Tallahassee ( ) is the

capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...

of the U.S. state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the

Florida Territory The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the state of Florida. Originally the major portion of the Spanish ...

, in 1824. In 2024, the estimated population was 205,089, making it the eighth-most populous city in the state of Florida. It is the principal city of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 397,675 . Tallahassee is the largest city in the

Florida Big Bend The Big Bend of Florida, United States, is an informally named geographic region of North Florida where the Florida Panhandle transitions to the Florida Peninsula south and east of Tallahassee (the area's principal city). The region is known f ...

and

Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

regions. With a student population exceeding 70,000, Tallahassee is a

college town A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

, home to

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 ...

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. ...

, and Tallahassee State College (a large state college that serves mainly as a feeder school to FSU and FAMU). As the capital, Tallahassee is the site of the

Florida State Capitol The Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, is an architecturally and historically significant building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Capitol is at the intersection (road), intersection of Apalachee Parkway and F ...

Supreme Court of Florida The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

, Florida Governor's Mansion, and nearly 30 state agency headquarters. The city is also known for its large number of law firms, lobbying organizations, trade associations and professional associations, including The Florida Bar and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. It is a recognized regional center for scientific research, and home to the

National High Magnetic Field Laboratory The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) is a facility at Florida State University, the University of Florida, and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, that performs magnetic field research in physics, biology, bioengineeri ...

. In 2015, Tallahassee was awarded the

All-America City Award The All-America City Award is a community recognition program in the United States given by the National Civic League. The award recognizes the work of communities in using inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stron ...

by the

National Civic League The National Civic League is an American nonpartisan, non-profit organization founded in 1894 as the "National Municipal League”; it adopted its new name in 1986. Its mission is to advance civic engagement to create equitable, thriving communit ...

for the second time.

History

Indigenous peoples occupied this area for thousands of years before European encounter. Around 1200, the large and complex

Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a collection of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building la ...

had built earthwork mounds near Lake Jackson which survive today; they are preserved in the Lake Jackson Archaeological State Park. The

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

established its first colonial settlement at St. Augustine. During the 17th century, the Spanish established several missions in Apalachee territory to procure food and labor to support their settlement, and to convert the natives to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The largest,

Mission San Luis de Apalachee Mission San Luis de Apalachee (also known as San Luis de Talimali) was a Spanish Franciscan mission built in 1656 in the Florida Panhandle, two miles west of the present-day Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee, Florida. It was located in th ...

in Tallahassee, has been partially reconstructed by the state of Florida. The expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez encountered the Apalachee people but did not reach the site of Tallahassee.

Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...

and his mid-16th-century expedition occupied the Apalachee town of Anhaica (at what is now Tallahassee) in the winter of 1538–39. Based on archaeological excavations, this Anhaica site is known to have been about east of the present

. The De Soto encampment is believed to be the first place that Christmas was celebrated in the continental United States. The name ''Tallahassee'' is a

Muskogean Muskogean ( ; also Muskhogean) is a language family spoken in the Southeastern United States. Members of the family are Indigenous Languages of the Americas. Typologically, Muskogean languages are highly synthetic and agglutinative. One docume ...

language word often translated as "old fields" or "old town". It was likely an expression of the Creek people who migrated from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

to this region in the late 18th and early 19th centuries under pressure from

European-American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

encroachment on their territory. They found large areas of cleared land previously occupied by the

Apalachee The Apalachee were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, specifically an Indigenous people of Florida, who lived in the Florida Panhandle until the early 18th century. They lived between the Aucilla River and Ochlockonee River,Bobby ...

tribe. (The Creek and later refugees who joined them developed as the

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

Indians of Florida. The

Talimali Band of Apalachee Indians The Talimali Band of Apalachee Indians is one of several cultural heritage organizations of individuals who identify as descendants of the Apalachee people. The historical Apalachee were a Muskogean language–speaking tribe who lived at the Flor ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

identify as present-day descendants of the Apalachee Indians.) During the

First Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

, General Andrew Jackson fought two

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to Screening (tactical), screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They may be deployed in a sk ...

es in and around Tallahassee, which was then Spanish territory. The first battle took place on November 12, 1817. After Chief Neamathla, of the village of Fowltown just west of present-day Tallahassee, refused Jackson's orders to relocate, Jackson entered the village, burnt it to the ground, and drove off its occupants. The Indians retaliated, killing 50 soldiers and civilians. Jackson reentered Florida in March 1818. According to Jackson's adjutant, Colonel Robert Butler, they "advanced on the Indian village called Tallahasse (sic)

here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

two of the enemy were made prisoner."

State capital

Florida became an American territory in September 1821, in accordance with the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. The first session of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida met on July 22, 1822, at Pensacola, the former capital of

West Florida West Florida () was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. Great Britain established West and East Florida in 1763 out of land acquired from France and S ...

. Members from St. Augustine, the former capital of

East Florida East Florida () was a colony of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris (1763), Tre ...

, traveled 59 days by water to attend. The second session was in St. Augustine, and western delegates needed 28 days to travel perilously around the peninsula to reach St. Augustine. During this session, delegates decided to hold future meetings at a halfway point. Two appointed commissioners selected Tallahassee, then an Apalachee settlement ( Anhaica) virtually abandoned after Andrew Jackson burned it in 1818, as a halfway point. In 1824, the third legislative session met there in a crude log building serving as the capitol. From 1821 through 1845, during Florida's territorial period, the rough-hewn frontier capital gradually developed as a town. The

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 ...

, French hero of the American Revolution, returned to the United States in 1824 for a tour. The

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

voted to give him $200,000 (the same amount he had given the colonies in 1778), US citizenship, and the Lafayette Land Grant, of land that today includes large portions of Tallahassee. In 1845, a

Greek revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

masonry structure was erected as the Capitol building in time for statehood. Now known as the "old Capitol", it stands in front of the high-rise Capitol building built in the 1970s. Tallahassee was in the heart of Florida's Cotton Belt—Leon County led the state in cotton production—and was the center of the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

in Florida. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

not captured by Union forces, and the only one not burned. A small engagement, the Battle of Natural Bridge, was fought south of the city on March 6, 1865, just a month before the war ended. First reenactment of the Battle of Natural Bridge of 1865 in 1975

First reenactment of the Battle of Natural Bridge of 1865 in 1975

During the 19th century, the institutions that later developed into

were established in Tallahassee; it became a university town. These included the Tallahassee Female Academy (founded 1843) and the Florida Institute (founded 1854). In 1851, the Florida legislature decreed two seminaries be built on either side of the

Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River or Swanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the Southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrog ...

