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Tallahassee, Florida

Encyclopedia : T : TA : TAL : Tallahassee, Florida

 

For The Mountain Goats' album, see Tallahassee.
Tallahassee is the capital of Florida, a state of the United States of America. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 156,512[Census data], while Tallahassee metro is estimated at 255,500. It is the county seat of Leon County.

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.

The city is served by Tallahassee Regional Airport.

Contents

History

The name "Tallahassee" is a Muskogean Indian word often translated as "old fields," or "old town." This may stem from the Creek (later called Seminole) Indians that migrated into this region in the 18th century. The area had previously been occupied by the powerful Apalachee Indians, who cultivated large fields of crops in the region's red clay hills. The Apalachee's success as agriculturalists did not go unnoticed by the Spanish, who sent missionaries to the area throughout the 17th century. Several mission sites were established with the aim of procuring food and labor for the colony at St. Augustine. One of the most important mission sites, Mission San Luis de Apalachee, has been partially reconstructed as a state historic site in Tallahassee.

The Spanish missionaries were not the first Europeans to visit Tallahassee, however. The Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto spent the winter of 1538 - 1539 encamped at the Apalachee village of Anhaica, which he had taken by force. De Soto's brutal treatment of the natives was fiercely resisted, and by the following spring De Soto was eager to move on. The site of Anhaica, near present day Myers Park, was located by Florida archaeologist, B. Calvin Jones, in 1987.

The founding of Tallahassee was largely a matter of convenience. In 1821, Florida was ceded by Spain to the United States. A territorial government was established, but the impracticalities of alternately meeting in St. Augustine and Pensacola — the two largest cities in the territory at the time — led territorial governor William Pope Duval to appoint two commissioners to establish a more central meeting place.

In October of 1823, John Lee Williams of Pensacola and Dr. William Simmons of St. Augustine selected the former Indian settlement of Tallahassee (roughly midway between the two cities) as a suitable place. Their decision was also based on its location near a beautiful waterfall — now referred to as the Capital Cascades — and the old capital of the Apalachee chiefdom. In March of the following year it was formally proclaimed the capital. Florida did not become a state, however, until 1845 (Tebeau:122).

On the 1st of November, 1823, John Lee Williams (1823:22-23) wrote to Congressional Delegate (and later Florida Governor), Richard Keith Call, about the location of the capital:

"Doct. Simmons has agreed that the Site should be fixed near the old fields abandoned by the Indians after Jackson's invasion, but has not yet determined whether between the ... old fields, or on a fine high lawn about a mile W. In both spots the water is plenty and good."

The rough hewn frontier capital gradually grew into a town during Florida's territorial period (1821 - 1845) In 1827, Ralph Waldo Emerson, after a visit, called Tallahassee "A grotesque place of land speculators and desperados." In anticipation of becoming a state, the territorial government erected a greek revival masonry structure that would befit a state capitol. The structure opened in 1845 in time for statehood and eventually become known as the "old Capitol" which stand in front of the current new capitol high rise today. [link]

During the antebellum period, Tallahassee was at the center of the fast growing "middle counties" of Florida, which held the bulk of the antebellum state population. For several decades before the Civil War, nearby Gadsden County was the most populous in the state. Cotton and Tobacco plantations and smaller farms were the main draw for population growth as well as economic and political power.

Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi not captured by Union forces during the American Civil War. The Battle of Natural Bridge was fought outside Tallahassee, mostly by students of what would later become Florida State University, which is the only non-military academy or service academy school to have such a claim.

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. This growth was especially noticeable around the Jacksonville area and the St. John's River. By 1901, the infrastructure development continued to trend growth to the south, first by the Plant Railroad to the fledgling port of Tampa and then the Flager railroad to the remote outpost of Miami. However, Tallahasse was firmly entrenched as capital and in that year the 1845 capitol building was expanded with two new wings, and a small dome.

Throughout much of the 20th Century Tallahassee remained a sleepy 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 1960's, 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.

Tallahassee has seen an uptick in growth in recent years, mainly in growth in government and research services associated with the state and Florida State University. However, a growing number of retirees are finding Tallahassee an attractive alternative to South Florida's high housing prices and urban sprawl.

Geography and Climate

Tallahassee is located at [30°27′6″N, 84°16′22″W] (30.451800, -84.272770)[Geographic references#1GR1]. 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 not the southernmost capital in the continental United States. It is at the same latitude as Baton Rouge, LA and further north than Austin, TX. Tallahassee is noted for its hilly terrain, the state capital being located on one of the highest hills in the city. The terrain varies from near sea level to 190 feet in places. The flora and fauna is more typical with 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 variety such as the state tree, the Palmetto Tree or Sabal Palm. Summers are typically hotter than the rest of peninsular Florida, and is one of the few cities in the state to regularly records temperatures above 100 degrees Farenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Conversely, the city is much colder in the winter. Most winters, temperatures fall into the teens and 20s at night, and during some extreme occasions single digits are recorded. In fact, Tallahassee recorded the state's lowest ever temperature of -2 F (-19 C) in February 13, 1899. The city has also recorded several significant snowfalls, the heaviest of which was almost 3 inches of snow in February 13, 1958. Historically, the city usually records at least a trace of snow every three or four years. Springtime is the most pronounced season, with citywide blooms of azalea and dogwood occurring in late February and early March.

