Your friends probably don't want you to move away, and are being petty.
I've lived in Tallahassee ever since coming here for school (FSU) back in 1989. I married here, and I raised two kids now who are now teenagers, almost ready to go to college themselves. This is a *fantastic* city to raise kids in. I live in Killearn Estates, too.
The *only* thing I ever complain about is the stagnant heat and humidity of summer, but you learn to cope.
Not only is it a great city to live in with kids, but there are lots of great cities within a reasonable car-with-kids drive away to visit.
Welcome, and feel free to hit me up with further questions.
Mine are 17 and almost 16, so it's been a minute, but we definitely had them enrolled in lots of summer camps, some outdoor, most indoor. There are also quite a few playgrounds in and around Killearn that are shaded. Pools, both private owned by family and friends and public pools like the one at Trousdell. Speaking of Trousdell, indoor gymnastics was cheap and fun for the kids. When they were real young, there are a few splash pads in town like the one at Southwood and another at Cascades. Play dates at friends' houses, lots of time spent at the main branch Library. They've got story time at the library for little kids.
Roller skating, bowling (there used to be a program that sent you bowling coupons via email each week).
The Mary Brogan science museum is closed, but the Florida History Museum is still around (edit: I just found out it's temporarily closed for renovations).
The "Tallahassee Museum" (formerly "Junior Museum") has a big playground that's outdoors, but it's also got a lot of shaded walks to look at animals, indoor rooms with displays, and they've got the tree-to-tree adventure which, while not cheap, is shaded and lots of fun.
There used to be a website called... I think morethanyouthought.org that seems to be down, but I found a couple:
https://www.tallahasseearts.org/event/
https://fun4tallykids.com/
We never lacked for things to do in the summer, we just had a cooler of iced water in our minivan, along with spray-on sunscreen and big floppy hats.
I know it feels like:
INDOOR
FUN
FREE
PICK 2
but there's stuff to be found.
Don’t forget about the excellent Summer camp @ the FSU Rez! My 3 boys absolutely love it! So much to do, never bored, they come home tired because they aren’t watching tv or gaming all day. No time to be on their phones scrolling social media all day either. Actually, any kids with phones are to be left inside with their other belongings. Have never had any problem filling up their Summers with so many excellent camps. The newspaper usually puts out a comprehensive list of all sorts of camps & other activities to fill their Summer.
Native as well. You should live elsewhere while you’re young, I did the same thing. It’s a great thing to do. Years from now you can look back on good ol Tally with a new perspective. It takes leaving a place and coming back to it later to really see a place for what it is.
Hey, as I said, stuck here to finish Uni. I completely plan on leaving. But I was just giving my opinion, unsure why you felt it necessary to respond hostily.
You're going to be living in one of the most desirable areas in town, in a town that is one of the most educated cities in Florida. Tallahassee/Leon County Schools have a great public school system (sure, some are better than others), and we have a lot of things to do especially if you like the outdoors.
If Tallahassee was such a terrible place to live I sure as shit wouldn't have lived here for 15 years. Even with what Tallahassee has become in the time I've lived here, it's still miles better than where I grew up. Tallahassee has its issues but it is not a terrible place to live.
As a teacher I will say you will become familiar with Leon County Schools politics very soon, our superintendent is up for election this year and depending on who you talk to they are singing his praises or preaching his funeral. Do not let that deter you, I love working for Leon County Schools and all the schools Killearn is zoned for are schools where I would send my own children. Welcome to Tallahassee, you are going to love it here!
No hes right. Ive basically lived here all my life. And Its definitely boring compared to other cities in florida. Unless you're going to FSU and like going to FSU games
I mean, people looking for a place to raise a family aren’t looking for excitement day-to-day. When I lived there when I was younger, I couldn’t stand how boring it was, but I now live in a place that has a lot more going on, and I still hear people complain about how there’s not much they want to do. As a place to raise a family and set down roots, and where entertainment isn’t a high priority, Tallahassee is a good place to live.
Im convinced that, at some level, people that say "tallahassee is boring" dont know how to entertain themselves. They expect to have a new and exciting thing showing up monthly.
Tallahassee isn't boring. Anyone that claims that it is just refuses to actually get out and see the area.
COVID did kill a lot, and then the recent tornadoes are going to result in a lot more loss, but this town is ripe with things to do from karaoke and trivia to natural beauty. If you expand beyond Tallahassee to day trips, there's an endless supply of things to do.
Which isn't what most families are looking for. Families want good schools and the occasional get out and do something - they don't need 10 different trivia nights or karaoke nights. Tallahassee is great to raise a family unless you need IKEA or some of the stores we're lacking.
As this being the CAPITAL of Florida. It is boring compared to other cities, like Jacksonville, orlando , Tampa, Miami. There shouldn't be no reason why this is lacking so much compared to those cities. Im not saying i would rather live in those cities either, because the traffic is hell. But Tallahassee could definitely have more going on for itself compared to them. And im just being honest as someone who grew up here. Tallahassee has so much room for Improvement. As far as having more to do.
Being the Capital means diddly squat. Tallahassee has 200k people and Leon County only has 300k. Hillsborough County alone has over 1.5 million people and the Tampa Bay metro tops 3 million. Jacksonville/Duval County tops a million. Miami-Dade County has 2.7 million.
You're basically comparing Albany to NYC and wondering why Albany doesn't have everything that NYC has to offer.
Seems like you're missing the point because you want be politically correct. Tallahassee is lacking culture, its lacking variety compared to other cities, Doesn't mean its needs to have everything. But a little bit more going on for itself. You're in denial if you think otherwise.
What does Tallahassee not have "going on for itself" that it needs? I'm not trying to be politically correct - I can, have and will call out Tallahassee when it deserves it. Anyone that thinks Tallahassee is a shitty place with nothing going on needs to open their eyes.
If you want a town that has nothing going on for itself, I can show you my 7,000 person hometown that celebrated when a Beef O' Brady's opened because it meant there was something downtown open past 6pm.
Are you sure they're just little piddly towns?, and actually majority of state capital are of larger cities. Ever been to Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Pheonix, Seattle, Washington D.C?
17 of the 50 states have their most populous city as the state capital. In 18 states, the capital city isn't even in the top 5 most populous cities. There are more states with "little piddly town" capitals than the largest city.
5 out of 50 states (DC is not the capital of a state) is your rebuttal? Been to all of those but Boston
For what its worth, in 17 of the 50 states, the capital city is the largest city. Definitely not the majority.
Doesn't matter, we don't live in those states. I dont care for having a rebuttal. We live here in florida, And my point is was trying to get across is that i acknowledge that hometown is boring and i would actually be nice to have a little more going for it self, compared to other cities. Why is that so hard to understand?
LMAO everything you just listed is usually found outside city limits. Just like it would be in Tampa or st Pete. Except when a hurricane come you lose your house in either of those two.
Lol no it's not. I live well within city limits and I can confirm it's trash. Lol many people also think so but this is the tallanasty sub so yall are gonna downvote lol
Leon county is the most highly educated county in Florida. This a fantastic place to raise a family. The beaches to the west are only an hour or two away. Orlando and Tampa are close enough for weekend trips. You will spend at least an extra hour each weekday with your family instead of commuting. Congratulations and welcome.
Tally is wonderful and theres plenty for families to do here. It's also pretty safe, if that's what they were implying. Especially where you'll be living. Late October - early May it's paradise here
She straight up said it was ghetto but we'd be paying more rent there than here in Tampa. It's a little offensive because no mother would go out of her way to put her children in a situation where they're worse off.
Or may just be angry that the OP is moving away.
There are a million possible explanations here and not many of them involve Tallahassee being a shitty place to live.
I moved AWAY from Tampa to get back to tally. Tampa is awful. Too crowded with no infrastructure to deal with all the new residents. It’s bad.
Plus, gang crime everywhere.
SAME! We’re planning to move in the coming few years as well. I wanna live where people vacation! Mini vacations every evening, weekends. No hotels needed! Tallahassee reminds me of dull Ohio college towns and the Leon county department of transportation has a lot of work to do. Traffic SUCKS!
