[twosweetpeas]

Hi everyone, My name is Lissa and I am a 32yr old married mom to two children ages 13(boy) and age 7(girl). We presently live in Toledo,Ohio. My dh has been offered a job there in Tally. We are undecided about moving our family this far right now. I am looking for information on anything that you would like to tell me. I think mainly my dh and I are most concerned with the kids adjusting. Our 13yr.old son doesn't want to move away from his friends at all. He keeps throwing fits at us whenever we try to talk about moving. I understand it would be very hard on him. I know my daughter can make new friends since she is only going into the 2nd grade this year. I am not as much worried about her.

We would have to live in a 3 bedroom apartment to start off while we either rent out or sell our current home here in Ohio.

Where are the good areas to live at there? Dh would be working at a machining shop in SW Tally, near the college from what they told him over the phone interviews. Would the Killearn area be too far away for him to drive there? I have heard Southwood is a good area to live in with kids also which may be closer for dh to drive to work? I would love to hear your opinions. We are seeking good public schools for the kids and apartment rent around 750 per month. If anyone knows of good apartments to live in please let me know the names and locations.

How is the crime there? I heard rape and theft is high in Tally??? We currently live in a suberb where we don't even lock our doors at day/night we feel so safe. The thought of moving somewhere unfamiliar really scares me.

Do snakes really go into your houses also? We don't have any bugs/pests here really except flies and mosquitos so I know my daughter would be freaked by the bug factor there. LOL

Dh and I both are interested in moving to Tally but with the kids it sounds much trickier. I do hear that most people are very friendly with the Southern charm there. That would be very nice compared to all the snotty people that live here in Ohio. LOL If anyone would like to private email me any messages or info on your town please do. It is lkf9499@gmail.com Or just reply here too!

Take care..Lissa..

[TriMT7]

Hi there,

$750/month for a three bedroom in Tallahassee is going to be a bit tough to find in a "good" neighborhood. You could find plenty of listings for townhomes and apartments in that price range, but they'd be geared toward college kids.

As for Killearn, I think if you live in Killearn and take I-10 West to Capital Circle NW, you could probably have about a 20-30 minute commute (then again, I have never seen rentals in Killearn for that cheap....) Traffic in Tallahassee during rush hour downright SUCKS. You want to minimize that stress as much as possible!

That being said, check out Banyan Bay apartments IN Tallahassee. It's a pretty decent complex on the Northeast/Southeast part of town border with gate, pool, clubhouse, etc. AND it's not geared towards college students.

Apartments.com - Apartment Model At A Glance Page

If you can eek out the extra $150, you could look into the "Blairstone at Governor's Square" apartments, which is a super-convenient locale close to the mall, dining, etc:

Apartments, Apartment Homes -- Blairstone at Governors Square -- Tallahassee, FL, Florida, Florida State University, Apartments, Apts, Apartments For Rent, Rentals, Apartment Leases, For Rent, Apartment Complexes, Apartment Communities, Apartment Hom

Tallahassee is pretty safe. I used to go out without locking my doors, but wouldn't sleep with doors unlocked. Do NOT live in the Southwest part of town if you want to feel safe. It's where a majority of the violent non-college kid on college kid crime happens in Tallahassee.


MAYBE you could look into one of the little rural towns on the outskirts of Tallahassee if you don't find anything you like IN Tallahassee... like Crawfordville. It's VERY old school Southern down those ways, however, so just be sure you know what you're getting into! Tallahassee and Killearn will probably give you a satisfactory mix of "Southern Charm" with just enough college town intellectualism to make you feel comfortable.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Southwood is absolute gorgeous--looked to me like a great place to raise kids.
I wonder if there are a lot of teens there, though? Maybe Tri could answer that question. Lissa, there has been a lot of discussion in the Parenting forum about relocating kids. Have you checked it out yet? You could do a "search" of that forum and read some of the threads.
We did it ourselves (Colorado to northern Florida) and we all survived. (Actually, our younger teen is now going to school in Tally.)

[TriMT7]

Southwood is somewhere I would definitely raise kids (and would have LOVED to have grown up in when I was a kid because of the pools, trails, big oaks, etc.). Indeed, there are a LOT of families and kids there. I lived near "Florida High" and had steady streams of kids walking by at about 3:00 every afternoon to get home. BUT, it's (Southwood) not cheap. Certainly not $750 for a three bedroom cheap. I rented a one bedroom for more than that just outside of Southwood (Verandas at Blairstone) AND they were going to raise my rent if I had stayed another year!

When it comes time to BUY in Tallahassee though, I seriously recommend buying in Southwood. Prices especially on townhomes have come down. You can get 3 bedroom townhomes for the lowish 200s now, and even with a rent-producing carriage house for mid 200s. Coming from Ohio that of course may seem like a lot, but it's Florida so that sounds good to me!