, East Florida Seminary and West Florida Seminary. In 1855, West Florida Seminary was transferred to the Florida Institute building (which had been established as an inducement for the state to place the seminary in Tallahassee). In 1858, the seminary absorbed the Tallahassee Female Academy and became coeducational. Its main building was near the northwest corner of South Copeland and West Jefferson streets, approximately where FSU's Westcott Building is today. HistoricTallahassee

In 1887, the Normal College for Colored Students, the ancestor of today's FAMU, opened its doors. The legislature decided Tallahassee was the best location in Florida for a college serving African-American students; the state had segregated schools. Four years later, its name was changed to State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students, to teach teachers for elementary school children and students in industrial skills. After the Civil War, much of Florida's industry moved south and east, a trend that continues today. The end of

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

and the rise of free labor reduced the profitability of the cotton and tobacco trades, at a time when world markets were also changing. The state's major industries shifted to citrus, lumber,

naval stores Naval stores refers to the industry that produces various chemicals collected from conifers. The term was originally applied to the compounds used in building and maintaining wooden sailing ships. Presently, the naval stores industry are used to ...

, cattle ranching, and tourism. The latter was increasingly important by the late 19th century. In the post-Civil War period, many former

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

s in the Tallahassee area were purchased by wealthy northerners for use as winter hunting preserves. This included the hunting preserve of Henry L. Beadel, who bequeathed his land for the study of the effects of fire on wildlife habitat. Today the preserve is known as the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, nationally recognized for its research into

fire ecology Fire ecology is a scientific discipline concerned with the effects of fire on natural ecosystems. Many ecosystems, particularly prairie, savanna, chaparral and coniferous forests, have evolved with fire as an essential contributor to habitat vit ...

and the use of prescribed burning.

1900–99

Until

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Tallahassee remained a small Southern town with virtually the entire population living within one mile (1.6 km) of the Capitol. The main economic drivers were the colleges and state government, where politicians met 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. Tallahassee was also active in protest during the civil rights era. The Tallahassee bus boycott was a citywide boycott in Tallahassee, Florida that sought to end racial segregation in the employment and seating arrangements of city buses. On May 26, 1956, Florida A&M University students Wilhelmina Jakes and Carrie Patterson were arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department for "placing themselves in a position to incite a riot". Robert Saunders, representing 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 Rev. C. K. Steele began talks with city authorities while the local African-American community started boycotting the city's buses. The Inter-Civic Council ended the boycott on December 22, 1956. On January 7, 1957, the City Commission repealed the bus-franchise segregation clause because of the United States Supreme Court ruling '' Browder v. Gayle'' (1956). In the 1960s, there was a movement to transfer the capital to

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, closer to the state's growing population centers. That movement was defeated; the 1970s saw a long-term commitment by the state to the capital city, with the construction of the new capitol complex and preservation of the old Florida State Capitol building. In 1970, the Census Bureau reported the city's population as 74.0% white and 25.4% black. In 1971, the city elected James R. Ford to the 5-member City Commission, and he became the city's first African-American mayor in 1972 (commissioners rotated into the position serving a one-year term). Bobby Bowden became the head coach of

Florida State Seminoles football The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the sport of American football. The Florida State Seminoles, Seminoles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FB ...

in 1976, and turned Tallahassee into a city dominated by college football. Bowden became very successful very quickly at Florida State. By his second year, Bowden had to deny rumors that he would leave for another job; the team went 9–2, compared to the four wins total in the three seasons before Bowden. During 34 years as head coach he had only one losing season–his first, in 1976. In 1977, the 22-story high-rise Capitol building, designed by architect

Edward Durell Stone Edward Durell Stone (March 9, 1902 – August 6, 1978) was an American architect known for the formal, highly decorative buildings he designed in the 1950s and 1960s. His works include the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City; the Parliament H ...

, was completed. Since 2021, it has been the third-tallest state capitol building in the United States. In 1978, the Old Capitol, directly in front of the new Capitol, was scheduled for demolition, but state officials decided to keep it as a museum. In 1986, Jack McLean served as mayor, the second African-American to hold the position.

2000–present

Tallahassee was the center of world attention for six weeks during the 2000 United States Presidential election recount, which involved numerous rulings by the Florida Secretary of State and the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

. Tallahassee has been impacted by many natural disasters, including a direct hit by Hurricane Hermine, which caused about 80% of the city proper to lose power, including

;

Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make ...

in 2018; and two EF2 tornadoes in 2024.

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the City of Tallahassee is located at . Tallahassee has an area of , of which is land and , or 2.59%, is water. Tallahassee's terrain is hilly by Florida standards, being at the southern end of the

Red Hills Region The Red Hills or Tallahassee Hills is a region of gently rolling hills in the southeastern United States. It is a geomorphic region and an ecoregion. Location The Red Hills physiographic region of northern Florida was defined in 1914 as most o ...

, just above the Cody Scarp. The elevation varies from near sea level to just over , with the state capitol on one of the highest hills in the city. The city includes two large lake basins, Lake Jackson and Lake Lafayette, and borders the northern end of the

Apalachicola National Forest The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest U.S. National Forest in the state of Florida. It encompasses and is the only national forest located in the Florida Panhandle. The National Forest provides water and land-based outdoors activiti ...

. The flora and fauna are similar to those found in the mid-south and low country regions of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and

. The palm trees are the more cold-hardy varieties like the state tree, the ''

Sabal palmetto ''Sabal palmetto'' (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, SAY-bəl''), also known as cabbage palm, cabbage palmetto, sabal palm, blue palmetto, Carolina palmetto, common palmetto, Garfield's tree, and swamp cabbage, is one of 15 species of Saba ...