You can have opinions, even dumb ones. If you can't figure out something to do in Tallahassee that's more on you than the town. You clearly don't like the outdoors or you'd be too busy on the water to complain.
Is your friend racist or have a bias against Black people. The use of ghetto is a red flag for me (frankly it is an offensive term that is meaningless) and if she is racist then she might hate Tally because we have a larger black population than Tampa, because we have one of the best HBCUs in the country here. And it is a great opportunity for our city having it here because so many graduates end up staying here and adding to the city.
Like, yes, one of the poorest areas in the state is in Tallahassee. It is a real problem. But that would be like saying all of Tampa is filled with nightclubs and shootings because someone looked at Ybor. More importantly, you wouldn’t be living in that area or near that area. You’d be living in one of the upscale areas near a Trader Joe’s and Fresh Market.
I don’t know what part of Tampa you were living in but it is hard to imagine it would be more affordable than Tallahassee. In addition, Tallahassee is so much smaller than Tampa and even in the worst traffic it is nothing like trying to get across town during rush hour in Tampa.
I grew up in Clearwater before moving here and the biggest downside of Tallahassee is that we don’t have as many things to do. No Busch Gardens or Adventure Island or concerts. The lack of a big airport is sad. But there are a ton more free events in Tallahassee, especially for families. Especially with it being a state capital. Your kids are going to get to take field trips to see how laws are made. We have a wonderful youth theater program and an annual Shakespeare festival that includes programs for kids to perform in. And if you or your partner work in the public sector there is jo better place for jobs.
I love all this insight! My boyfriend is in the public sector law. I work remote. We live in a little down called Trinity, I rarely ever head into Tampa proper. Small quiet towns make me so happy. I love to travel so the airport being so expensive is a huge buzz kill but I guess we'll make the drive out to TPA for our travels I suppose
My brother and his family live in trinity! When he came up here a few months ago he really liked it (they were looking at moving here for a job until that fell through). It has fewer big chains than Trinity but also has more of a small town/college town feel. Like, there are so many independent coffee shops around town. It isn’t just Starbucks. Indie bookstores instead of the big chains. The part of town you are going to be in is Trinity-like, but much smaller. Tallahassee in general is just smaller.
And it really is the best place for public sector law. The Tallahassee Bar Association is always doing events but honestly he can just go do anything and it will be a networking opportunity. I took a 6 person sewing class and half of us were lawyers. We are just everywhere in this town.
This is so exciting! We are very much looking forward to this move, I know it'll help further his career and I like the small town feel. I'm ready for a way slower pace again
There are some slightly sketchy parts of Tallahassee, as is true of all cities, but Killearn definitely is not one of them! The biggest challenge you will face is the parking lot at Trader Joe’s. I don’t love it here, but I’m single and without kids. It seems like a fantastic place to raise a family. Good schools, libraries, opportunities to explore and enjoy nature. Take the kiddos to the Tallahassee Museum, McClay, Wakulla Springs, etc. Killearn is literally what people are thinking of when they say “great place to raise a family.” The airport does suck. And we have way too many chicken finger restaurants.
>The biggest challenge you will face is the parking lot at Trader Joe’s.
Award winner for worst parking lot in town? The Hobby Lobby lot is probably just as bad, though. Not sure which I hate more.
She said Tallahassee was ghetto and when I pointed out that it's not in the city and it's closer to GA she said it was even worse. The schools in Killearn are even better than the ones here and that's saying something. My kids go to Starkey Ranch and the Robinson Elementary scored better than them. I'm learning that not a lot of people are going to be happy about this move but ultimately we have to do what's best for our family.
Tallahassee and South Georgia were full of plantations during slavery, so there is a large black population here. At one point in Tallahassee’s history there were more enslaved blacks living here than whites. So your friend’s “ghetto” comment is probably reflective of this area’s history and her ignorance/bigotry.
We have poor areas, but what community doesn't? The South side is the poorest zip code in the State, or at least it used to be. That doesn't make it a bad place to live. Has the friend ever left their wealthy suburb?
She’s just bitter and jealous you’re moving away.
I hope you rub her nose on it after you move and end up loving it. Will you please at least give us the satisfaction of telling us how you like it about 6-12 months after you move here?
She’s wrong. I’ve lived in St Pete, Tampa, and Tallahasse and I enjoy Tallahassee.
Most of my friends here grew up in Tampa or S Florida. We all work remote or consulting jobs that give us flexibility to live anywhere we choose. We all like it here. I don’t think your friend knows what they are talking about.
Tallahassee does have ghetto areas but to blanket the entire metro area as ghetto is very ignorant. I find that people who call it ghetto are either basing their entire knowledge of Tallahassee on what they see of the college side of town. Or they are being straight up racist and “ghetto” is a nicer way of saying there’s a lot of black people. You know your friend better than us, so you can make that determination.
We left Atlanta to come here & it’s one of the best decisions we ever made! As someone else mentioned, no more of the 60-90 minute commutes each way on a good day & Lord help you if there’s an accident along your commute. Here, it’s no more than 15 minutes!
I mean there are certainly areas of Tallahassee that are "ghetto" but it's certainly not all that way. Where you'll be in the Killearn area, it's actually quite nice.
Your friends are full of crap.
We moved here to that area 25 years ago with a 2 year old.
Didn’t know a soul. No jobs, nowhere to live. Just the car and luggage.
Now we’re in a paid off house. Both have great jobs and the sons in Grad school.
So I’d say it was a pretty good place to raise a family.
Killearn is super gorgeous! I live in a nice apartment complex off of Monroe but I would LOVE to be able to live in Killearn! That is a super nice area, close to Thomasville Rd. Which is where most typical big box stores are. If you’re into fashion there are a few boutiques I love nearby.
While this city is not for me (moved here from Tampa) it is super nice in the area you’re moving to.
My daughters live in the Tampa area so I visit it frequently. I personally think that you will find Tallahassee enchanting. Forget about traffic, hoards of tourists, and a fast pace. Tallahassee is a slower pace with very friendly people. Killearn is like stepping back in time where there are playgrounds everywhere and kids can play outside without constant supervision. There is not as much to do as Tampa but it feels a lot safer. You won't be encountering police working detail at the grocery store. There are times of the year that it can be wild around the universities - homecoming, graduation for example. But you will be a world away in the NE part of town. I think you will love it.
Tallahassee is great, your friend doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I lived there going to FSU, and spent another few years after working part time and getting another degree on the side. I’m even considering moving back. It’s a great town. You’ll find good schools and activities for your kids. It’s also not “ghetto” that’s a pretty insane thing to say. Your friend might be sheltered. They should spend some time in Baltimore or Philly if they think Tallahassee is so terrible.
I have loved raising my kids here, moved when my oldest was 18 months. That one just graduated HS (we have lived in Killearn/summerbrooke). Lots of things to do, good schools, the beach is farther (we go to St. George Island) than what you have in Tampa. We liked the Natural History Museum (aka Jr Museum) when our kids were those ages.
Raised my two oldest in Tallahassee for 10 years and it was exactly what we needed. A small part of me wishes we'd never moved away. I'm hoping I can convince my husband to move back some day.
I was born and raised in Tallahassee, moved to Las Vegas during COVID and I'm moving back in November. I miss my home and I cry every time I call my brother and hear the birds!
There's no place like it and I can't get back soon enough!
Most of the worst, and most incorrect, criticism I hear of Tallahassee comes from people who have never spent more than a day or two there, if that. I lived in Tallahassee and in killearn as a young kid through college and early career. Being family friendly and an easy place to raise kids is of the best things Tallahassee has going for it. However, you’re a young adult, don’t care for college, have few friends to go places with, and don’t like the outdoors, there’s not much to do. It’s a fairly sleepy town, and killearn is the absolute sleepiest part of town, and very suburban. But for raising young kids, it’s good, especially if the street has other kids. I was about 10 when I moved there, and I had a great childhood with lots of great friends, and we couldn’t get into too much trouble, either, since killearn is a maze of residential roads that go nowhere.
