Tallahassee, the capital of Florida and the seat of Leon County, gets its name from a Native American word meaning “old town.” With a recorded history going back to the 16th century, Tallahassee exhibits both the gentility of the Old South and the innovation, or new ideas, of the modern age.

Geography

Tallahassee covers an area of 6,327 square miles (16,387 square kilometers). It is situated 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the Gulf of Mexico. It is located on the wooded hills of northern Florida, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Tallahassee is located where Florida's Panhandle meets its peninsula, midway between the cities of Pensacola (to the west) and Jacksonville (to the east).

Points of interest

Tallahassee is a political and educational center. The original capitol was built in 1845. The new capitol building, a 22-story skyscraper, was completed in 1977. The city is also the seat of Florida State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Tallahassee Community College.

Of interest to visitors are the Southern-style governor's mansion and the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science, an outdoor museum featuring a natural habitat zoo, historic buildings, a hands-on discovery center. Other popular attractions include the Maclay State Gardens (with more than 200 varieties of flowers) and the nearby Wakulla Springs (one of the world's deepest freshwater springs).

Economy

Many of Tallahassee's residents work in government jobs. The city is also the wholesale trade center for the fertile farm and dairy area of northwestern Florida. Its main industries include lumber and wood products and printing and publishing.

History

In 1539, Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer, passed through northern Florida, where he discovered a Native American village called Tallahassee. This name was retained for the site selected in 1823 as the capital of Florida Territory. The city was incorporated in 1825 and remained the capital when Florida became the 27th state in 1845. It was the only Confederate capital that was not captured during the American Civil War. Population (2000 census), 150,624.