''. Pines, magnolias, hickories, and a variety of oaks are the dominant trees. The

Southern Live Oak ''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South. ...

is perhaps the most emblematic of the city.

Nearby cities and suburbs

* Crawfordville *

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Lamont * Lloyd * Midway *

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

* Quincy

Cityscape

Neighborhoods

Tallahassee has many neighborhoods inside the city limits. Some of the most known and defined include All Saints, Apalachee Ridge, Betton Hills, Buck Lake, Callen, Frenchtown (the oldest historically black neighborhood in the state), Killearn Estates, Killearn Lakes Plantation, Lafayette Park, Levy Park, Los Robles, Midtown, Holly Hills, Jake Gaither/University Park, Indian Head Acres, Myers Park, Smokey Hollow, SouthWood, Seminole Manor and Woodland Drives. Tallahassee is also home to some gated communities, including Golden Eagle, Ox Bottom, Lafayette Oaks, and The Preserve at San Luis; the Tallahassee Ranch Club is to the southeast of the city.

Tallest buildings

Urban planning and expansion

The first plan for the Capitol Center was the 1947 Taylor Plan, which consolidated several government buildings in one downtown area. In 1974, the Capitol Center Planning Commission for the City of Tallahassee, Florida responded to 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 2.3 million square feet (214,000 m²) of new government facilities in the city core, with 3,500 dwelling units, 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.

Sprawl and compact growth

The Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department implements policies aimed at promoting compact growth and development, including the establishment and maintenance of an Urban Service Area. The intent of the Urban Service Area is to "have Tallahassee and Leon County grow in a responsible manner, with infrastructure provided economically and efficiently, and surrounding forest and agricultural lands protected from unwarranted and premature conversion to urban land use." The result of compact growth policies has been a significant overall reduction in the Sprawl Index for Tallahassee between 2000 and 2010. CityLab reported on this finding, stating "Tallahassee laps the field, at least as far as the Sprawl Index is concerned."

Climate

Tallahassee has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa''), with long, tropical summers and short, mild winters, as well as warm to hot, drier springs and autumns. Tallahassee falls in

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

hardiness zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

8b (). Summer maximum temperatures are hotter than locations to the south on the Florida peninsula and it is one of the few cities in the state to occasionally record temperatures above ; there are an average of 11.2 days per year that have temperatures at least that high. The record high of was set on June 15, 2011. Summer is characterized by brief intense showers and

thunderstorms A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are som ...

that form along the afternoon

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...

from the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. The daily mean temperature in July, the hottest month, is . Conversely, the winter is markedly cooler, with a January daily average temperature of . There is an average of 34.6 nights with a minimum at or below freezing, and on average, the window for freezing temperatures is from November 22 thru March 16, allowing a growing season of 250 days. With the data from the 1991–2020 normals, Tallahassee is in a USDA 9a zone by a small margin, the coldest temperature of the year usually being about . Temperature readings below are very rare, having last occurred on January 11, 2010. During the Great Blizzard of 1899 the city reached on February 13, which remains Florida's only recorded subzero reading. The record cold daily maximum is , set on the same day as the all-time record low. More recently, a daily maximum was recorded in 1985. Conversely, the record warm daily minimum is on July 15, 1980. However, the city itself is considerably warmer than the airport where the National Weather Service records its data from, even though the National Weather Service does not record data from it. This is due to an

urban heat island Urban areas usually experience the urban heat island (UHI) effect; that is, they are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. The temperature difference is usually larger at night than during the day, and is most apparent when winds ar ...

, which creates an average disparity of 5.8 °F (3.2 °C) and is especially pronounced during winter.Scripps Media, Inc (December 6, 2014). Roop, Charles (July 19, 2021). National Weather Service. Snow and ice are rare in Tallahassee, not occurring during most winters. Historically, snow flurries are recorded every three to four years, but measurable snowfall of or more has only happened once in the 1991–2020 time period. Tallahassee has recorded a few very small accumulating snowfalls over the last 100 years; the greatest amount was on February 13, 1958.Etters, Karl (February 7, 2016). "Chance of flurries dim, despite a cold week". ''Tallahassee Democrat''. February 7, 2016. p. A3. Tallahassee's other recorded measurable snowfalls were on February 12–13, 1899, and December 22–23, 1989; on March 28, 1955, and February 10, 1973; on February 2, 1951; on January 3, 2018; and 1.9 inches on January 21-22, 2025. Although several

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

s have brushed Tallahassee with their outer rain and wind bands, in recent years only Hurricane Kate, in 1985, and Hurricane Hermine, in 2016, have struck Tallahassee directly.

passed to the west after making landfall near

Mexico Beach, Florida Mexico Beach is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Panama City on the Florida Panhandle. It is part of the Panama City-Panama City Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area in North Florida. The populati ...

in October 2018 as a Category 5 storm, resulting in 95% of Leon County being without power. MaclayGardens

The Big Bend area of North Florida sees several

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

es each year during the season, but they are generally weak, cause little structural damage, and rarely hit the city. On April 19, 2015, a tornado touched down in Tallahassee. The tornado was rated EF1, and created a path as wide as for almost near Maclay Gardens. Damage included numerous downed tree limbs and a car crushed by a falling tree. During extremely heavy rains, some low-lying parts of Tallahassee may flood, notably the Franklin Boulevard area adjacent to the downtown and the Killearn Lakes subdivision, outside the Tallahassee city limits, on the north side. The most recent tornadoes to hit the city were EF2s on May 10, 2024. One of them hit downtown Tallahassee, being wide.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 196,169 people, 78,283 households, and 34,639 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 181,376 people, 73,289 households, and 34,516 families residing in the city. In the 2010 census, 16.7% of which had children under 18 living in them. 27.7% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband, and 53.7% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals living alone and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.33. Children under the age of 5 were 4.9% of the population, persons under 18 were 16.7% and persons 65 years or older were 10.3%. 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. For 2009–2013, the estimated median household income was $39,524, and the per capita income was $23,778. In 2010, the percentage of persons below the poverty level was estimated at 30.2%.

Languages

, 92.0% of residents spoke English as their

first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...

, while 4.1% spoke Spanish, 0.6% spoke French, and 0.6% spoke German as their

mother tongue A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...