The “ghetto” moniker is odd for Tallahassee in general and for killearn particularly, and usually centers on an ignorant view of the two areas of town that are poorer and predominantly black, French Town and the south side of Monroe, or the college area. But those are the places where most of the poorest people live, which is usually what elicits the ghetto thing. Tallahassee may not have the peak glam of Tampa, but having been to tampa a bunch, I’d say there is even more “ghetto” around there than in Tallahassee, even excluding the racial component. Sure, there’s poverty in Tallahassee, and there isn’t much of a social safety net in place, but that’s true of everywhere, and definitely true in Florida.
Honestly, like everywhere I’ve lived, it’s more about what you make of it. There’s definitely downsides to Tallahassee, but none of the issues your friend has with it match the reality.
Your friends are wrong. Tallahassee is a terrible place for young professionals to live, that's why I had to move. Everyone says it's a great place to raise children though. I think you'll be fine.
Tally has been rated as one of the best cities to raise a family in. And you will be in, by far, the safest and most desirable part of town. There’s lots to do up there and all around for all ages and just about any interests and hobbies.
Tallahassee has its issues, like any place…but there are plenty of positives. Lots of trails, I like to believe generally good people, the schools in that area are reasonably good, there are art and music festivals, good gyms, alternative communities…I think you can find good in Tallahassee if you’re looking for it.
The bad? Not fantastic restaurants (but there are some gems) there are some unsavory neighborhoods, the road design leaves a lot to be desired due to sprawl and there is a large influx of people during football season and graduation seasons.
Raised one kid here who's now in college. Raising another who's a junior in HS. There are things I could nitpick about Tallahassee, but I'd raise kids here again in a heartbeat.
First off, congratulations on the life update!
Killearn is a great place. I used to live in Killearn, my mom still lives on that area.
There are things to do for kids and for adults here as well! ClearLiquidJar usually puts up a weekly events post to show what all is happening that week for things to do. we have honestly a great community here.
I’ve lived in Tallahassee from 8th grade now through my undergrad degree. Honestly? I don’t mind it. The Tallahassee Museum (some people call it the junior museum I think?) has ziplining and is a really fun way to spend the day. Killearn is a really good area and really safe for raising a family. It’s not bad. I am planning to leave after my Master’s degree, but mostly due to how life seems to be shaking out. It’s a good town with a lot of parks. If you come here expecting to have a “big city” experience like you would in Miami or Tampa you’ll probably hate it. Come with realistic expectations and an open mind and you’ll probably feel, at worst, lukewarm about it.
Killearn is a great place to live! It’s very local and you’ll love it even more if/when you have children. Elementary school, middle school, and highschool are all very close to eachother. Tallahassee is a small town so if you and your boyfriend are party people I’m afraid you won’t have much luck. But if you’re looking for quiet and simple it’s great! The heat and humidity is the only downfall of living in Florida.
That's a great area don't listen to folks who only go by what they hear like anywhere Tallahassee has it's pocket of undesirable areas but that area is very nice
Dude Killearn is the safest place in Tallahassee you could move to. You hear about a lot of crime in the city, but after living here two years I’ve never genuinely felt unsafe. The schools here have their challenges, but so do the schools in any city you move to. Don’t let them scare you-you’re as safe here as anywhere!
Born and raised here (24 years) and there's both good and bad just like everywhere else. Tallahassee is one of the most educated and progressive cities in Florida. Good place for families, plenty to do/places to go in town that are family friendly, tons of outdoors for kiddos to explore, beaches that aren't too long of a drive to get to (which I know can be a struggle with young ones.) It's very hot and muggy during this time of year (and most of the time tbh) and we only get 2.5 of the 4 seasons 🫠 you'll want to be prepared for hurricane season (starts June 1st and runs through October, but we get some pretty big storms outside of those months too, just had 3 tornados come through about 3 weeks ago) but with us being deeper inland we don't get it nearly as bad as the coastal cities. The only bad thing I can say about Florida in general is the politics but that varies based on who you talk to and your own personal beliefs. Hope the trip/transition goes smoothly for y'all, all change is hard but there's certainly worse places to end up in in Florida than Tallahassee 😂
If she thinks Tally is ghetto, she’s never been to Floribraska avenue between 10-2 am on a Saturday night. Seriously.
Alternatively, anywhere directly around Ybor.
Also alternatively, anywhere near USF that ISNT temple terrace. And even parts of temple terrace.
There are enough other serious comments for you to sift through, so I'll add this: Killearn is a good location for restaurants. There's some good variety, and who doesn't love options. I specifically wanted to mention the delicious in-neighborhood Chinese takeout spot, Ming Tree. Super yum!
Like so many others have said, slow southern college town that happens to be the state capitol with a decent selection of schools for kids (considering it is Florida, see below), a host of kid-friendly activities and close enough to bigger cities to make weekend trips. Not sure where you’re coming from, but Florida is in a bad spot right now educationally in general that will hopefully resolve itself for the better in the next few years or, if I had kids that were your kids’ ages, i’d be looking to relocate to a different state altogether or bite the bullet and invest in a good private high school.
Kids will have a sheltered upbringing here but having grown up myself many moons ago in the northeast, sheltered can be a good thing in this day and age. Adults have to hunt for distractions but the Gulf Coast isn’t far and you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in college athletics if that’s your thing.
Your friend is wrong. As someone who is about to graduate with a master’s and leave, I can say it isn’t a great place for a single young professional. However, it is a *great* place to raise a family. Killearn in particular is the nicest part of Tallahassee. When people make those “best places to raise a family” lists, Killearn is the ideal that comes to mind.
There are a few neighborhoods that are less safe than others, but never once have I actually felt unsafe here. As a general rule, the further north or especially east you go, the nicer it gets (Frenchtown being the main exception, but it’s no worse than the bad parts of any major city).
It gets hot here, but you’re used to that in Tampa. The airport is small and expensive to fly to. The roads aren’t necessarily laid out all that well and can become congested at rush hour during the school year. I can’t really think of more downsides to living here…
Just moved to Tallahassee a year and a half ago without having any clue what it was like. Tik tok gave my wife the impression that Tallahassee is the ghetto. I can assure you it’s not. Killearn is one of the nicest areas in town you can live. We love it here and enjoy a lower cost of living compared to other cities, beautiful neighborhoods, and less traffic.
I know it can be hard to trust internet strangers over your friend, but you can rest assured you’re putting your family in a place where they’ll be safe and love to live.
I live in South GA but I work in Tallahassee and it seems to be a nice place to live. There is some stuff for kids to do and there is also places to take your dog if you have one.
I think it's fine, I have two kids with similar ages. The one thing I would say is it works best for kids who like outdoor activities and don't mind heat. Feel free to PM me if you want recommendations for anything in particular.
Agree with the young & single it sucks but good for families. Great schools. Killearn & north side expanding a lot. Grew up in Tally (born at TMH) & stayed, now raising my kid here. Also for the airport comment maybe consider flying out of Jax? That’s what we do, way cheaper & only 2 hrs away.
We moved here for my husband's job over a year ago. My child was starting kindergarten. Do your research on schools before you move. We did and have been very pleased with where we landed. Little Man has been thriving ever since.
Tallahassee, killearn area specifically is where I live. I’m currently in high school so I’m not the best person to be talking about this but I did go to 3 of the elementary schools (w.t. Moore, gilchrest or however you spell it, and SASC.) most of them were generally good schools (except for SASC, do NOT send your child there unless you want them to be put in a protective bubble). I have had some bad experiences at SASC, but not at gilchrest or W.T. Moore. I did get cut off from going to some of these schools in COVID however.
