Tallahassee, Florida

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,<ref>Census data</ref> while Tallahassee metro is estimated at 255,500.

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.

[edit] 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 into this region during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Creeks were not the only people to take note of the Apalachee's success as agriculturalists. 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.

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.

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 in government and research services associated with the state and Florida State University.

[edit] Geography and climate

Tallahassee is located at 30°27′6″N, 84°16′22″W (30.451800, -84.272770)^GR1. 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 variety such as the state tree, the Palmetto Tree or Sabal Palm. 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]}

[edit] 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^GR2 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%.

Image:Tallahassee, Florida.jpg

[edit] City accolades

Tallahassee has been awarded the distinction as Tree City USA and as a Tree Line USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Tallahassee was also given the prestigious All-America City Award in 1999 by the National Civic League and in 1998 was one of Money Magazine's Southeast's three top medium size cities in which to live.

[edit] Politics

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	Mark Mustian	Democrat
Commissioner	Allan Katz	Democrat
Commissioner	Debbie Lightsey	Democrat
Commissioner	Andrew Gillum	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

[edit] 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.

Image:TallaLandUse.jpg	Image:AdamsStMall.jpg	Image:TopoTallahassee.jpg

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[edit] Media

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[edit] Television

Broadcast television in the Tallahassee market (Nielsen DMA #108)

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W03AO 3 / WACX-LP 9 (Ind/Rel) - WCTV 6 (CBS) (MNTV on DT2) - WXGA 8 (PBS/GPB) - WALB 10 (NBC) - WFSU 11 (PBS) - WABW 14 (PBS/GPB) - W21BK 21 (Ind) - WTLF 24 / WFXU 57 (The CW) - W25CP 25 / W38CM 38 (TBN) - WTXL 27 (ABC) - WTWC 40 (NBC) - WBXT-CA 43 (MTV2) - WSWG 44 (CBS) (MNTV on DT2) - WVUP-CA 45 (CTN) - WTLH 49 / WBVJ-LP 35 (Fox) (The CW on DT2) - WTBC-LP 65 (FN)

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[edit] Radio

Radio stations in the Tallahassee market (Arbitron #164)

By frequency: (FM) 88.1 | 88.9 | 89.7 | 90.5 | 91.5 | 91.9 | 93.3 | 94.9 | 96.1 | 97.3 | 97.9 | 98.9 | 99.9 | 100.7 | 101.5 | 102.3 | 103.1 | 104.1 | 104.9 | 105.7 | 106.1 | 107.1 | 107.9

(AM) 730 | 1070 | 1270 | 1330 | 1410 | 1450

Florida Radio Markets Daytona Beach · Fort Myers · Ft. Walton Beach · Gainesville/Ocala · Jacksonville (AM) (FM) · Key West · Miami (AM) (FM) · Orlando (AM) (FM) · Panama City · Pensacola · Sebring · Tallahassee · Sarasota · Tampa/St. Petersburg (AM) (FM) · Vero Beach · West Palm Beach Shortwave: WYFR at SW 5.950

See also: List of radio stations in Florida and List of United States radio markets

[edit] Education

[edit] High schools

Also see Leon County for more details.

[edit] Universities and colleges

[edit] Public safety

Law Enforcement Services are provided by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Division of 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

[edit] Points of interest

[edit] Festivals and events

[edit] Sports

The Tallahassee Tigers are an American Basketball Association team that will begin their innagural season in November 2007.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Aviation

Tallahassee Regional Airport (KTLH)
Tallahassee Commercial Airport (K68J)

[edit] Mass transit

StarMetro (formerly TalTran) provides bus service throughout the city.

[edit] Railroads

CSX operates two rail lines in the city. Amtrak's Sunset Limited has been suspended.

[edit] Defunct railroads

The Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad, now a state trail.
The Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Notable residents (past and present)

Wally Amos — founder of the "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie brand; actor
Red Barber — sportscaster
Matt Battaglia — actor
Robert "Bobby" C. Bowden - college football coach
Ricky Carmichael — Motocross/Supercross Champion
George Clinton — musician
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
Cheryl Hines — actress
Will Kirby — Big Brother 2 (2001) winner
Sir Harold Kroto — Nobel Prize-winning chemist who helped discover fullerenes
Allison Miller — actress
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
Robert Schrieffer — Nobel Laureate, BCS Theory of Superconductivity
Craig Waters — spokesman for the Florida Supreme Court
T-Pain — rapper
Shea Wigham — actor
Don Yaeger - author
Twisted Method - Music Group
No Address - Music Group
Creed - Music Group
The Cruxshadows - Music Group
Mira - Music Group

[edit] 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,Nova Scotia [2]

[edit] Sister cities

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

[edit] 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.

[edit] External links

Talgov.com (official city website)
Leon County Tourist Development Council
The Tallahassee Democrat Newspaper
Mission San Luis
Things to do in Tallahassee
Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation - Places to Discover
National Civic League
Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 30.4518° -84.27277°
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

Cities and communities of Leon County, Florida

County seat	Tallahassee	Image:Leon County Florida.png
Incorporated places	Tallahassee
Unincorporated places	Bradfordville \| Centerville \| Chaires \| Felkel \| Iamonia \| Meridian \| Miccosukee \| Ochlockonee \| Wadesboro \| Woodville
Adjacent Counties	Grady (GA) \| Thomas (GA) \| Jefferson \| Wakulla \| Gadsden \| Liberty

Image:Flag of Florida.svg	State of Florida
Topics	Government \| History \| Floridians \| Transportation \| State Parks
Capital	Tallahassee
Larger 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 </font>
Smaller cities	Altamonte Springs \| Apopka \| Aventura \| Bartow \| Boca Raton \| Bonita Springs \| Boynton Beach \| Bradenton \| Brandon \| Coconut Creek \| Cooper City \| Coral Gables \| Davie \| Daytona Beach \| Deerfield Beach \| Deland \| Delray Beach \| Deltona \| Dunedin \| Fort Myers \| Fort Pierce \| Greenacres \| Hallandale Beach \| Homestead \| Jupiter \| Kissimmee \| Lake Mary \| Lake Worth \| 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 </font>
Regions	Big Bend \| Central Florida \| Emerald Coast \| First Coast \| Florida Keys \| Florida Panhandle \| Gold Coast \| Nature Coast \| North Central Florida \| South Florida \| Southwest Florida \| Space Coast \| Sun Coast \| Tampa Bay Area \| Treasure Coast \| Walt Disney World</font>
Counties	Alachua \| Baker \| Bay \| Bradford \| Brevard \| Broward \| Calhoun \| Charlotte \| Citrus \| Clay \| Collier \| Columbia \| 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</font>

United States state capitals

cs:Tallahassee

da:Tallahassee de:Tallahassee es:Tallahassee (Florida) eo:Tallahassee (Florido) eu:Tallahassee fr:Tallahassee ga:Tallahassee io:Tallahassee, Florida id:Tallahassee, Florida it:Tallahassee he:טאלאהאסי la:Tallahassia nl:Tallahassee ja:タラハシー no:Tallahassee nn:Tallahassee oc:Tallahassee pl:Tallahassee (Floryda) pt:Tallahassee ru:Таллахасси simple:Tallahassee, Florida fi:Tallahassee sv:Tallahassee

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