. In total, 8.0% of the total population spoke languages other than English.

Higher learning

Educationally, the population of Leon County is the most highly educated population in Florida with 54.4% of the residents over the age of 25 holding a Bachelor's, Master's, professional or doctorate degree. The Florida average is 37.4% and the national average is 33.4%.

Law, government and politics

Politics

Tallahassee has traditionally been a Democratic city, but the party has been supported by different ethnic groups over time, with a major shift in the late 20th century. Leon County has voted Democratic in 24 of the past 29 presidential elections since 1904. But until the late 1960s, most African Americans were disenfranchised from the political system, dating from Jim Crow laws passed by Democrats in Florida (and in all other Southern states) at the turn of the century. At that time, most African Americans were affiliated with the Republican Party, and their disenfranchisement resulted in that party being non-competitive in the region for decades. Subsequently, these demographic groups traded party alignments in the 1960s and 1970s. Since passage of the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

and enforcement of constitutional rights for African Americans, voters in Tallahassee have elected black mayors and black state representatives. It has become a city in the Southern U.S. that is known for progressive activism. This is likely due to the fact that Tallahassee and Leon County have the highest level of college graduates in the state. In addition, in the realignment of party politics since the late 20th century, most of the African-American population in the city now support Democratic Party candidates. As of December 2, 2018, there were 112,572 Democrats, 58,083 Republicans, and 44,007 voters who were independent or had other affiliations among the 214,662 voters in Leon County. Leon County's voter turnout percentage has consistently ranked among the highest of Florida's 67 counties, with a record-setting 86% turnout in the November 2008 general election. The county voted for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in the presidential election.

Structure of city government

Tallahassee has a form of government with an elected mayor of Tallahassee, elected commissioners, and an at-will employed city manager, city departments, and staff. The current city commissioners are: *Seat 1 – Jacqueline "Jack" Porter *Seat 2 – Curtis Richardson *Seat 3 – Jeremy Matlow *Seat 4 (Mayor) – John Dailey *Seat 5 – Dianne Williams-Cox *1826 Dr. Charles Haire *1827 David Ochiltree *1828–1829 John Y. Gary *1830 Leslie A. Thompson *1831 Charles Austin *1832–1833 Leslie A. Thompson *1834 Robert J. Hackley *1835 William Wilson *1836 John Rea *1837 William P. Gorman *1838 William Hilliard *1839 R. F. Ker *1840 Leslie A. Thompson *1841–1844 Francis W. Eppes *1845 James A. Berthelot *1846 Simon Towle *1847 James Kirksey *1848 F. H. Flagg *1849 Thomas J. Perkins *1850–1851 D. P. Hogue *1852 David S. Walker *1853 Richard Hayward *1854–1855 Thomas Hayward *1856–1857 Francis W. Eppes *1858–1860 D. P. Hogue *1861–1865 P. T. Pearce *1866 Francis W. Eppes *1867–1868 D. P. Hogue *1869–1870 T. P. Tatum *1871 C. E. Dyke *1872–1874 C. H. Edwards *1875 David S. Walker, Jr. *1876 Samuel Walker *1877 Jesse Bernard *1878–1879 David S. Walker, Jr. *1880 Henry Bernreuter *1881 Edward Lewis *1882 John W. Nash *1883 Edward Lewis *1884–1885 Charles C. Pearce *1886 George W. Walker *1887 A. J. Fish *1888–1889 R. B. Forman *1890–1894 R. B. Carpenter *1895–1896 Jesse T. Bernard *1897 R. A. Shine *1898–1902 R. B. Gorman *1903–1904 William L. Moor *1905 John W. Henderson *1906 F. C. Gilmore *1907 W. M. McIntosh, Jr. *1908 F. C. Gilmore *1909 Francis B. Winthrop *1910–1917 D. M. Lowry *1918 J. R. McDaniel *1919–1921 Guyte P. McCord *1922–1923 A. P. McCaskill *1924–1925 B. A. Meginniss *1926 W. Theo Proctor *1927 B.A. Meginniss *1928–1929 W. Theo Proctor *1930 G. E. Lewis *1931 Frank D. Moor *1932–1933 W. L. Marshall *1934 J. L. Fain *1935 Leonard A. Wesson *1936 H. J. Yaeger *1937 L. A. Wesson *1938 J. R. Jinks *1939 S. A. Wahnish *1940 F. C. Moor *1941 Charles S. Ausley *1942 Jack W. Simmons *1943 A. R. Richardson *1944 Charles S. Ausley *1945 Ralph E. Proctor *1946 Fred S. Winterle *1947 George I. Martin *1948 Fred N. Lowry *1949–1950 Robert C. Parker *1951 W. H. Cates *1952 B. A. Ragsdale *1953 William T. Mayo *1954 H. G. Esterwood *1954 H. C. Summitt *1955–1956 J. T. Williams *1956 Fred S. Winterle *1956–1957 John Y. Humphress *1957 J. W. Cordell *1958 Davis H. Atkinson *1959 Hugh E. Williams, Jr. *1960 George S. Taft *1961 J. W. Cordell *1962 Davis H. Atkinson *1963 S. E. Teague, Jr. *1964 Hugh E. Williams, Jr. *1965 George S. Taft *1966 W. H. Cates *1967 John A. Rudd, Sr. *1968 Gene Berkowitz *1969 Spurgeon Camp *1970 Lee A. Everhart *1971 Gene Berkowitz *1972 James R. Ford *1973 Joan Heggen *1974–1975 John R. Jones *1976 James R. Ford *1977–1978 Neal D. Sapp *1979 Sheldon A. Hilaman *1980–1981 Hurley W. Rudd *1982 James R. Ford *1983 Carol Bellamy *1984 Kent Spriggs *1985 Hurley W. Rudd *1986 Jack McClean *1987–1988 Betty Harley *1988–1990 Dorothy Inman *1990 Steve Meisberg *1991–1992 Debbie Lightsey *1993–1994 Dorothy Inman-Crews *1994–1995 Penny Herman *1995–1996 Scott Maddox *1996–1997 Ron Weaver *1997–2003 Scott Maddox *2003–2014 John Marks *2014–2018

Andrew Gillum Andrew Demetric Gillum (born July 26, 1979) is an American former politician who served as the 126th Mayors of Tallahassee, Florida, mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

*2018–present John Dailey

Federal representation and offices

Tallahassee is part of Florida's 2nd congressional district. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates post offices in Tallahassee. The Tallahassee Main Post Office is at 2800 South Adams Street. Other post offices in the city limits include Centerville Station, Leon Station, Park Avenue Station, and Westside Station. The

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

maintains a National Weather Service in Tallahassee. Their coverage-warning area includes the eastern Florida Panhandle and adjacent Gulf of Mexico waters, the north-central Florida peninsula, and parts of southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia. The 81st Regional Support Command of the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed ...