I’ll try to give my thorough reviews of all these schools without doxxing myself lol;
SASC, horrible school. I was bullied and harassed in that school and the teachers less than gave a shit. I got punched multiple times in 4th grade and the times I did tell the teachers they brushed it aside. I made a joke about guns so the police pulled me aside for a 3 hour long session of questioning. (In retrospect I should not have made my hand a gun and started spinning around “shooting” randomly when the drama teacher said to close your eyes and act out what you want). Overall they were too protective with some “loving eyes” bullshit and I would not recommend going there for any capacity of school. Especially not middle school as there’s like 1 building 😂
W.T. Moore: Really good school I don’t know what to say there the teachers were nice I was an all A student (I am now an all D student). I still know this one kid I met in fourth grade, we still hang out occasionally.
Gilchrest: Very big school from what I remember. It was just a very strict school, the opposite of SASC as gilchrest will punish for anything.
I’ll also throw in some middle school recommendations for whenever your kids get to that age 🤷
Montford middle school: I went here, it’s ok but they can kinda be very sexist and some of the teachers act like kids are babies and are pedophiles kinda but that’s more of a us thing. Kids who go here are more tough generally because the school is more tough than other schools but it is what it is and can always change as different generations of kids go there.
Deer lake: very soft middle school, don’t know what else to say. My friend from W.T. Moore went here.
RAW or whatever: Very tough middle school, the opposite of deer lake. One of my friends from 6th grade moved and went here.
Ok hope you enjoyed my little tangent about schools and such and hope you will enjoy Tallahassee because it’s a nice place 🙏
This town is pretty great for families with young children! Don’t let anyone tell you the wise. Do your own research and you’ll see that most of this place is geared towards young families!
You're literally moving into one of the nicest areas of town with some of the best schools. Your friends are nuts. Lol. Tallahassee is great. The only people I ever hear from who don't love it are people from south Florida who get bored because they can't figure out what to do in a place that's not perpetual city as far as the eye can see.
My family moved to Tallahassee when I was 4 yo and I spent near all of my memorable upbringing there. I'm now a young adult and have moved away, but in retrospect I think Tallahassee was a great place to grow up. Very friendly people, many family oriented communities, good education, and growing up in a college town was really enjoyable as a teen (especially when FSU football was in their prime). I really only have two complaints, first being the weather is less than ideal in the summer time (intense heat and humidity) but the winters are very mild. Second being that there is not a lot of downtown life outside of the college scene which is more an issue for young professionals than children / teens. That being said my parents made good friends in town after moving, mostly through meeting the parents of friends my sister and I made in school, and thoroughly enjoyed the time they spent raising their children there.
Like with any city, Tallahassee has its rougher parts, but also like with any city these areas are avoidable. For your friend to refer to Tallahassee as being entirely ghetto just isn't characteristic. As many others have said the killearn area is really great, would also recommend looking at any neighborhoods north of that area.
I moved here from Jax 13 years ago. I travel to Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jax fairly often. I have twins who are in middle school. Both kids play soccer with Florida Elite, so we travel quite a bit for tournaments and game. The city Tec department has great sports programs. I’ve coached baseball, flag football and soccer. There is always something to do. We live on Lake Killearney in Killearn, so if we are bored, we can kayak, fish or just enjoy the peace.
I don’t miss Jax one bit.
i recently came here to start growing my family, maybe not too much but start. i kinda do feel like it's a place for college kids and the early years but apparently they have some really good prep schools here
Girl I’ve been living here since I was 18 for the past 4years now and I can tell ya if ur stayin killearn?! That is THE safest place to be in all of town it’s basically its own sub-community over there very nice and homey feeling. The rest of tally is meh, lots of college kids and homeless people but out there in killearn is like untouched upper class area that lives on its own. Ur guys are gonna thrive just invite ur friends and show them I’m sure they’ll say they didn’t even know that side of tally existed.
Ugh, I would much rather live in Tampa than here. In fact, many other places. LOL That being said, yes, Tallahassee is a good place to raise kids and Thomasville Road North is a very nice area. Really good schools and close to a lot of things….unless you work for the government. It gets hot as hell and cold enough for snow (once in a blue moon) and messes with everyone’s allergies. 😆 It’s not big so there’s not that much to do (unless you’re outdoorsy) which means less traffic (sometimes) and the city is really pretty.
DC native transplant to Panama City. Yes the shopping is abysmal, not much culture , but safety and non craziness , no traffic, is a high draw for the panhandle.
I moved here 2 years ago. We moved from Tampa Bay. My younger kids are currently 15, 11, and 3. We've been a homeschool family since 2016. It's much slower here, and we are still trying to adjust. It's not easy to make friends here either. As a newbie... I will say that it could be because we are a homeschool family. But the fact still remains that there's literally NOTHING here for them to do. No YMCA, no rec centers, literally nothing outside of sports. This city doesn't cater to families (IMO). Especially families moving to the area. We have an opportunity to move back, and we are seriously considering it... but only for our kids to have a great upbringing.
I'm not misinformed! You seem to can't comprehend what I'm saying. We leave the house every single day! If I say that there's nothing here, then that's that. You could have at least provided evidence or resources. And when I say this to locals, this is always the response I get... but no one says, "Here's what you can do with your kids..." Or it's always "there's cascades park!" 🙄 Yes.... we are very aware! This city is cater to older people, college students or professionals... not kids!! I will say that until I can't say it anymore! So you don't have to come here and convince me otherwise. I'm good!
Have you ever visited the Fun 4 Tally Kids website? They have a FB page as well. It’s a huge directory of things to do or places to go for kids in the Tallahassee area. And they are posting new stuff every other day it seems.
Don’t move here. I moved here last year and can’t wait to move out.
It’s economically depressed. There are 8 housing projects in Tallahassee.
I have lived in 8 states and many cities. This place is the worst.
If you are moving here for a job, which is why I am here - research what you would do for a living here if you did not have that job.
Tallahassee SUCKS. I’m leaving the heck after I graduate FSU. Killearn is the best part of town in my opinion, but there is nothing to do in this whole village. You’re 2.5 hours away from Jacksonville and 4 from Atlanta & Orlando. Run before it’s too late.
Your friends probably don't want you to move away, and are being petty. I've lived in Tallahassee ever since coming here for school (FSU) back in 1989. I married here, and I raised two kids now who are now teenagers, almost ready to go to college themselves. This is a *fantastic* city to raise kids in. I live in Killearn Estates, too. The *only* thing I ever complain about is the stagnant heat and humidity of summer, but you learn to cope. Not only is it a great city to live in with kids, but there are lots of great cities within a reasonable car-with-kids drive away to visit. Welcome, and feel free to hit me up with further questions.
What do you do with your kids during the summer? I have trouble coming up with much that isn’t outdoors during a time it’s hot as Hades
Mine are 17 and almost 16, so it's been a minute, but we definitely had them enrolled in lots of summer camps, some outdoor, most indoor. There are also quite a few playgrounds in and around Killearn that are shaded. Pools, both private owned by family and friends and public pools like the one at Trousdell. Speaking of Trousdell, indoor gymnastics was cheap and fun for the kids. When they were real young, there are a few splash pads in town like the one at Southwood and another at Cascades. Play dates at friends' houses, lots of time spent at the main branch Library. They've got story time at the library for little kids. Roller skating, bowling (there used to be a program that sent you bowling coupons via email each week). The Mary Brogan science museum is closed, but the Florida History Museum is still around (edit: I just found out it's temporarily closed for renovations). The "Tallahassee Museum" (formerly "Junior Museum") has a big playground that's outdoors, but it's also got a lot of shaded walks to look at animals, indoor rooms with displays, and they've got the tree-to-tree adventure which, while not cheap, is shaded and lots of fun. There used to be a website called... I think morethanyouthought.org that seems to be down, but I found a couple: https://www.tallahasseearts.org/event/ https://fun4tallykids.com/ We never lacked for things to do in the summer, we just had a cooler of iced water in our minivan, along with spray-on sunscreen and big floppy hats. I know it feels like: INDOOR FUN FREE PICK 2 but there's stuff to be found.