Oh, and I forgot to comment on "rape" and "theft" stats. I believe that those statistics might be skewed because of the colleges. Undoubtedly there is probably a lot of "date rape" and "oppportunity theft" in dorms and college complexes. There was one violent "stranger rape" that I heard about in Tallahassee a couple of years ago, but unfortunately, that's life everywhere in these United States. Oh, and I did have something stolen from my car while living in Tallahassee, but it was stupid for me to leave that item (my Ipod) in plain view with the doors to my car unlocked (which I NEVER do, but just happened to the ONE DAY some jack*ss decides to go pulling on door handles to see which ones are "open"!!)

[Strel]

Hello - I think I can help you. I have lived in various parts of Tallahassee for over 20 years now -- by choice, not necessity.

Originally Posted by twosweetpeas

Hi everyone, My name is Lissa and I am a 32yr old married mom to two children ages 13(boy) and age 7(girl). We presently live in Toledo,Ohio. My dh has been offered a job there in Tally. We are undecided about moving our family this far right now. I am looking for information on anything that you would like to tell me. I think mainly my dh and I are most concerned with the kids adjusting. Our 13yr.old son doesn't want to move away from his friends at all. He keeps throwing fits at us whenever we try to talk about moving. I understand it would be very hard on him. I know my daughter can make new friends since she is only going into the 2nd grade this year. I am not as much worried about her.

Tallahassee is a more family-oriented town, despite the college presence, than most other places in Florida. Some of the schools tend to be generally better as well, though it depends on where you live. One of the reasons I have stayed here is that it is a better place to raise kids than most other places in Florida. I'm expecting the first one in about 6 months, actually.

Your son won't have as bad a time as he thinks he will. Tell him the place is overrun with pretty girls, and it is -- of all ages. He won't be bored long.

We would have to live in a 3 bedroom apartment to start off while we either rent out or sell our current home here in Ohio.[/b]

Try this site: Florida Housing Search - Socialserve.com

This is operated by the state affordable housing agency and some non-profit partners. Let me know if you need help using it.

Where are the good areas to live at there? Dh would be working at a machining shop in SW Tally, near the college from what they told him over the phone interviews. Would the Killearn area be too far away for him to drive there? I have heard Southwood is a good area to live in with kids also which may be closer for dh to drive to work? I would love to hear your opinions. We are seeking good public schools for the kids and apartment rent around 750 per month. If anyone knows of good apartments to live in please let me know the names and locations.

Stay out of the SW and S areas of the city. Southwood is "revitalizing" the SE quadrant, and there is a lot of new development and amenities going up there, and it will probably keep growing for a while. Land outside the city is virtually unlimited...Tallahassee is surrounded by forest (much of it protected) on all sides and there is no city of comparable size for hours in any direction. The schools tend to be better in the NE side of town, and crime there is very low. Generally speaking, and with the exception of Southwood, the farther east and north you get, the better the neighborhoods and the lower the crime. Killearn per se is fine, but many of the houses there are getting old and the new and better stuff is farther north of I-10 these days. I live in a very nice, safe, clean and kid-friendly neighborhood about 4 miles north of the Interstate, and couldn't be happier.

How is the crime there? I heard rape and theft is high in Tally??? We currently live in a suberb where we don't even lock our doors at day/night we feel so safe. The thought of moving somewhere unfamiliar really scares me.

The crime is pretty much occuring in the southern and southwestern parts of the city. Tallahassee is not a scary place to live at all, once you get away from these parts and if you don't live near the universities or in student areas (more immediately west and south of downtown).

Do snakes really go into your houses also? We don't have any bugs/pests here really except flies and mosquitos so I know my daughter would be freaked by the bug factor there. LOL

Only the really big ones, like 6 feet or longer come into your house, but they usually knock first (I'm kidding). Seriously, don't worry about it. You don't have snakes in Ohio?

You would be moving to the South, so yes there are bugs all over the place. You get used to it. Many Yankees that move here have trouble sleeping at night because of the ongoing symphony of bugs outside. Natives and those that become used to it find it rather soothing, actually.

But no, it's not like you will be chased down the street by giant bugs. At least not very often.

Dh and I both are interested in moving to Tally but with the kids it sounds much trickier. I do hear that most people are very friendly with the Southern charm there. That would be very nice compared to all the snotty people that live here in Ohio.

People here tend to have more Southern manners than the rest of Florida (meaning: they actually HAVE manners). Tallahassee is notorious for people being nice, but again that is a generalization. There are buttholes wherever you go. But in general people here tend to be more polite and welcoming than what you would find in the bigger cities and south Florida in general.

But like I said, I'm biased. I love it here.

[florida here i come!]

just wanted to thank all the posters who responded to lissa. i will be moving to tallahassee in the near future also. and i have alot of concerns. thank you for all the info. it was very helpful