosmith - Last Child lyrics
10. RealPlayer
11. Jack Mack & The Heart Attack official site
12. Lost Forums EPISODE 9 - What Kate Did
13. Lost TV Forum - Lockdown
14. Lyrics 007
★ Tebeau, Charlton, W. ''A History of Florida.'' University of Miami Press. Coral Gables. 1971
★ Williams, John Lee. ''Journal of an Expedition to the Interior of West Florida October - November 1823.'' Manuscript on file at the State Library of Florida, Florida Collection. Tallahassee.
★ Talgov.com (official city website)
★ The Local Conservation District - Information on Natural Resources, and Panoramic Tours
★ Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
★ The Tallahassee Democrat Newspaper
★ Mission San Luis
★ Things to do in Tallahassee
★ Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation - Places to Discover
★ National Civic League
★ Tallahassee Nightlife Calender
psst.. try this: add to faves
'Tallahassee' (pronounced ) is the capital of the State of Florida and the county seat of Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida in 1824. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 159,012,[1] while the Tallahassee metropolitan area is estimated at 336,501 (2006).
Tallahassee is the home of Florida State University, a major research university with strengths in both arts and sciences. Other local higher-education institutions include Florida A & M University, a historically-black university, Tallahassee Community College, and Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy; Barry University, Embry Riddle and Flagler also have branches in Tallahassee. It is also a regional center for trade and agriculture and is served by Tallahassee Regional Airport. With one of the fastest growing manufacturing and high tech economies in Florida,[2] its major private employers include a General Dynamics Land Systems manufacturing facility (military and combat applications), the headquarters of Talla-Com (a communications manufacturing firm owned by Tadiran Communications, Ltd., in Israel) and the manufacturing headquarters for Danfoss Turbocor (a manufacturer of oil-free high efficiency compressors).
History
Main articles: History of Tallahassee, Florida
The name "Tallahassee" is a Muskogean Indian word often translated as "abandoned fields" or "old fields" or "old town." This likely stems from the Creek (later called Seminole) Indians that migrated from Georgia and Alabama into this region during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Upon arrival, they found large areas of cleared lands that had previously been occupied by the Apalachee tribe.
The expedition of Panfilo de Narvaez encountered the Apalachees, although it did not reach the site of Tallahassee. Hernando de Soto and his expedition occupied the Apalachee town of Anhaica in the winter of 1538-1539. Based on archaeological excavations, this site is now known to have been located about one-half mile east of the present Florida capitol building.
During the 1600s, several Spanish missions were established in the territory of the Apalachee with the aim of procuring food and labor for the colony at St. Augustine. The largest of these, Mission San Luis de Apalachee, has been partially reconstructed by the state of Florida.
From 1821 through 1845, the rough-hewn frontier capital gradually grew into a town during Florida's territorial period.
In 1845, a Greek revival masonry structure was erected as the Capitol building in time for statehood. Now known as the "old Capitol" because of the new building constructed in the 1970s, it stands in front of the current new capitol high rise today.[3]
During the American Civil War, Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi not captured by Union forces. A small engagement, the Battle of Natural Bridge, was fought south of the city on March 6, 1865.
Following the Civil War, much of Florida's industry moved to the south and east, a trend that continues to this day. The end of slavery caused the cotton and tobacco trade to suffer, and the state's major industries shifted to citrus, lumber, naval stores, cattle ranching and tourism. The post-Civil War period was also a time when many of the former plantations in the Tallahassee area were purchased by wealthy northerners for use as winter hunting preserves.
Up until World War II, Tallahassee remained a relatively small southern town, with virtually the entire population living within a mile of the Capitol. The main economic drivers were the universities and state government, where politicians would meet to discuss spending money on grand public improvement projects to accommodate growth in places such as Miami and Tampa Bay, hundreds of miles away from the capital. By the 1960s, there was a movement to transfer the capital to Orlando, closer geographically to the growing population centers of the state. That motion was defeated, however, and the 1970s saw a long-term commitment by the state to the capital city with construction of the new capitol complex and preservation of the old capitol building.