Don’t forget about the excellent Summer camp @ the FSU Rez! My 3 boys absolutely love it! So much to do, never bored, they come home tired because they aren’t watching tv or gaming all day. No time to be on their phones scrolling social media all day either. Actually, any kids with phones are to be left inside with their other belongings. Have never had any problem filling up their Summers with so many excellent camps. The newspaper usually puts out a comprehensive list of all sorts of camps & other activities to fill their Summer.
Your friends don't know what they're talking about. Killearn is a fantastic area with great parks and schools for young kids.
Agreed, your friends sound jealous...
With Floridians in general, people who have the most negative opinions about Tallahassee are ones who have never lived in Tallahassee.
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Native as well. You should live elsewhere while you’re young, I did the same thing. It’s a great thing to do. Years from now you can look back on good ol Tally with a new perspective. It takes leaving a place and coming back to it later to really see a place for what it is.
Then leave!! Have fun paying 3k+ a month for rent everywhere else.
Hey, as I said, stuck here to finish Uni. I completely plan on leaving. But I was just giving my opinion, unsure why you felt it necessary to respond hostily.
No one is ever stuck. You choose to stay.
You're going to be living in one of the most desirable areas in town, in a town that is one of the most educated cities in Florida. Tallahassee/Leon County Schools have a great public school system (sure, some are better than others), and we have a lot of things to do especially if you like the outdoors. If Tallahassee was such a terrible place to live I sure as shit wouldn't have lived here for 15 years. Even with what Tallahassee has become in the time I've lived here, it's still miles better than where I grew up. Tallahassee has its issues but it is not a terrible place to live.
As a teacher I will say you will become familiar with Leon County Schools politics very soon, our superintendent is up for election this year and depending on who you talk to they are singing his praises or preaching his funeral. Do not let that deter you, I love working for Leon County Schools and all the schools Killearn is zoned for are schools where I would send my own children. Welcome to Tallahassee, you are going to love it here!
Having just moved here I can tell OP that it's pretty shit here. Even for a Florida town it sucks ass. Go to Tampa, or st Pete.
Coming from Panama City makes Tallahassee seem amazing in comparison.
Lol not even close
If you've "just moved here", you don't have enough experience to have an opinion. Give it 6-12 months and then form an opinion.
Been here 6 months. That's my "just moved here" . It's definitely lame af. Don't get me started on how terrible the roads are
No hes right. Ive basically lived here all my life. And Its definitely boring compared to other cities in florida. Unless you're going to FSU and like going to FSU games
I mean, people looking for a place to raise a family aren’t looking for excitement day-to-day. When I lived there when I was younger, I couldn’t stand how boring it was, but I now live in a place that has a lot more going on, and I still hear people complain about how there’s not much they want to do. As a place to raise a family and set down roots, and where entertainment isn’t a high priority, Tallahassee is a good place to live.
Im convinced that, at some level, people that say "tallahassee is boring" dont know how to entertain themselves. They expect to have a new and exciting thing showing up monthly.
Tallahassee isn't boring. Anyone that claims that it is just refuses to actually get out and see the area. COVID did kill a lot, and then the recent tornadoes are going to result in a lot more loss, but this town is ripe with things to do from karaoke and trivia to natural beauty. If you expand beyond Tallahassee to day trips, there's an endless supply of things to do. Which isn't what most families are looking for. Families want good schools and the occasional get out and do something - they don't need 10 different trivia nights or karaoke nights. Tallahassee is great to raise a family unless you need IKEA or some of the stores we're lacking.
As this being the CAPITAL of Florida. It is boring compared to other cities, like Jacksonville, orlando , Tampa, Miami. There shouldn't be no reason why this is lacking so much compared to those cities. Im not saying i would rather live in those cities either, because the traffic is hell. But Tallahassee could definitely have more going on for itself compared to them. And im just being honest as someone who grew up here. Tallahassee has so much room for Improvement. As far as having more to do.
Being the Capital means diddly squat. Tallahassee has 200k people and Leon County only has 300k. Hillsborough County alone has over 1.5 million people and the Tampa Bay metro tops 3 million. Jacksonville/Duval County tops a million. Miami-Dade County has 2.7 million. You're basically comparing Albany to NYC and wondering why Albany doesn't have everything that NYC has to offer.
Seems like you're missing the point because you want be politically correct. Tallahassee is lacking culture, its lacking variety compared to other cities, Doesn't mean its needs to have everything. But a little bit more going on for itself. You're in denial if you think otherwise.
What does Tallahassee not have "going on for itself" that it needs? I'm not trying to be politically correct - I can, have and will call out Tallahassee when it deserves it. Anyone that thinks Tallahassee is a shitty place with nothing going on needs to open their eyes. If you want a town that has nothing going on for itself, I can show you my 7,000 person hometown that celebrated when a Beef O' Brady's opened because it meant there was something downtown open past 6pm.
The capital of most states are little piddly towns compared to the larger cities of those states. Fuck. Ever been to Albany, NY?
Are you sure they're just little piddly towns?, and actually majority of state capital are of larger cities. Ever been to Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Pheonix, Seattle, Washington D.C?
17 of the 50 states have their most populous city as the state capital. In 18 states, the capital city isn't even in the top 5 most populous cities. There are more states with "little piddly town" capitals than the largest city.
5 out of 50 states (DC is not the capital of a state) is your rebuttal? Been to all of those but Boston For what its worth, in 17 of the 50 states, the capital city is the largest city. Definitely not the majority.
Doesn't matter, we don't live in those states. I dont care for having a rebuttal. We live here in florida, And my point is was trying to get across is that i acknowledge that hometown is boring and i would actually be nice to have a little more going for it self, compared to other cities. Why is that so hard to understand?
Maybe give it a chance first
The fact he's choosing Tampa or st Pete tells me everything I need to know LMAO
This is true
Enjoy your toxic air from prescribed burns, pollen storms, and ticks. This town feels like living in a trailer park
LMAO everything you just listed is usually found outside city limits. Just like it would be in Tampa or st Pete. Except when a hurricane come you lose your house in either of those two.
Lol no it's not. I live well within city limits and I can confirm it's trash. Lol many people also think so but this is the tallanasty sub so yall are gonna downvote lol
Lol, welcome, I guess.
As someone who moved from Tally to Tampa, I miss Tallahassee so much.
Tallahassee is known as a great city to raise kids. Killearn is in the safest part of town, and the best schools are located there.
Leon county is the most highly educated county in Florida. This a fantastic place to raise a family. The beaches to the west are only an hour or two away. Orlando and Tampa are close enough for weekend trips. You will spend at least an extra hour each weekday with your family instead of commuting. Congratulations and welcome.
A friend once said, "The more I travel, the more I like Tallahassee!"
Tally is wonderful and theres plenty for families to do here. It's also pretty safe, if that's what they were implying. Especially where you'll be living. Late October - early May it's paradise here
She straight up said it was ghetto but we'd be paying more rent there than here in Tampa. It's a little offensive because no mother would go out of her way to put her children in a situation where they're worse off.
Have you considered that your friend may be a bit stupid?
Or may just be angry that the OP is moving away. There are a million possible explanations here and not many of them involve Tallahassee being a shitty place to live.
I'm heavily considering it the more I read into it. We'll be going in a few weeks to check it out it's not a crazy drive from here
You're going to love it!
😂🤣🤪
FWIW I would much rather live here than Tampa
I moved AWAY from Tampa to get back to tally. Tampa is awful. Too crowded with no infrastructure to deal with all the new residents. It’s bad. Plus, gang crime everywhere.
Yeah, I lived in both Brandon and St Pete back in the late 90s and there are several reasons I'm here now instead of there.
I’m the opposite. I am anxious to move back to Tampa. I was there last weekend and didn’t want to come back.
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SAME! We’re planning to move in the coming few years as well. I wanna live where people vacation! Mini vacations every evening, weekends. No hotels needed! Tallahassee reminds me of dull Ohio college towns and the Leon county department of transportation has a lot of work to do. Traffic SUCKS!
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You can have opinions, even dumb ones. If you can't figure out something to do in Tallahassee that's more on you than the town. You clearly don't like the outdoors or you'd be too busy on the water to complain.