Demographics

As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] 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%

Politics

Tallahassee has traditionally been a politically progressive city. It has voted Democratic in at least the last 9 Presidential elections.
Tallahassee Elected Government
Position Name Party
Mayor John Marks Democrat
Mayor Pro-Tem Mark Mustian Democrat
Commissioner Allan Katz Democrat
Commissioner Debbie Lightsey Democrat
Commissioner Andrew Gilliam Democrat
Tallahassee Appointed Officials
Position Name Party
City Manager Anita Favors unknown
City Attorney James R. English unknown
City Auditor Sam McCall unknown
City Treasurer Gary Herndon unknown

Education

High schools

Newsweek Magazine's Top 1000 Schools for 2006 lists 4 of Leon County's 5 public high schools in the top 300. Also see Leon County for more details.

Universities and colleges

Points of interest

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 stops in Tallahassee.

The Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad, now a state trail, was the first railroad in Florida.

Major highways

Notable residents past and present

Festivals

Sister Cities

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

Footnotes

References

  • 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


Cities and communities of Leon County, Florida

County seat Tallahassee

Incorporated places Tallahassee
Unincorporated places Bradfordville | Centerville | Felkel | Iamonia | Meridian | Miccosukee | Ochlockonee | Wadesboro | Woodville
'''Adjacent Counties Grady (GA) | Thomas (GA) | Jefferson | Wakulla | Gadsden | Liberty

State of Florida
(Government | History | Floridians)

Capital: Tallahassee
Largest cities: Cape Coral | Clearwater | Coral Springs | Fort Lauderdale | Gainesville | Hialeah | Hollywood | Jacksonville | Lakeland | Miami | Miami Gardens | Miramar | North Miami | Orlando | Pembroke Pines | Plantation | Pompano Beach | Port St. Lucie | St. Petersburg | Sunrise | Tallahassee | Tampa | West Palm Beach
Other notable communities: Altamonte Springs | Apopka | Aventura | Boca Raton  | Bonita Springs | Boynton Beach | Bradenton | Brandon | Coconut Creek | Cooper City | Coral Gables | Davie | Daytona Beach | Deerfield Beach | Delray Beach | Deltona | Dunedin | Fort Myers | Fort Pierce | Greenacres | Hallandale Beach | Homestead | Jupiter | Kissimmee | Lake Mary | Lake Worth | Lakeland | Largo | Lauderdale Lakes | Lauderhill | Margate | Melbourne | Miami Beach | North Lauderdale | North Miami Beach | North Miami | Oakland Park | Ocala | Ocoee | Ormond Beach | Oviedo | Palm Bay | Palm Beach Gardens | Palm Harbor | Panama City | Pensacola | Pinellas Park | Plant City | Plantation | Port Charlotte | Port Orange | Riviera Beach | Royal Palm Beach | St. Augustine | Sanford | Sarasota | Spring Hill | Sunrise | Tamarac | Temple Terrace | Titusville | Vero Beach | Wellington | Weston | Winter Haven | Winter Park | Winter Springs
Regions: Central Florida | Emerald Coast | First Coast | Florida Panhandle | Florida Keys | Gold Coast | Nature Coast | North Central Florida  | South Florida | Southwest Florida | Space Coast | Sun Coast | Tampa Bay Area | Treasure Coast | Walt Disney World
Counties: Alachua | Baker | Bay | Bradford | Brevard | Broward | Calhoun | Charlotte | Citrus | Clay | Collier | Columbia |Dade |DeSoto | Dixie | Duval | Escambia | Flagler | Franklin | Gadsden | Gilchrist | Glades | Gulf | Hamilton | Hardee | Hendry | Hernando | Highlands | Hillsborough | Holmes | Indian River | Jackson | Jefferson | Lafayette | Lake | Lee | Leon | Levy | Liberty | Madison | Manatee | Marion | Martin | Miami-Dade | Monroe | Nassau | Okaloosa | Okeechobee | Orange | Osceola | Palm Beach | Pasco | Pinellas | Polk | Putnam | Santa Rosa | Sarasota | Seminole | St. Johns | St. Lucie | Sumter | Suwannee | Taylor | Union | Volusia | Wakulla | Walton | Washington

 

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