In recent years, Tallahassee has seen an uptick in growth, mainly in government and research services associated with the state, Florida State University, and Florida A&M University.
Geography and climate
Tallahassee City Hall
Tallahassee is located at (30.451800, -84.272770). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 254.5 km² (98.2 mi²). 247.9 km² (95.7 mi²) of it is land and 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²) of it (2.59%) is water.
Tallahassee is noted for its hilly terrain, and the state capitol is located on one of the highest hills in the city. The elevation varies from near sea level to just over 200 feet in places. The flora and fauna are more typical of that found in the mid-south and low country regions of South Carolina and North Carolina. Although some palm trees do grow in the city, they are limited to the more cold-hardy varieties such as the state tree, the Sabal Palmetto. Pines, magnolias and a variety of oaks are the dominant trees. Of the latter, the Southern Live Oak is perhaps the most emblematic of the city.
Summers in Tallahassee are typically hotter than in the Florida peninsula, and it is one of the few cities in the state to occasionally record temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38°C). The summer weather is characterized by brief intense showers and thunderstorms that form along the afternoon sea breeze from the Gulf of Mexico. The average summertime high temperature is 92°F(32°C). Conversely, the city is much cooler in the winter. In December and January, the average high temperature is 64°F(18°C) and the average low is 42°F(6°C). On occasion, the temperatures fall into the 20s and 10s at night, and during some extreme occasions temperatures in the single digits have been recorded. Tallahassee recorded the state's lowest temperature of -2°F (-20°C), on February 13, 1899. Over the last 100 years, the city has also recorded several snowfalls, the heaviest of which was 3 inches on February 13, 1958. Historically, the city usually records at least observed flurries once every four years, but on average, measurable amounts of snow (1" or more) occur only once every 15 years. The natural snow line (regular yearly snow falls) ends 200 miles to the north at Macon, Georgia.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec High °F | 82 | 86 | 90 | 95 | 100 | 103 | 103 | 103 | 99 | 94 | 88 | 84 |
| Norm High °F | 63.8 | 67.4 | 74 | 80 | 86.5 | 90.9 | 92 | 91.5 | 88.5 | 81.2 | 72.9 | 65.8 |
| Norm Low °F | 39.7 | 42.1 | 48.2 | 52.8 | 62.3 | 69.8 | 72.7 | 72.7 | 69.2 | 56.9 | 47.9 | 41.6 |
| Rec Low °F | 6 | 14 | 20 | 29 | 34 | 46 | 57 | 57 | 40 | 30 | 13 | 10 |
| Precip (in) | 5.36 | 4.63 | 6.47 | 3.59 | 4.95 | 6.92 | 8.04 | 7.03 | 5.01 | 3.25 | 3.86 | 4.1 |
| ''Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]'' | ||||||||||||
Demographics
Tallahassee is the 12th fastest growing metropolitan area in Florida. Tallahassee’s 12.4-percent growth rate is higher than both Miami and Tampa and half that of Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Naples-Marco Island.
As of the census of 2000, there were 150,624 people, 63,217 households, and 29,459 families residing in the city. The population density was 607.6/km² (1,573.8/mi²). There were 68,417 housing units at an average density of 276.0/km² (714.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.42% White, 34.24% African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.19% of the population.
There were 63,217 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.1% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.4% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city, the population was spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 29.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,571, and the median income for a family was $49,359. Males had a median income of $32,428 versus $27,838 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,981. About 12.6% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Educationally, Leon County is the highest educated county in Florida with 49.9% of the population with either a Bachelor's, Master's, professional or doctorate degree. The Florida average is 22.4% and the national average is 24.4%.
Languages
As of 2000, 91.99% of all residents spoke English as their first language, while 4.11% spoke Spanish, and 0.63% spoke French as their mother tongue. In total, 8.00% of the total population spoke languages other than English.[4]
City accolades
★ 1988: Money Magazine's Southeast's three top medium size cities in which to live.