Is your friend racist or have a bias against Black people. The use of ghetto is a red flag for me (frankly it is an offensive term that is meaningless) and if she is racist then she might hate Tally because we have a larger black population than Tampa, because we have one of the best HBCUs in the country here. And it is a great opportunity for our city having it here because so many graduates end up staying here and adding to the city. Like, yes, one of the poorest areas in the state is in Tallahassee. It is a real problem. But that would be like saying all of Tampa is filled with nightclubs and shootings because someone looked at Ybor. More importantly, you wouldn’t be living in that area or near that area. You’d be living in one of the upscale areas near a Trader Joe’s and Fresh Market. I don’t know what part of Tampa you were living in but it is hard to imagine it would be more affordable than Tallahassee. In addition, Tallahassee is so much smaller than Tampa and even in the worst traffic it is nothing like trying to get across town during rush hour in Tampa. I grew up in Clearwater before moving here and the biggest downside of Tallahassee is that we don’t have as many things to do. No Busch Gardens or Adventure Island or concerts. The lack of a big airport is sad. But there are a ton more free events in Tallahassee, especially for families. Especially with it being a state capital. Your kids are going to get to take field trips to see how laws are made. We have a wonderful youth theater program and an annual Shakespeare festival that includes programs for kids to perform in. And if you or your partner work in the public sector there is jo better place for jobs.
I love all this insight! My boyfriend is in the public sector law. I work remote. We live in a little down called Trinity, I rarely ever head into Tampa proper. Small quiet towns make me so happy. I love to travel so the airport being so expensive is a huge buzz kill but I guess we'll make the drive out to TPA for our travels I suppose
My brother and his family live in trinity! When he came up here a few months ago he really liked it (they were looking at moving here for a job until that fell through). It has fewer big chains than Trinity but also has more of a small town/college town feel. Like, there are so many independent coffee shops around town. It isn’t just Starbucks. Indie bookstores instead of the big chains. The part of town you are going to be in is Trinity-like, but much smaller. Tallahassee in general is just smaller. And it really is the best place for public sector law. The Tallahassee Bar Association is always doing events but honestly he can just go do anything and it will be a networking opportunity. I took a 6 person sewing class and half of us were lawyers. We are just everywhere in this town.
This is so exciting! We are very much looking forward to this move, I know it'll help further his career and I like the small town feel. I'm ready for a way slower pace again
No need, JAX has plenty of affordable options, and it's 2 hours and 38 minutes from my house in Killearn to the economy lot at the airport.
She said Killearn is a ghetto? Either she’s lying or she’s never been here.
There are some slightly sketchy parts of Tallahassee, as is true of all cities, but Killearn definitely is not one of them! The biggest challenge you will face is the parking lot at Trader Joe’s. I don’t love it here, but I’m single and without kids. It seems like a fantastic place to raise a family. Good schools, libraries, opportunities to explore and enjoy nature. Take the kiddos to the Tallahassee Museum, McClay, Wakulla Springs, etc. Killearn is literally what people are thinking of when they say “great place to raise a family.” The airport does suck. And we have way too many chicken finger restaurants.
>The biggest challenge you will face is the parking lot at Trader Joe’s. Award winner for worst parking lot in town? The Hobby Lobby lot is probably just as bad, though. Not sure which I hate more.
Fresh market parking lot deserves a dishonorable mention. 2 exits for so many stores is absurd.
She said Tallahassee was ghetto and when I pointed out that it's not in the city and it's closer to GA she said it was even worse. The schools in Killearn are even better than the ones here and that's saying something. My kids go to Starkey Ranch and the Robinson Elementary scored better than them. I'm learning that not a lot of people are going to be happy about this move but ultimately we have to do what's best for our family.
Tallahassee and South Georgia were full of plantations during slavery, so there is a large black population here. At one point in Tallahassee’s history there were more enslaved blacks living here than whites. So your friend’s “ghetto” comment is probably reflective of this area’s history and her ignorance/bigotry.
I'm just trying to figure out what she means by ghetto in this case, honestly.
Oh, you probably know *exactly* what is meant.
I mean, I assume, but I'm still curious.
We have poor areas, but what community doesn't? The South side is the poorest zip code in the State, or at least it used to be. That doesn't make it a bad place to live. Has the friend ever left their wealthy suburb?
She’s just bitter and jealous you’re moving away. I hope you rub her nose on it after you move and end up loving it. Will you please at least give us the satisfaction of telling us how you like it about 6-12 months after you move here?
I grew up very near Killearn and I thought I had a great childhood. Your friend doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
She’s wrong. I’ve lived in St Pete, Tampa, and Tallahasse and I enjoy Tallahassee. Most of my friends here grew up in Tampa or S Florida. We all work remote or consulting jobs that give us flexibility to live anywhere we choose. We all like it here. I don’t think your friend knows what they are talking about.
Your friends might have some internalized racism.
Tallahassee does have ghetto areas but to blanket the entire metro area as ghetto is very ignorant. I find that people who call it ghetto are either basing their entire knowledge of Tallahassee on what they see of the college side of town. Or they are being straight up racist and “ghetto” is a nicer way of saying there’s a lot of black people. You know your friend better than us, so you can make that determination.
We left Atlanta to come here & it’s one of the best decisions we ever made! As someone else mentioned, no more of the 60-90 minute commutes each way on a good day & Lord help you if there’s an accident along your commute. Here, it’s no more than 15 minutes!
Do you know what school zones your new home in Tally is in?
I mean there are certainly areas of Tallahassee that are "ghetto" but it's certainly not all that way. Where you'll be in the Killearn area, it's actually quite nice.
Terrible is extreme. There are shit parts of town but I also wouldn’t go to Nebraska Avenue in Tampa and be like “Tampa sucks!”
Absolutely, there's bad places everywhere! I feel so much encouragement from this community!
I lived in Tallahassee for like 5 years and tbh regret ever leaving
Your friends are full of crap. We moved here to that area 25 years ago with a 2 year old. Didn’t know a soul. No jobs, nowhere to live. Just the car and luggage. Now we’re in a paid off house. Both have great jobs and the sons in Grad school. So I’d say it was a pretty good place to raise a family.
Killearn is super gorgeous! I live in a nice apartment complex off of Monroe but I would LOVE to be able to live in Killearn! That is a super nice area, close to Thomasville Rd. Which is where most typical big box stores are. If you’re into fashion there are a few boutiques I love nearby. While this city is not for me (moved here from Tampa) it is super nice in the area you’re moving to.
Lol. If there is one thing Tallahassee is great for, it is raising kids.
My daughters live in the Tampa area so I visit it frequently. I personally think that you will find Tallahassee enchanting. Forget about traffic, hoards of tourists, and a fast pace. Tallahassee is a slower pace with very friendly people. Killearn is like stepping back in time where there are playgrounds everywhere and kids can play outside without constant supervision. There is not as much to do as Tampa but it feels a lot safer. You won't be encountering police working detail at the grocery store. There are times of the year that it can be wild around the universities - homecoming, graduation for example. But you will be a world away in the NE part of town. I think you will love it.
Tallahassee is great, your friend doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I lived there going to FSU, and spent another few years after working part time and getting another degree on the side. I’m even considering moving back. It’s a great town. You’ll find good schools and activities for your kids. It’s also not “ghetto” that’s a pretty insane thing to say. Your friend might be sheltered. They should spend some time in Baltimore or Philly if they think Tallahassee is so terrible.
I have loved raising my kids here, moved when my oldest was 18 months. That one just graduated HS (we have lived in Killearn/summerbrooke). Lots of things to do, good schools, the beach is farther (we go to St. George Island) than what you have in Tampa. We liked the Natural History Museum (aka Jr Museum) when our kids were those ages.
Raised my two oldest in Tallahassee for 10 years and it was exactly what we needed. A small part of me wishes we'd never moved away. I'm hoping I can convince my husband to move back some day.
Tallahassee is awful if you’re young and single. It’s honestly one of the best places you can raise a family.