(USAR) has an Army Reserve Center at 4307 Jackson Bluff Road. The Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center (NMCRC) is at 2910 Roberts Avenue host the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

Navy Operational Support Center Tallahassee (NOSC Tallahassee) and the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...

2nd Platoon, Company E, Anti-Terrorism Battalion and 3rd Platoon, Company E, Anti-Terrorism Battalion.

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 increase from to . Roughly 36 percent of Leon County's 265,714 residents live outside the Tallahassee city limits. Each time, the measure was rejected: Tallahassee FL Leon County Courthouse03

The proponents of consolidation have stated the new jurisdiction would attract business by its size. Merging governments would cut government waste, duplication of services, etc. However, Professor Richard Feiock of the Department of Public Administration of

Korea University Korea University (KU, ) is a Private university, private research university in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1905 by Yi Yong-ik, Lee Yong-Ik, a prominent official of the Korean Empire, Korea University is among South Korea's oldest List of ...

and the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy of

states that no discernible relationship exists between consolidation and the local economy.

Flag

The former flag of Tallahassee was vaguely similar to the flag of Florida, a white

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

on a blue field, with the city's coat of arms, featuring the cupola of the old capitol building, at the center. The flag is an homage to the Scottish and Ulster-Scots Presbyterian heritage of the original founders of the city, most of whom were settlers from North Carolina whose ancestors had either come to America directly from Scotland, or were Presbyterians of Scottish descent from

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

and

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

in what has since become

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. The current flag incorporates a stylized 5-point star and the city name on a white background.

Education

Primary and secondary

Tallahassee anchors the Leon County School District. As of the 2009 school year Leon County Schools had an estimated 32,796 students, 2209 teachers and 2100 administrative and support personnel. The superintendent of schools is Rocky Hanna. Leon County public school enrollment continues to grow steadily (up approximately 1% per year since the 1990–91 school year). The dropout rate for grades 9–12 improved to 2.2% in the 2007–2008 school year, the third time in the past four years the dropout rate has been below 3%. To gauge performance the State of Florida rates all public schools according to student achievement on the state-sponsored Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Seventy-nine percent of Leon County Public Schools received an A or B grade in the 2008–2009 school year. The overall district grade assigned to the Leon County Schools is "A". Students in the Leon County School District continued to score favorably in comparison to Florida and national averages in the SAT and ACT student assessment tests. The Leon County School District has consistently scored at or above the average for districts statewide in total ACT and SAT mean composite scores. 08-06-18LeonHighSchl1

; Leon County high schools ; Public schools belonging to universities * Florida State University School ("Florida High") (K–12) * Florida A&M University Developmental Research School (K–12) ; Charter schools * Governor's Charter Academy (GCA) (K–8) – Established in August 2012. * School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) (K–8) – Established in 1999 * Tallahassee School of Math and Science (TSMS) (K–8) – It was previously known as Stars Middle School and only served middle school. In 2014 it received a new charter, adopted its current name, and expanded to elementary grades. * Tallahassee Classical School - Established in 2017. ; Private schools ; Virtual schools * Franklin Virtual High School

Higher education

Florida State University

(commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is an American

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

space-grant and

sea-grant The National Sea Grant College Program is a program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is a national network of 34 university-based Sea Grant programs involved in scientific re ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

. Florida State is on a 1,391.54-acre (5.631 km2) campus in the state capital of Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the

State University System of Florida The State University System of Florida (SUSF or SUS) is a system of twelve public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2018, over 341,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities. Together with the Florida College Sy ...

. Founded in 1851, it is on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the state of Florida. The university is classified as a Research University with Very High Research by the

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most not ...

. The university comprises 16 separate

colleges A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary education, tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding academic degree, degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further educatio ...

and more than 110 centers, facilities, labs and institutes that offer more than 360 programs of study, including professional school programs. The university has an annual budget of over $1.7 billion. Florida State is home to Florida's only National Laboratory – the

and is the birthplace of the commercially viable anti-cancer drug

Taxol Paclitaxel, sold under the brand name Taxol among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer, and pancreatic cancer. It is administered by ...

. Florida State University also operates The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida and one of the nation's largest museum/university complexes. The university is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

(SACS). Florida State University is home to nationally ranked programs in many academic areas, including law, business, engineering, medicine,

social policy Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy, while other practitioners characterize social policy and public policy to be two separate, competing approaches for the same public interest (similar to MD a ...

, film, music, theater, dance, visual art,

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, social work, and the sciences. Florida Governor Rick Scott and the state legislature designated Florida State University as one of two "preeminent" state universities in the spring of 2013 among the twelve universities of the State University System of Florida. FSU's intercollegiate sports teams, commonly known by their

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University (FSU) located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I, prima ...

nickname, compete in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) Division I and the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC). The Florida State Seminoles athletics program are favorites of passionate students, fans and alumni across the United States, especially when led by the Marching Chiefs of the Florida State University College of Music. In their 113-year history, Florida State's varsity sports teams have won 20 national athletic championships and Seminole athletes have won 78 individual NCAA national championships.