★ 1992: Awarded Tree City USA by National Arbor Day Foundation
★ 1999: Awarded All-America City Award by the National Civic League
★ 2003: Awarded Tree Line USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
★ 2006: Awarded "Best In America" Parks and Recreation by the National Recreation and Park Association.
★ 2007: Recognized by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine as one of the "Top Ten College Towns for Grownups" (ranking second, behind Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Politics
City Hall
Tallahassee has traditionally been a politically progressive city. It has voted Democratic throughout its history with a high voter-turnout. As of April 2007 there were 85,343 Democrats and 42,230 Republicans in Leon County. Other affilations accounted for 22,284 voters.[5]
| 'Tallahassee Elected Government' | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Position' | 'Name' | 'Party' | |
| Mayor | John Marks | Democrat | |
| Mayor Pro-Tem | Debbie Lightsey | Democrat | |
| Commissioner | Allan Katz | Democrat | |
| Commissioner | Mark Mustian | Democrat | |
| Commissioner | Andrew Gillum | Democrat | |
| 'Tallahassee Appointed Officials ' | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Position' | 'Name' | 'Party' | |||||
| City Manager | Anita Thompson | unknown | |||||
| City Attorney | James R. English | unknown | |||||
| City Auditor | Sam McCall | unknown | |||||
| City Treasurer | Gary Herndon | unknown | |||||
Consolidation
Voters of Leon County have gone to the polls four times to vote on consolidation of Tallahassee and Leon County governments into one jurisdiction combining police and other city services with already shared (consolidated) Tallahassee Fire Department and Leon County Emergency Medical Services. Tallahassee's city limits would (at current size) increase from 98.2 square miles to 702 square miles. Roughly 36 percent of Leon County's 250,000 residents live outside the Tallahassee city limits.
| 'Leon County Voting On Consolidation' | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Year' | 'FOR' | 'AGAINST' | |||||
| 1968 | 10,381 (41.32%) | 14,740 (58.68%) | |||||
| 1973 | 11,056 (46.23%) | 12,859 (53.77%) | |||||
| 1976 | 20,336 (45.01%) | 24,855 (54.99%) | |||||
| 1992 | 37,062 (39.8%) | 56,070 (60.2%) | |||||
The proponents of consolidation have stated that the new jurisdiction would attract business by its very size. Merging of governments would cut government waste, duplication of services, etc. However, Professor Richard Feiock states that no discernible relationship exists between consolidation and the local economy.[6]
Urban planning and expansion
The first plan for the Capitol Center was the 1947 Taylor Plan, which consolidated several of the government buildings in one downtown area. In 1974, the Capitol Center Planning Commission for the City of Tallahassee, FL responded to the growth of its urban center with a conceptual plan for the expansion of its Capitol Center. Hisham Ashkouri, working for The Architects' Collaborative, led the urban planning and design effort. Estimating growth and related development for approximately the next 25 years, the program projected the need for 213,677 m² (2.3 million feet²) of new government facilities in the city core, with 3,500 dwelling units, 0.4 km² (100 acres) of new public open space, retail and private office space, and other ancillary spaces. Community participation was an integral part of the design review, welcoming Tallahassee residents to provide input as well as citizens’ groups and government agencies, resulting in the creation of six separate Design Alternatives. The best elements of these various designs were combined to develop the final conceptual design, which was then incorporated into the existing Capitol area and adjacent areas.
Land use
Adams Street Mall
Topographical map
Education
High schools
★ Amos P. Godby High School - website
★ Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University High School
★ Florida State University High School
★ James S. Rickards High School
★ John Paul II Catholic High School - website
★ Lawton Chiles High School - website
★ Leon High School
★ Lincoln High School
★ Maclay School - website
★ North Florida Christian High School - website
★ SAIL High School - website
Also see Leon County for more details.