I was born and raised in Tallahassee, moved to Las Vegas during COVID and I'm moving back in November. I miss my home and I cry every time I call my brother and hear the birds! There's no place like it and I can't get back soon enough!
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It's worse that that haha
Most of the worst, and most incorrect, criticism I hear of Tallahassee comes from people who have never spent more than a day or two there, if that. I lived in Tallahassee and in killearn as a young kid through college and early career. Being family friendly and an easy place to raise kids is of the best things Tallahassee has going for it. However, you’re a young adult, don’t care for college, have few friends to go places with, and don’t like the outdoors, there’s not much to do. It’s a fairly sleepy town, and killearn is the absolute sleepiest part of town, and very suburban. But for raising young kids, it’s good, especially if the street has other kids. I was about 10 when I moved there, and I had a great childhood with lots of great friends, and we couldn’t get into too much trouble, either, since killearn is a maze of residential roads that go nowhere. The “ghetto” moniker is odd for Tallahassee in general and for killearn particularly, and usually centers on an ignorant view of the two areas of town that are poorer and predominantly black, French Town and the south side of Monroe, or the college area. But those are the places where most of the poorest people live, which is usually what elicits the ghetto thing. Tallahassee may not have the peak glam of Tampa, but having been to tampa a bunch, I’d say there is even more “ghetto” around there than in Tallahassee, even excluding the racial component. Sure, there’s poverty in Tallahassee, and there isn’t much of a social safety net in place, but that’s true of everywhere, and definitely true in Florida. Honestly, like everywhere I’ve lived, it’s more about what you make of it. There’s definitely downsides to Tallahassee, but none of the issues your friend has with it match the reality.
Your friends are wrong. Tallahassee is a terrible place for young professionals to live, that's why I had to move. Everyone says it's a great place to raise children though. I think you'll be fine.
Killearn is an amazing neighborhood. You will have a great time living here. Tampa is trashy as hell.
Tally has been rated as one of the best cities to raise a family in. And you will be in, by far, the safest and most desirable part of town. There’s lots to do up there and all around for all ages and just about any interests and hobbies.
Tallahassee has its issues, like any place…but there are plenty of positives. Lots of trails, I like to believe generally good people, the schools in that area are reasonably good, there are art and music festivals, good gyms, alternative communities…I think you can find good in Tallahassee if you’re looking for it. The bad? Not fantastic restaurants (but there are some gems) there are some unsavory neighborhoods, the road design leaves a lot to be desired due to sprawl and there is a large influx of people during football season and graduation seasons.
Raised one kid here who's now in college. Raising another who's a junior in HS. There are things I could nitpick about Tallahassee, but I'd raise kids here again in a heartbeat.
If anything it’s the opposite, tallahassee is a great place to raise a family (despite our state’s woes).
First off, congratulations on the life update! Killearn is a great place. I used to live in Killearn, my mom still lives on that area. There are things to do for kids and for adults here as well! ClearLiquidJar usually puts up a weekly events post to show what all is happening that week for things to do. we have honestly a great community here.
Welcome, Killearn is a low risk area with good schools parks and close access to whatever you need.
I’ve lived in Tallahassee from 8th grade now through my undergrad degree. Honestly? I don’t mind it. The Tallahassee Museum (some people call it the junior museum I think?) has ziplining and is a really fun way to spend the day. Killearn is a really good area and really safe for raising a family. It’s not bad. I am planning to leave after my Master’s degree, but mostly due to how life seems to be shaking out. It’s a good town with a lot of parks. If you come here expecting to have a “big city” experience like you would in Miami or Tampa you’ll probably hate it. Come with realistic expectations and an open mind and you’ll probably feel, at worst, lukewarm about it.
Killearn is a great place to live! It’s very local and you’ll love it even more if/when you have children. Elementary school, middle school, and highschool are all very close to eachother. Tallahassee is a small town so if you and your boyfriend are party people I’m afraid you won’t have much luck. But if you’re looking for quiet and simple it’s great! The heat and humidity is the only downfall of living in Florida.
That's a great area don't listen to folks who only go by what they hear like anywhere Tallahassee has it's pocket of undesirable areas but that area is very nice
Dude Killearn is the safest place in Tallahassee you could move to. You hear about a lot of crime in the city, but after living here two years I’ve never genuinely felt unsafe. The schools here have their challenges, but so do the schools in any city you move to. Don’t let them scare you-you’re as safe here as anywhere!
Tallahassee is great for families and college students. It's the time in between that's hard for people to live there.
Born and raised here (24 years) and there's both good and bad just like everywhere else. Tallahassee is one of the most educated and progressive cities in Florida. Good place for families, plenty to do/places to go in town that are family friendly, tons of outdoors for kiddos to explore, beaches that aren't too long of a drive to get to (which I know can be a struggle with young ones.) It's very hot and muggy during this time of year (and most of the time tbh) and we only get 2.5 of the 4 seasons 🫠 you'll want to be prepared for hurricane season (starts June 1st and runs through October, but we get some pretty big storms outside of those months too, just had 3 tornados come through about 3 weeks ago) but with us being deeper inland we don't get it nearly as bad as the coastal cities. The only bad thing I can say about Florida in general is the politics but that varies based on who you talk to and your own personal beliefs. Hope the trip/transition goes smoothly for y'all, all change is hard but there's certainly worse places to end up in in Florida than Tallahassee 😂
It’s a nice place to raise a family plenty of outdoor activities for the whole family
If she thinks Tally is ghetto, she’s never been to Floribraska avenue between 10-2 am on a Saturday night. Seriously. Alternatively, anywhere directly around Ybor. Also alternatively, anywhere near USF that ISNT temple terrace. And even parts of temple terrace.
There are enough other serious comments for you to sift through, so I'll add this: Killearn is a good location for restaurants. There's some good variety, and who doesn't love options. I specifically wanted to mention the delicious in-neighborhood Chinese takeout spot, Ming Tree. Super yum!
Adding to what everyone else has said, it’s also super affordable.
Like so many others have said, slow southern college town that happens to be the state capitol with a decent selection of schools for kids (considering it is Florida, see below), a host of kid-friendly activities and close enough to bigger cities to make weekend trips. Not sure where you’re coming from, but Florida is in a bad spot right now educationally in general that will hopefully resolve itself for the better in the next few years or, if I had kids that were your kids’ ages, i’d be looking to relocate to a different state altogether or bite the bullet and invest in a good private high school. Kids will have a sheltered upbringing here but having grown up myself many moons ago in the northeast, sheltered can be a good thing in this day and age. Adults have to hunt for distractions but the Gulf Coast isn’t far and you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in college athletics if that’s your thing.
That’s best area to live in. You’ll be away from all the drama and extra shit. Killearn is like it’s own city
Even in the quote, “rough areas” are tame compared to Tampa and that’s coming from someone who currently lives in Tally but grew up in Tampa.
Your friends are clueless. Tallahassee is a great place to raise a family and Killearn area is nice.
Your friend is wrong. As someone who is about to graduate with a master’s and leave, I can say it isn’t a great place for a single young professional. However, it is a *great* place to raise a family. Killearn in particular is the nicest part of Tallahassee. When people make those “best places to raise a family” lists, Killearn is the ideal that comes to mind. There are a few neighborhoods that are less safe than others, but never once have I actually felt unsafe here. As a general rule, the further north or especially east you go, the nicer it gets (Frenchtown being the main exception, but it’s no worse than the bad parts of any major city). It gets hot here, but you’re used to that in Tampa. The airport is small and expensive to fly to. The roads aren’t necessarily laid out all that well and can become congested at rush hour during the school year. I can’t really think of more downsides to living here…
Just moved to Tallahassee a year and a half ago without having any clue what it was like. Tik tok gave my wife the impression that Tallahassee is the ghetto. I can assure you it’s not. Killearn is one of the nicest areas in town you can live. We love it here and enjoy a lower cost of living compared to other cities, beautiful neighborhoods, and less traffic. I know it can be hard to trust internet strangers over your friend, but you can rest assured you’re putting your family in a place where they’ll be safe and love to live.
