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Tallahassee, Florida

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For The Mountain Goats' album, see Tallahassee (album).

Tallahassee (pronounced [ˡtæləˌhæsiː]) is the capital of the State of Florida and the county seat of Leon County. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 156,512,[1] while Tallahassee metro is estimated at 255,500.

Tallahassee, Florida
File:Tallahassee Capitol Complex pr11224.jpg
Flag of Tallahassee, Florida
Flag
Official seal of Tallahassee, Florida
Seal
Location in Leon County and the state of Florida.
Location in Leon County and the state of Florida.
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountiesLeon
Government
 • MayorJohn Marks
Population
 (2004)
 • City
156,612
 • Metro
255,500
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Websitehttp://talgov.com/

Tallahassee is the home of Florida State University, Florida A & M University, and 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.

History

Main article: History of Tallahassee, Florida

The name "Tallahassee" is a Muskogean Indian word often translated as "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.

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.

 
Florida Capital Building

Prior to the arrival of Spanish missionaries, the first European to visit Tallahassee was the Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto, who spent the winter of 1538-1539 encamped at the Apalachee village of Anhaica. Based on archaeological excavations, this site is now known to have been located about one-half mile east of the present Florida capitol building,

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 in time for statehood and eventually become known as the "old Capitol" which stand in front of the current new capitol high rise today. [1]

During the American Civil War, Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi not captured by Union forces.

Following the Civil War, much of Florida's industry shifted 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 industry shifted to citrus, naval stores, cattle ranching, and even tourism, all of which occurred to the south and east due to climate and geography.

Throughout much of the 20th century, Tallahassee remained a government and college town, 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 move 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 and Florida State University.

Geography and climate

File:Tallahassee City Hall n038810.jpg
Tallahassee City Hall

Tallahassee is located at 30°27′6″N 84°16′22″W / 30.45167°N 84.27278°W / 30.45167; -84.27278Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (30.451800, -84.272770)Template:GR. 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 190 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 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 and oaks are the dominant trees. Summers in Tallahassee are typically hotter than in the rest of peninsular Florida, and it is one of the few cities in the state to occasionally record temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38°C). 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 teens 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. Springtime is the most pronounced season, with citywide blooms of azalea and dogwood occurring in late February and early March. Autumn is not as pronounced as it is farther north, but fall foliage can be seen from mid-November to mid-December. Tallahassee has the widest range of temperatures from summer to winter in all of Florida, and experiences seasonal weather.[citation needed]

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 censusTemplate:GR 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%.

City accolades

Politics

 
City Hall

Tallahassee has traditionally been a politically progressive city. It has voted Democratic throughout its history.

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

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.

Available land to the North was used for new Government and private development, with vacant and underused sites along Adams, Monroe and Tennessee Street used for new construction. Overhead “Air-Rights” passages connect Government buildings across streets and public easements, increasing their communication and efficiency. The Central Business District area contains public and private offices intermixed with medium density housing areas, with community facilities, galleries, specialty shops, and restaurants to encourage use of the area on a 24-hour basis.

Located behind the Capitol Building, a seven-block section of Adams Street was closed to through traffic to become a wide pedestrian mall, with a Government plaza containing the City Hall, County Courthouse, and House of Representatives on its Southern end, and the Governor’s Mansion and The Grove to the North. Buildings with early 20th Century facades were preserved as retail spaces, creating a downtown shopping mall area with sidewalk bazaars, outdoor cafes, exhibition areas and an outdoor bandstand. Green spaces were enhanced and extended, connecting the government center with the two local universities.

 
Land use
File:AdamsStMall.jpg
Adams Street Mall
 
Topographical map

Education

High schools

Also see Leon County for more details.

Universities and colleges

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 Hospital and Capital Regional Medical Center.

Points of interest

Festivals and events

Sports

  • Local public high schools and middle schools compete in athletics, and share Gene Cox Stadium for football.

Transportation

Aviation

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

See also History of Tallahassee, Florida

Major highways

Media

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Television

Radio

Notable residents (past and present)

Namesakes

Sister cities

Tallahassee has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

References

  1. ^ Census data
  2. ^ van der Vat, Dan (1991). The Pacific Campaign. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-73899-2. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • 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.

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