Universities and colleges
★ Barry University School of Adult and Continuing Education - Tallahassee Campus
★ Flagler College - Tallahassee Campus
★ Florida A&M University
★ Florida State University
★ Keiser University - Tallahassee
★ Lewis M. Lively Area Vocational-Technical School - website
★ Tallahassee Community College
Public safety
Law Enforcement Services are provided by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Capitol Police, Florida State University Police Department, Florida A&M University Police Department, the Tallahasse Community College Police Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Fire and Rescue services are provided by the Tallahassee Fire Department and Leon County Emergency Medical Services.
Hospitals in the area include Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare and Capital Regional Medical Center.
Points of interest
★ Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park
★ Challenger Learning Center
★ Florida State Capitol
★ Florida Supreme Court
★ Lake Ella
★ Lake Jackson
★ Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park
★ Lake Munson
★ Lake Talquin
★ Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science (MOAS) website
★ Mission San Luis de Apalachee
★ Myers Park
★ National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
★ Railroad Square Art Park - website
★ Tallahassee Museum
★ Tom Brown Park
★ Young Actors Theatre
Located nearby are:
★ Natural Bridge Battlefield State Historic Site near Woodville
★ Wakulla Springs State Park near Crawfordville
Festivals and events
★ First Friday Festivals at Railroad Square (Every first Friday of each month)
★ Greek Food Festival
★ Red Hills Horse Trials
★ Springtime Tallahassee
★ Southern Shakespeare Festival
★ Tallahassee Wine and Food Festival
★ Winter Festival
Sports
★ The Tallahassee Tigers are an American Basketball Association team that will begin their inaugural season in November 2007.
★ The Tallahassee Titans are an World Indoor Football League team that will play their second season in February 2008.
★ The Florida State University Seminoles compete in the NCAA Division 1, and the Bowl Subdivision in football.
★ The Florida A&M University Rattlers compete in the NCAA Division 1, and the Playoff Subdivision in football.
★ Local public high schools and middle schools compete in athletics, and share Gene Cox Stadium for football.
Transportation
Aviation
★ Tallahassee Regional Airport (KTLH)
★ Tallahassee Commercial Airport (K68J)
Mass transit
StarMetro (formerly TalTran) provides bus service throughout the city.
Railroads
CSX operates two rail lines in the city. Amtrak's Sunset Limited historically served the city, but has been suspended since Hurricane Katrina.
Defunct railroads
★ The Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad, now a state trail.
★ The Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad.
:''See also History of Tallahassee, Florida''
Major highways
★ Interstate 10
★ U.S. Route 27
★ U.S. Route 90
★ U.S. Route 319
★ State Road 20
★ State Road 61
★ State Road 363
★ Apalachee Parkway
★ Blair Stone Road
★ Capital Circle, Tallahassee
Media
Television
Radio
Notable residents (past and present)
★ Wally Amos — founder of the "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie brand; actor
★ Red Barber — sportscaster
★ Gene Cox - Hall of Fame [High School Football Coach][2]
★ Matt Battaglia — actor
★ Robert "Bobby" C. Bowden - college football coach
★ Jim Butterworth — documentary filmmaker
★ Ricky Carmichael — Motocross/Supercross Champion
★ George Clinton — musician
★ Jim Cramer — host of CNBC's Mad Money
★ Kim Crosby — NASCAR driver
★ Paul Dirac — Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose theories predicted antimatter
★ Cathy Jenéen Doe — actress