Florida A&M University

Founded on October 3, 1887,

(commonly referred to as FAMU) is a public, historically black university and

land-grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

university that is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. FAMU's main campus comprises 156 buildings spread over atop the highest geographic hill in Tallahassee. The university also has several satellite campuses, including a site in Orlando where its College of Law is located and sites in Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa for its pharmacy program. Florida A&M University offers 54 bachelor's degrees and 29 master's degrees. The university has 12 schools and colleges and one institute. FAMU has 11 doctoral programs which include 10 PhD programs: chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, biomedical engineering, physics, pharmaceutical sciences, educational leadership, and environmental sciences. The top undergraduate programs are architecture, journalism, computer information sciences, and psychology. FAMU's top graduate programs include pharmaceutical sciences, public health, physical therapy, engineering, physics, master's of applied social sciences (especially history and public administration), business and sociology.

Tallahassee State College

Tallahassee Community College entrance and administration building

Tallahassee State College (TSC) is a member of the Florida College System. Tallahassee State College is accredited by the

Florida Department of Education The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) is the state education agency of Florida. It governs public education and manages funding and testing for local educational agencies (school boards). It is headquartered in the Turlington Building ( ...

and the

. Its primary campus is on a 270-acre (1.092 km2) campus in Tallahassee. The institution was founded in 1966 by the Florida Legislature. TSC offers Bachelor's of Science,

Associate of Arts An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

Associate of Science Associate may refer to: Academics * Associate degree, a two-year educational degree in the United States, and some areas of Canada * Associate professor, an academic rank at a college or university * Technical associate or Senmonshi, a Japa ...

, and Associate of Applied Sciences degrees. In 2013, the school (then known as Tallahassee Community College) was listed first in the nation in graduating students with A.A. degrees. TSC is also the No. 1 transfer school in the nation to Florida State University and Florida A&M University. As of Fall 2015, TSC reported 38,017 students. In 2024, Tallahassee Community College was approved to be renamed Tallahassee State College, and the name change took effect on July 1, 2024. In partnership with Florida State University, and Florida A&M University Tallahassee State College offers the ''TSC2FSU'', and ''TSC2FAMU'' program. This program provides guaranteed admission into Florida State University and Florida A&M University for TSC Associate in Arts degree graduates.

Other colleges

* Barry University School of Adult and Continuing Education – Tallahassee Campus * Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University * Flagler College – Tallahassee Campus * Keiser University – Tallahassee Campus * Lewis M. Lively Area Vocational-Technical School *

Saint Leo University Saint Leo University is a private Catholic university in St. Leo, Florida. It was established in 1889. The university is associated with the Holy Name Monastery, a Benedictine convent, and Saint Leo Abbey, a Benedictine monastery. The universi ...

– Tallahassee Campus

Economy

Companies based in Tallahassee include: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the Municipal Code Corporation, the State Board of Administration of Florida (SBA), the Mainline Information Systems, and United Solutions Company.

Top employers

According to Tallahassee's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Old Downtown Tallahassee Clock

Arts and culture

Entertainment and performing arts

Tallahassee is home to many entertainment venues, theaters, museums, parks, and performing arts centers, including the Railroad Square Art Park.

Museums

Tallahassee is known for its many museums. It is home to the Museum of Fine Arts at Florida State University, Tallahassee Museum, Goodward Museum & Gardens, Museum of Florida History,

, Tallahassee Automobile Museum, Old Capitol Museum, Knott House Museum, and The Grove.

Music

The first notable musician in Tallahassee was

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 ...

, raised in Greenville. Between terms at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, he visited family in Tallahassee and performed in Frenchtown. George Clinton, founder of

Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parliame ...

, has lived in Tallahassee since 1994. Faheem Rashad Najm, better known as

T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...

, was born and raised in Tallahassee. He is known for popularizing the creative use of the

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune is audio processor software released on September 19, 1997, by the American company Antares Audio Technologies. It uses a proprietary device to measure and Pitch correction, correct pitch in music. It operates on different principles ...

pitch correction Pitch correction is an electronic effects unit or audio software that changes the intonation (highness or lowness in pitch) of an audio signal so that all pitches will be notes from the equally tempered system (i.e., like the pitches on a piano) ...

effect.

Emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

music group

Mayday Parade Mayday Parade is an American rock band formed in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2005, as the result of a merger between two local Tallahassee bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. Their debut EP '' Tales Told by Dead Friends'' was released i ...

originated in Tallahassee and several members still live there.

Post-grunge Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s alternative rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox, Colle ...

band

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...

formed in Tallahassee during 1994.

Festivals and events

* Downtown Getdown (

Pep Rally) * First Friday festivals at Railroad Square * Greek Food Festival * Springtime Tallahassee * Tallahassee Wine and Food Festival * Winter Festival Asian Festival

Sports

Florida State Seminoles

In 2016- 2017, the

of Florida State University generated the thirteenth-most revenue in

collegiate athletics College sports or college athletics encompasses amateur sports played by non-professional, collegiate and university-level student athletes in competitive sports and games. College sports have led to many college rivalries. College sports trac ...

with $144,514,413 of total revenue.

Other

Media

Print

*The ''

Tallahassee Democrat The ''Tallahassee Democrat'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper. It covers the area centered on Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida, as well as adjacent Gadsden County, Jefferson County, and Wakulla County. The newspaper is owned by Gannett ...

'', Tallahassee's largest newspaper, published daily *The '' FSView & Florida Flambeau'', covers Florida State University *''The Talon'', covers Tallahassee Community College *'' The Famuan'', covers Florida A&M University

Television

* WCTV (CBS) channel 6.1 (MeTV) channel 6.2 (The365) channel 6.3 (ION) channel 6.4 (Justice) channel 6.5 (MyTV) channel 6.6 (This TV) channel 6.7 * WFSU (PBS) channel 11.1 (Florida Channel) channel 11.2 (Create) channel 11.3 (Kids 360) channel 11.4 * WTLF (CW) channel 24.1 (Comet) channel 24.2 (TBD) channel 24.3 (Nest) channel 24.4 (Dabl) 24.5 * WTLH (H&I) channel 49.1 (CW) channel 49.2 (Comet) channel 49.3 * WTWC (NBC) channel 40.1 (Fox) channel 40.2 (Charge) channel 40.3 * WTXL (ABC) channel 27.1 (Bounce) channel 27.2 (Grit) channel 27.3 (Escape) channel 27.4 (CourtTV) channel 27.5 (Newsy) channel 27.6 (HSN) channel 27.7 * WNXG-LD (WCTV simulcast channels 6.1 - 6.6 ATSC 3.0) *WVUP (CTN) channel 45.1 (LifeStyle) channel 45.2 (CTNi) channel45.3 (Buzzer) channel 45.4 *WTFL-LD (Telemundo) channel 15.1 (Start TV) channel 15.2 (Catchy Comedy) channel 15.3 *WFXU (My Network TV) 57.1 *WXTL-LD (Daystar) 36.1 (Daystar Espanol) 36.2

