Frenchtown is a historic

African-American neighborhood African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American ...

in Florida, located in the state's capital of

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

. Recognized as the oldest surviving community of its kind in the state, it was established in the aftermath of the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

of 1863, as freed slaves founded settlements during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

Origin

Frenchtown originated from 19th century

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

s who moved to the area from France. Their relocation was prompted by the July 4, 1825, Lafayette Land Grant which gave

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

a township in the U.S. of his choice. Many of his acquaintances came over and began to carry on with their lives.

History

The Frenchtown area was initially home to French settlers who did not move west to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

or back to France. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, newly freed African-Americans moved to the Frenchtown area; it occupied low-lying, relatively undesirable land, and therefore was available. Beginning in the early 20th century, the area became a hub of activity with growing businesses. From 1940—1945,

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

lived in this community.

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It ...

and brother

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...

were known to have played here in their younger days.

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

and

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Tired of ...

would frequently play in Frenchtown on their way to

. The Red Bird Club and Cafe DeLuxe in Frenchtown provided a wealth of musical talent, with "Lawyer Smith and his Band" has been there for 30 years. During the civil rights movement, organizations such as the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

and the

Urban League The National Urban League (NUL), formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for Afri ...

emerged in the Frenchtown area, organizing protests and advocacy efforts at the state's capital. Following the end of segregation, local schools, healthcare facilities, and public services were either relocated or suffered major cuts to funding, which proved detrimental to Frenchtown's economic growth. The area also saw an increase in drug-related activity and crime during the 1980s, contributing to the community's growing socioeconomic challenges. According to Patrick Mason, an economics professor at

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

, the neighborhood experienced economic stagnation and a decline in local commerce between 1974 and 1995. “Local businesses found it hard to compete with national chains in the grocery and the fast-food industries,” Mason noted in an interview.

Revitalization efforts

In April 2005, the city's revitalization efforts began with the completion of the Frenchtown Renaissance Center. In 2008, the ''B Sharps Jazz Club'' opened in the newly-restored Woman's Working Band House of 1921; international jazz talent often performs there. The house is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. In April 2016, "Frenchtown Better Block", a community engagement project funded by the

Knight Foundation The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts. The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...

was announced. The initiative was led by the City of

in collaboration with graduate students from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. Frenchtown has experienced increased development activity in recent years. Its proximity to Florida State University, with some areas located less than a quarter-mile away, has contributed to the growing demand for housing and commercial space. This has raised concerns among residents and community advocates about potential

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

and displacement.

Demographics

data from the City of Tallahassee, Frenchtown has a population of approximately 5,716 residents and contains over 2,000 households. The neighborhood's median annual income is around $24,000, with an estimated 24.8% of residents living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

compared to an overall poverty rate of 12% in Tallahassee. Demographically, more than two-thirds of Frenchtown's population identifies as African American, in contrast to the citywide proportion of less than 35%.

Location

Frenchtown is located northwest of downtown Tallahassee. The City of Tallahassee Planning Department defined the neighborhood's boundaries as Seventh Avenue and Alabama Street to the north, Bronough Street to the east, Tennessee Street to the south and Woodward Avenue to the west. However, until the 1970s it extended south of Tennessee Street to Park Avenue, including land currently occupied by the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library. Frenchtown is located in the poorest zip code in the state, according to a 2018 study by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Education

Tallahassee FL old Lincoln High School marker01

Residents are served by Leon County Schools. Most residents are zoned to either Riley Elementary School or Bond Elementary School, while some are zoned to Ruediger Elementary School. Residents are divided between Griffin Middle School and Raa Middle School, and between

Leon High School Leon High School is a public high school in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is the oldest public high school in the state, and is a part of the Leon County Schools System. History Leon High School is one of the oldest high schools in ...

and Godby High School. At the north end of Macomb Street is the

Old Lincoln High School Lincoln High School, also known as Lincoln Academy, was a high school for African Americans in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is commonly referred to as "Historic Lincoln High School" or "Old Lincoln". There is no connection with Leon ...

, today a neighborhood service center. It closed as a school in 1969, when blacks were admitted to the previously all-white

Sources

{{coord, 30.450, -84.292, display=title History of Tallahassee, Florida Historic districts in Florida Neighborhoods in Tallahassee, Florida African-American history of Florida Populated places in Florida established by African Americans