★ Ernst von Dohnányi — composer and pianist
★ Kyan Douglas –- the "grooming expert" from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"
★ Faye Dunaway — actress
★ Faith Eidse — author
★ Carlisle Floyd — opera composer
★ Michael Gaines - Swift TE for the Carolina Panthers
★ Cheryl Hines — actress
★ Reggie Jefferson - former MLB player
★ Will Kirby — Big Brother 2 (2001) winner
★ Sir Harold Kroto — Nobel Prize-winning chemist who helped discover fullerenes
★ Allison Miller — actress
★ Jerrie Mock — aviator and first woman to fly around the world solo
★ Jim Morrison — musician
★ Catherine Willis Gray Murat — great-grandniece of George Washington
★ Prince Achille Murat — nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte
★ Gabrielle Reece — professional volleyball player, model
★ Burt Reynolds — actor
★ Marcus Roberts-- jazz pianist, composer and music professor at Florida State University
★ Robert Schrieffer — Nobel Laureate, BCS Theory of Superconductivity
★ Richard Simmons - fitness expert
★ Ernest I. Thomas — raiser of the original flag at Iwo Jima[7]
★ Craig Waters — spokesman for the Florida Supreme Court
★ T-Pain — rapper
★ No Address — Music Group
★ Mayday Parade — Music Group
★ Creed — Music Group
★ Mira — Music Group
★ Dead Prez — alt hip hop duo
★ Taylor Jacobs — NFL professional athlete
★ Tahesia Harrigan — Professional sprinter (BVI)
★ Cealey Godwin — Winner of Endurance 5
★ Yngwie Malmsteen — musician
★ Jeff VanderMeer — World Fantasy Award-winning author
Namesakes
★ CSS Tallahassee - 1864 Confederate cruiser
★ USS Tallahassee - 1908 United States Navy monitor originally named USS Florida
★ USS Tallahassee - 1941 United States Navy aircraft carrier renamed USS Princeton
★ USS Tallahassee (CL-116) - 1944 United States Navy light cruiser
★ Tallahassee Community School, Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia - website
Tallahassee in popular culture
Tallahassee has been mentioned in song, motion pictures, and TV.
★ 1947 - Bing Crosby recorded the song, ''Tallahassee'', with the Andrews Sisters, including the lyric: "When you see land all green and grassy ... sit down and rest your chassis, you're in Tallahassee."
★ 1959 - Freddy Cannon released a single entitled, ''Tallahassee Lassie.'' Dick Clark subsequently used it on American Bandstand for a dance contest.[8]
★ 1976 - The Aerosmith album ''Rocks'' in the song ''Last Child'' with the lyric, "Take me back to a south Tallahassee." [9]
★ 1982 - The soundtrack for the film "Spring Break" has a song called "Hooray For The City"[10] by Jack Mack & The Heart Attack[11] which lists Tallahassee among several cities mentioned in the lyrics.
★ The 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes, the fictional town of Whistle Stop, Alabama has the Tallahassee & Albany Railroad running through it. This railroad never existed.
★ 1993 - In the film True Romance written by Quentin Tarantino, Tallahassee is mentioned as the home of Alabama Whitman played by Patricia Arquette.
★ 1999 - In the film The Green Mile, the Cajun prisoner, Eduard Delacroix, played by Michael Jeter, who is about to be executed is told that Mr. Jingles, his pet mouse, will live in Mouseville.
★
★ Dialogue: Brutus "Brutal" Howell played by David Morse says, "How about Mouseville?" Eduard Delacroix played by Michael Jeter says, "Mouseville?" Brutal replies, "Tourist attraction down in Florida. Tallahassee, I think. Is that right, Paul? Tallahassee?" Paul Edgecomb played by Tom Hanks says, "Yeah, that's right. Tallahassee. Just down the road apiece from the dog university." ''(transcribed from DVD)''
★ 2002 - The Mountain Goats album, ''Tallahassee,'' is composed entirely of songs from the perspective of a couple living in Tallahassee.
★ 2004-present - ''Lost'', the television series.