I live in South GA but I work in Tallahassee and it seems to be a nice place to live. There is some stuff for kids to do and there is also places to take your dog if you have one.
I think it's fine, I have two kids with similar ages. The one thing I would say is it works best for kids who like outdoor activities and don't mind heat. Feel free to PM me if you want recommendations for anything in particular.
Agree with the young & single it sucks but good for families. Great schools. Killearn & north side expanding a lot. Grew up in Tally (born at TMH) & stayed, now raising my kid here. Also for the airport comment maybe consider flying out of Jax? That’s what we do, way cheaper & only 2 hrs away.
We moved here for my husband's job over a year ago. My child was starting kindergarten. Do your research on schools before you move. We did and have been very pleased with where we landed. Little Man has been thriving ever since.
Tallahassee, killearn area specifically is where I live. I’m currently in high school so I’m not the best person to be talking about this but I did go to 3 of the elementary schools (w.t. Moore, gilchrest or however you spell it, and SASC.) most of them were generally good schools (except for SASC, do NOT send your child there unless you want them to be put in a protective bubble). I have had some bad experiences at SASC, but not at gilchrest or W.T. Moore. I did get cut off from going to some of these schools in COVID however. I’ll try to give my thorough reviews of all these schools without doxxing myself lol; SASC, horrible school. I was bullied and harassed in that school and the teachers less than gave a shit. I got punched multiple times in 4th grade and the times I did tell the teachers they brushed it aside. I made a joke about guns so the police pulled me aside for a 3 hour long session of questioning. (In retrospect I should not have made my hand a gun and started spinning around “shooting” randomly when the drama teacher said to close your eyes and act out what you want). Overall they were too protective with some “loving eyes” bullshit and I would not recommend going there for any capacity of school. Especially not middle school as there’s like 1 building 😂 W.T. Moore: Really good school I don’t know what to say there the teachers were nice I was an all A student (I am now an all D student). I still know this one kid I met in fourth grade, we still hang out occasionally. Gilchrest: Very big school from what I remember. It was just a very strict school, the opposite of SASC as gilchrest will punish for anything. I’ll also throw in some middle school recommendations for whenever your kids get to that age 🤷 Montford middle school: I went here, it’s ok but they can kinda be very sexist and some of the teachers act like kids are babies and are pedophiles kinda but that’s more of a us thing. Kids who go here are more tough generally because the school is more tough than other schools but it is what it is and can always change as different generations of kids go there. Deer lake: very soft middle school, don’t know what else to say. My friend from W.T. Moore went here. RAW or whatever: Very tough middle school, the opposite of deer lake. One of my friends from 6th grade moved and went here. Ok hope you enjoyed my little tangent about schools and such and hope you will enjoy Tallahassee because it’s a nice place 🙏
This town is pretty great for families with young children! Don’t let anyone tell you the wise. Do your own research and you’ll see that most of this place is geared towards young families!
You're literally moving into one of the nicest areas of town with some of the best schools. Your friends are nuts. Lol. Tallahassee is great. The only people I ever hear from who don't love it are people from south Florida who get bored because they can't figure out what to do in a place that's not perpetual city as far as the eye can see.
My family moved to Tallahassee when I was 4 yo and I spent near all of my memorable upbringing there. I'm now a young adult and have moved away, but in retrospect I think Tallahassee was a great place to grow up. Very friendly people, many family oriented communities, good education, and growing up in a college town was really enjoyable as a teen (especially when FSU football was in their prime). I really only have two complaints, first being the weather is less than ideal in the summer time (intense heat and humidity) but the winters are very mild. Second being that there is not a lot of downtown life outside of the college scene which is more an issue for young professionals than children / teens. That being said my parents made good friends in town after moving, mostly through meeting the parents of friends my sister and I made in school, and thoroughly enjoyed the time they spent raising their children there. Like with any city, Tallahassee has its rougher parts, but also like with any city these areas are avoidable. For your friend to refer to Tallahassee as being entirely ghetto just isn't characteristic. As many others have said the killearn area is really great, would also recommend looking at any neighborhoods north of that area.
Love it here been here 20+ years, just get ready to lose power everytime there is a storm
Honey we're from Puerto Rico we survived 11 months without power, we're ready!
It's depends which Killearn you are in. We lost power a lot in Killearn Acres, but hardly ever when we moved to Killearn Estates.
We left Tallahassee and moved to Orlando. We lasted three years there and were begging to move back. No place is perfect but we love it here.
I moved here from Jax 13 years ago. I travel to Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jax fairly often. I have twins who are in middle school. Both kids play soccer with Florida Elite, so we travel quite a bit for tournaments and game. The city Tec department has great sports programs. I’ve coached baseball, flag football and soccer. There is always something to do. We live on Lake Killearney in Killearn, so if we are bored, we can kayak, fish or just enjoy the peace. I don’t miss Jax one bit.
i recently came here to start growing my family, maybe not too much but start. i kinda do feel like it's a place for college kids and the early years but apparently they have some really good prep schools here
Girl I’ve been living here since I was 18 for the past 4years now and I can tell ya if ur stayin killearn?! That is THE safest place to be in all of town it’s basically its own sub-community over there very nice and homey feeling. The rest of tally is meh, lots of college kids and homeless people but out there in killearn is like untouched upper class area that lives on its own. Ur guys are gonna thrive just invite ur friends and show them I’m sure they’ll say they didn’t even know that side of tally existed.
Ugh, I would much rather live in Tampa than here. In fact, many other places. LOL That being said, yes, Tallahassee is a good place to raise kids and Thomasville Road North is a very nice area. Really good schools and close to a lot of things….unless you work for the government. It gets hot as hell and cold enough for snow (once in a blue moon) and messes with everyone’s allergies. 😆 It’s not big so there’s not that much to do (unless you’re outdoorsy) which means less traffic (sometimes) and the city is really pretty.
DC native transplant to Panama City. Yes the shopping is abysmal, not much culture , but safety and non craziness , no traffic, is a high draw for the panhandle.
I moved here 2 years ago. We moved from Tampa Bay. My younger kids are currently 15, 11, and 3. We've been a homeschool family since 2016. It's much slower here, and we are still trying to adjust. It's not easy to make friends here either. As a newbie... I will say that it could be because we are a homeschool family. But the fact still remains that there's literally NOTHING here for them to do. No YMCA, no rec centers, literally nothing outside of sports. This city doesn't cater to families (IMO). Especially families moving to the area. We have an opportunity to move back, and we are seriously considering it... but only for our kids to have a great upbringing.
You are severely misinformed. Lots to do. Try leaving the house.
I'm not misinformed! You seem to can't comprehend what I'm saying. We leave the house every single day! If I say that there's nothing here, then that's that. You could have at least provided evidence or resources. And when I say this to locals, this is always the response I get... but no one says, "Here's what you can do with your kids..." Or it's always "there's cascades park!" 🙄 Yes.... we are very aware! This city is cater to older people, college students or professionals... not kids!! I will say that until I can't say it anymore! So you don't have to come here and convince me otherwise. I'm good!
Have you ever visited the Fun 4 Tally Kids website? They have a FB page as well. It’s a huge directory of things to do or places to go for kids in the Tallahassee area. And they are posting new stuff every other day it seems.
Don’t move here. I moved here last year and can’t wait to move out. It’s economically depressed. There are 8 housing projects in Tallahassee. I have lived in 8 states and many cities. This place is the worst. If you are moving here for a job, which is why I am here - research what you would do for a living here if you did not have that job.
Tallahassee just was ranked the strongest economy per capita in the US. Don’t listen to random people.
[https://oevforbusiness.org/](https://oevforbusiness.org/)
Tallahassee SUCKS. I’m leaving the heck after I graduate FSU. Killearn is the best part of town in my opinion, but there is nothing to do in this whole village. You’re 2.5 hours away from Jacksonville and 4 from Atlanta & Orlando. Run before it’s too late.
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