14 Things You May Not Know About Tallahassee, Florida

Welcome to Tallahassee, Florida, the Capital City

Tallahassee was named the 9th best city in the South by Southern Living magazine, but if you ask me, Tallahassee is Number 1. Tallahassee is majestic. As you drive through Tallahassee, you will immediately notice the moss-draped live oaks, its rolling hills, and the small-town feel with big-city (big as in 190,000 residents).

Tallahassee, Florida

1.Tallahassee was chosen as the Capital City of Florida in the late 1800s because it was equal distance between Pensacola and St Augustine.

2. Tally as the locals call it has been considered a college town for over 150 years. Tallahassee is home to two of the state’s Universities. Tallahassee has Florida State University and the country’s biggest historically black university by enrollment, Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University, AKA Florida A&M or FAMU.

3. The Topography. The rolling landscape, typical of regions further north, is unique among the major cities of Florida.

4. For a small town, Tallahassee has a ripe cultural center for arts and music. We have 24 art galleries and 15 museums.

5. Tallahassee is one of the only cities in Florida that actually has seasons.

6. Tallahassee knows how to throw a party! From Springtime Tallahassee, Winter Festival, and the #1 Fine Art Show in the nation, Lemoyne’s Chain of Parks Art Festival in April, Swamp Days, Market Days, Word of the South, and Southern Shakespeare Festival. We have downtown Getdowns (before FSU and FAMU football games) and huge fourth of July celebrations.

7. Dining Selection is Food Truck Thursday at Lake Ella, locally brewed coffee such as Lucky Goat and Red Eye, Bradley’s Country Store, and some of my favorites Kool Beanz Café and Table 23.

8. Tallahassee somehow remained absent from the Craft beer scene until Proof Brewing Co. came along and changed the game. Tallahassee now has Proof Brewing Co, Grasslands Brewing Company, Lake Tribe Brewing, Ology Brewing Co, and Deep Brewing Co.

9. Tallahassee has Florida’s most educated population. Half of the residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. This is due to the professors at Florida A&M University and Florida State University and the masses of students who came here to go to school and fell in love with both the city and never left.

10. Tallahassee has over 40 walking trails and 15 separate bike trails. Flowers bloom every February. Our photos were taken at Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park.

11. Tallahassee is less than an hour from the Gulf of Mexico. There’s St George Island that seems to be the destination of choice for our Tallahassee folks. It’s just a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive to Panama City Beach, Seaside, and Destin, Florida.

12. Tallahassee is a great place to raise kids. There’s so much to do and the schools are top notch. Check back on happilyharper.com where I will share great neighborhoods to live in Tallahassee with children.

13. Take a step into history with the Mission San Luis, the western capital of Spanish Florida from 1656 to 1704. It’s a great attraction for everyone and a hidden gem in Tallahassee.

14. What I enjoy most about the city is that people here still care about each other. It is a small, word of mouth community. You can’t go to the grocery store, church, park, or one of the hundreds of community events without seeing someone you know. My family is part of the fabric of a real community.