★
★ What Kate Did. Series episode #33. (Production Code: 209). Season 2, Episode 9. Aired November 30, 2006. Kate Austen played by Evangeline Lilly is buying a bus ticket and says, "Tallahassee one-way, please." Marshal Edward Mars played by Fredric Lehne says, "Tallahassee? I spent a week in Tallahassee one night. It's all strip malls and Waffle Houses. What's a pretty girl like you going to do down in Tallahassee?"[12]
★
★ Lockdown. Series episode #41 (Production Code: 217). Season 2, Episode 17. Aired Wednesday March 29, 2006. Dr. Jack Shepherd played by Matthew Fox and James "Sawyer" Ford played by Josh Holloway are playing poker. Sawyer says, "Okay, I'll call you with the aspirin and raise you with a bottle of Amoxicilin." Jack says, "Do you even know what Amoxicilin is?" Sawyer replies, "You may have been to Phuket, Doc, but I've been to Tallahassee. Let's just say something was burning and it wasn't from the sunshine." [13]
★
★ The Man from Tallahassee. Series episode #61 (Production Code: 313). Season 3, Episode 13. Aired March 21, 2007. The man from Tallahassee is Anthony Cooper played by Kevin Tighe, father of John Locke played by Terry O'Quinn. In the episode, Ben played by Michael Emerson says to another man from his hospital bed, "Bring me the man from Tallahassee." Later John Locke says, "The man from Tallahassee - what is that? Some kind of code?"
★
★ In an ABC podcast, two of the executive producers, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, said about Tallahassee: "It just happens to be a nexus point where many of our characters have crossed paths." "Like a hellmouth?" Cuse asked. "Yeah, like a hellmouth," Lindelof replied. ''(Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat, March 23, 2007)''.
★
★ The Brig. Series episode #67 (Production Code: 319). Season 3, Episode 19. Aired Wednesday May 2, 2007. Inside the land bound hull of a mid 1800s British slave ship, ''The Black Rock'', James "Sawyer" Ford played by Josh Holloway confronts Anthony Cooper played by Kevin Tighe. Sawyer says, "How did you get here...to the island?" Cooper replies, "To the island, huh, huh, (chuckles). OK, I'm driving down I-10 through Tallahassee when 'bam' somebody slams into the back of my car. I go right into the divider at 70 miles an hour the next thing I know the paramedics are strapping me to a gurney stuffing me in to the back of an ambulance and one of them actually smiles at me as he pops the IV into my arm. And then nothing. Just black. And the next thing I know I wake up in a dark room tied up gag in my mouth and when the door opens I'm looking up at the same man I threw out a window, John Locke, my dead son." ''(transcribed from DVD)''
★ T-Pain Popular R&B artist T-Pain stands for "Tallahassee Pain," a reference to his growing up in the state's capital.
★
★ 2007 - The song, ''Tallahassee Love'' on the Epiphany CD by T-Pain.[14]
The Bob Dylan/Johnny Cash song "Wanted Man indicates that the narrator is wanted in Tallahassee, among other cities.
Sister cities
Tallahassee has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
★ Krasnodar, Russia
★ Konongo-Odumase, Ghana
★ St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
★ Sligo, Ireland
★ Ramat HaSharon, Israel
References
1. Census data
2. BIG BEND: Rounding out the Economy
3. MOSQUITO COUNTY 1842
4. &ea=&order=r Modern Language Association Data Center Results of Tallahassee, FL
5. Leon Supervisor of Elections Office
6. City County Consolidation Efforts: Selective Incentives and Institutional Choice
7. The Pacific Campaign, , Dan, van der Vat, Simon & Schuster, 1991, ISBN 0-671-73899-2
8. FREDDY CANNON - A "BOOM BOOM" CAREER
9. Aerosmith - Last Child lyrics
10. RealPlayer
11. Jack Mack & The Heart Attack official site
12. Lost Forums EPISODE 9 - What Kate Did
13. Lost TV Forum - Lockdown
14. Lyrics 007
★ Tebeau, Charlton, W. ''A History of Florida.'' University of Miami Press. Coral Gables. 1971
★ Williams, John Lee. ''Journal of an Expedition to the Interior of West Florida October - November 1823.'' Manuscript on file at the State Library of Florida, Florida Collection. Tallahassee.
External links
★ Talgov.com (official city website)
★ The Local Conservation District - Information on Natural Resources, and Panoramic Tours
★ Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
★ The Tallahassee Democrat Newspaper
★ Mission San Luis
★ Things to do in Tallahassee
★ Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation - Places to Discover
★ National Civic League
★ Tallahassee Nightlife Calender
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