Radio

* WANM, Soul/R&B music * WAYT-FM, contemporary Christian music * WBZE-FM, adult contemporary music *WDXD-LP, classic country music * WFLA-FM, news/talk * WFSQ-FM, classical music * WFSU-FM, news/talk * WGLF-FM, classic rock music * WGMY-FM, Top 40 music * WHTF-FM, Top 40 music * WTLY, adult contemporary music * WTNT-FM, country music * WVFS-FM, college/alternative music * WVFT, news/talk * WWLD, hip-hop music * WWOF-FM, country music * WXSR-FM, rock music

Public safety

Established in 1826, the Tallahassee Police Department once claimed to be the oldest police department in the Southern United States and the second-oldest in the U.S., preceded only by the

Philadelphia Police Department The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD, Philly PD, or Philly Police) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the County and City of Philadelphia. The PPD is one of the oldest municipal police agencies, f ...

(established in 1758). The

Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1854, the BPD is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. It is also the 20th largest law enforce ...

was established in 1838 and larger East Coast cities followed with New York City and Baltimore in 1845. However, this is proven incorrect. Pensacola, Florida, for example, had a municipal police force as early as 1821. There are over 800 sworn law enforcement officers in Tallahassee. 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,

Police Department, the Tallahassee State College Police Department, the

Florida Highway Patrol The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is a division of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. It is Florida's highway patrol, highway State Police (United States), patrol and is the primary law enforcement agency charged with in ...

, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Tallahassee Growth Management Building Inspection Division is responsible for issuing permits and performing inspections of public and private buildings in the city limits. These duties include the enforcement of the Florida Building Codes and the Florida Fire Protection Codes. These standards are present to protect life and property. The Tallahassee Building Department is one of 13 Accredited Building Departments in the United States. The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

United States Marshals Service The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention ...

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

and

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

have offices in Tallahassee. The

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida (in case citations, N.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appe ...

is based in Tallahassee. 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, Capital Regional Medical Center and

HealthSouth Encompass Health Corporation, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative services, offering facility-based care through its network of 166 Rehabilitation hospital, inpatient rehabilitation hospital ...

Rehabilitation Hospital Rehabilitation hospitals, also referred to as inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, are devoted to the rehabilitation of patients with various neurological, musculoskeletal, orthopedic, and other medical conditions following stabilization of their ...

of Tallahassee.

Places of interest

* Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park * Carnegie Library at FAMU * Challenger Learning Center * Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More *

Doak Campbell Stadium Doak S. Campbell Stadium (in full Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium), popularly known as "Doak", is a football stadium on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the Flo ...

* Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park * First Presbyterian Church * Florida Governor's Mansion *

* Foster Tanner Fine Arts Gallery at

* Frenchtown * Goodwood Museum and Gardens * Innovation Park *John G. Riley Center/Museum of African American History & Culture (Riley Museum) * Knott House Museum * Lake Ella * Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park * LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library *

* Museum of Florida History *

* Railroad Square * Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum * St. John's Episcopal Church * Tallahassee Automobile Museum * Tallahassee Museum * James D. Westcott Building and Ruby Diamond Auditorium at Florida State University

Transportation

Aviation

* Tallahassee International Airport (KTLH)

Defunct airports

* Dale Mabry Field (closed 1961) * Tallahassee Commercial Airport (closed 2011)

Mass transit

* StarMetro provides bus service throughout the city.

Intercity bus

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

and Megabus based in downtown Tallahassee.

Railroads

*Freight service is provided by the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, which acquired most of the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

main line from Pensacola to Jacksonville on June 1, 2019. FG&A also purchased the CSX branch from Tallahassee to Attapulgus, Georgia, connecting with the CSX Montgomery-Savannah main line at Bainbridge, Georgia. FG&A's headquarters office is in Tallahassee.

Defunct railroads and passenger trains

* Tallahassee Railroad, completed in 1837, now the state-owned Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail from Tallahassee southward to St. Marks, about . * Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad, founded in 1891, merged into the Georgia Florida and Alabama Railway in 1906. The Tallahassee-Carrabelle segment was abandoned in 1948. In 2009, a segment of the abandoned railroad was opened as the Tallahassee-Georgia Florida and Alabama (GF&A) Trail in the

. *The streamlined '' Gulf Wind'' coach and Pullman passenger train, operated jointly by the L&N and Seaboard railroads, served Tallahassee from 1949 to 1971, when the newly formed

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

cancelled the train. *Amtrak's ''

Sunset Limited The ''Sunset Limited'' is a long-distance passenger train run by Amtrak, operating on a route between New Orleans and Los Angeles. Major stops include Houston, San Antonio and El Paso in Texas, as well as Tucson, Arizona. Opening in 1894 thr ...

'' served Tallahassee from April 1993 until service east of New Orleans was suspended in August 2005, following

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

, which caused extensive damage to CSX lines from Louisiana to Florida. The service has never been reinstated, and as of mid-2019 had a "next to zero chance" of being revived by Amtrak. In 2021, Amtrak announced plans restore service as early as 2022 along part of the route from New Orleans to Alabama, but not into Florida. The Tallahassee and Pensacola metropolitan areas are the largest in the state without passenger rail service.

Major highways

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

runs east–west across the north side of the city. Tallahassee is served by five exits including: Exit 192 (U.S. 90), Exit 196 (Capital Circle NW), Exit 199 (U.S. 27/Monroe St.), Exit 203 (U.S. 319/Thomasville Road and Capital Circle NE), and Exit 209 (U.S. 90/Mahan Dr.) * US 27

U.S. Route 27 enters the city from the northwest before turning south and entering downtown. This portion of U.S. 27 is known locally as Monroe Street. In front of the historic state capitol building, U.S. 27 turns east and follows Apalachee Parkway out of the city. * US 90

U.S. Route 90 runs east–west through Tallahassee. It is known locally as Tennessee Street west of Magnolia Drive and Mahan Drive east of Magnolia. * US 319

U.S. Route 319 runs north–south along the east side of the city using Thomasville Road, Capital Circle NE, Capital Circle SE, and Crawfordville Road. * Florida 20

State Road 20 * Florida 61

State Road 61 * Florida 363

State Road 363 * Orchard Pond Parkway, the first privately built toll road in Florida.

Namesakes

* CSS ''Tallahassee'', 1864 Confederate cruiser *, 1908 US Navy

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

, originally named USS ''Florida'' *, 1941 US Navy

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

, converted to the aircraft carrier USS ''Princeton'' *, 1944 US Navy light cruiser *Tallahassee, main character in the movie '' Zombieland'' *'' Tallahassee'', album recorded by

The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats are a United States band formed in Claremont, California, Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole me ...

* Tallahassee Tight, early-20th-century blues singer *

, musician, originally "Tallahassee Pain" *" Tallahassee Lassie",

Freddy Cannon Frederick Anthony Picariello, Jr. (born December 4, 1936), better known by his stage name Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singing, singer. His biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", ...

song *"Tallahassee",

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezz ...

song

Sister cities

PikiWiki Israel 7459 Ramat Hasharon from the top of tops

Tallahassee has 5

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

as follows: * Konongo-Odumase, Ashanti, Ghana * St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles *

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

, County Sligo, Ireland * Rugao, Jiangsu, China *

Ramat HaSharon Ramat HaSharon (, ) is an affluent city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon, Israel, Sharon region, bordering the cities of Tel Aviv to the south, Hod HaSharon, Hod-HaSharon to the east, and Herzliya and kibbutz ...

Tel Aviv District The Tel Aviv District (; ) is the geographically smallest yet also the most densely populated of the six administrative districts of Israel, with a population of 1.35 million residents. It is 98.9% Jewish and 1.10% Arab (0.7% Muslim, 0.4% Chris ...

, Israel

Notable people

Tallahassee groups and organizations

Cold Water Army Cold Water Army may refer to: * Cold Water Army (rock band) * Cold Water Army (temperance organization) {{dab ...

, music group *

, rock band * Cream Abdul Babar, music group * The Crüxshadows, music group * David Canter, medical doctor, folk musician *

Dead Prez Dead Prez (stylized in lowercase) is an American hip hop duo composed of M-1 and stic.man, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, self-de ...

, Alternative hip hop duo * Go Radio, music group * FAMU Marching 100, marching band * FSU Marching Chiefs, marching band * Look Mexico, rock band *

, music group *

Mira Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–300 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus. ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a vari ...

, music group * No Address, music group * Socialburn, rock band * Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, symphony orchestra * Woman's Club of Tallahassee

State associations based in Tallahassee

* The Florida Bar * Florida Chamber of Commerce * Florida Dental Association * Florida Institute of CPAs *

Florida Lottery The Florida Lottery is the government-operated lottery of the U.S. state of Florida. , the lottery offers eleven terminal-generated games: Cash4Life, Mega Millions, Powerball, Florida Lotto, Pick 2, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Fantasy 5, Cash Pop, ...

* Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida

Gallery

File:Turlington.jpg, Turlington Education Building as seen from the Civic Center File:TallahasseeDoubletree.JPG, The Downtown Tallahassee Doubletree Hotel File:TennysonCondominiums.JPG, Tennyson Condominiums as seen through a break in the downtown Federal Courthouse Square File:GeorgiaBelle.JPG, Westminster Gardens, formerly the Georgia Bell Dickinson Apartments, in Downtown Tallahassee File:HighpointCenter.JPG, Highpoint Center as seen from the Florida Capitol File:TallahasseeExchangeBldg.JPG, The historic Exchange Bank Building, considered to be the city's first highrise building File:TallahasseeWarMemorial.JPG, The Korean War Memorial at Cascades Park facing the Florida Capitol File:LewisStateBank.JPG, Union Bank, Florida's oldest surviving bank building File:OldFloridaStateHouse.JPG, Florida's historic state capitol building built in 1845 File:Kleman Plaza amphitheater.jpg, Kleman Plaza in the heart of Downtown Tallahassee File:NewUSCourthouse.JPG, The U.S. Federal Courthouse in Tallahassee File:Cascades Park (Tallahassee), Korean War Memorial 02.JPG, The Florida Korean War Memorial File:Supreme Court of Florida.JPG, The Florida Supreme Court Building File:VisitorsCenter.JPG, The Tallahassee-Leon County Visitors Center File:Leroy Collins Leon County Public Library from Park Ave.JPG, Leroy Collins Leon County Public Library from Park Ave

References

Notes

External links

*
The Local Conservation District – Information on Natural Resources, and Panoramic ToursThe Tallahassee Democrat NewspaperMission San Luis
* {{Authority control Cities in Florida Cities in Leon County, Florida Populated places established in 1824 Tallahassee metropolitan area County seats in Florida 1824 establishments in Florida Territory State capitals in the United States

History

State capital

1900–99

2000–present

Geography

Nearby cities and suburbs

Cityscape

Neighborhoods

Tallest buildings

Urban planning and expansion

Sprawl and compact growth

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

Languages

Higher learning

Law, government and politics

Politics

Structure of city government

Federal representation and offices

Consolidation

Flag

Education

Primary and secondary

Higher education

Florida State University

Florida A&M University

Tallahassee State College

Other colleges

Economy

Top employers

Arts and culture

Entertainment and performing arts

Museums

Music

Festivals and events

Sports

Florida State Seminoles

Other

Media

Print

Television

Radio

Public safety

Places of interest

Transportation

Aviation

Defunct airports

Mass transit

Intercity bus

Railroads

Defunct railroads and passenger trains

Major highways

Namesakes

Sister cities

Notable people

Tallahassee groups and organizations

State associations based in Tallahassee

Gallery

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links