[NSX1990]

I currently live in Gainesville and am wrapping up my undergrad here. I am now planning to continue my education for another three years and have been accepted to both FSU and UF.

I like UF, but I'm kind of tired of Gainesville. I've been to many of the attractions and things to see over the past 4 years, and outside of the school there just isn't much around here except apartment complexes and shopping. The towns around Gainesville are all tiny, rural, and boring.

How much different is Tallahassee? I've never been there. Is it also a "college town" like Gainesville? I'm reading the stuff on City-Data and it's hard to tell. I'm kind of tired of the whole college atmosphere 24/7 and it would be nice to have something more cosmopolitan and diverse with things to do. I mean, sometimes I like to hike in the woods, but other times I wanna go to a jazz club downtown or something similar.

Ideally, I'd like to go to experience big city life in Atlanta or D.C., but I just can't afford the price tags of those schools.

Thanks

[lagoon7]

Gainesville and Tallahassee are similar, but Gainesville is nicer. Tallahassee is "ghetto," to put it bluntly. There are a lot of poor areas there, and on the whole, the area is just not as great. (Not that Gainesville is anything to sing about, mind you). There's not a whole lot there, the areas outside Tallahassee are similar to Gainesville. Rural, tiny, conservative. I don't really know what you mean by "cosmopolitan," but I don't think you'll find what you're looking for in the Panhandle.

[Strel]

Originally Posted by lagoon7

Gainesville and Tallahassee are similar, but Gainesville is nicer. Tallahassee is "ghetto," to put it bluntly. There are a lot of poor areas there, and on the whole, the area is just not as great. (Not that Gainesville is anything to sing about, mind you). There's not a whole lot there, the areas outside Tallahassee are similar to Gainesville. Rural, tiny, conservative. I don't really know what you mean by "cosmopolitan," but I don't think you'll find what you're looking for in the Panhandle.

This is a person that has seen possibly the 10% of Tallahassee around campus and south of downtown.

I don't know what this person has against Tallahassee but none of the above is true. I've lived here twenty+ years in EVERY part of this town.

There are poor areas - no more than any other town - on the south and west sides. There are middle class neighborhoods all over the place, and VERY affluent neighborhoods dotted around the north and northeast sides of town. I guess the poster above never got around much...

There is a LOT more here than in Gainesville. Jazz bars? Yeah we got them, not that the above poster would know. It is certainly much more cosmopolitan than Gainesville. This is the state capital and there is a lot more going on here than just the University.

Also, conservative? This town has gone BLUE in EVERY ELECTION SINCE THEY HAVE HAD ELECTIONS. Almost if not the entire local government is run by Democrats. It is true that the surrounding areas are conservative and rural, just like they would be anywhere else in this state or another.

I don't think this person spent much time in Tallahassee, or saw very much of it outside of the Tennessee street bars and the stadium area...

[TD*]

Lagoon is wrong again... Its very easy to bash a place without living there isnt it?

Its a great city like Strel said. It has more big city things than gainesville, better shopping, and great outdoors.

You will like it much more than gainesville.

Come to Tallahassee

[NSX1990]

This is all interesting, but I'm most interested in the "feel" of the city. Gainesville screams college town in all except the edges of the city. That was great when I was 19, but now that I'm over $1 beer nights and approaching my mid-20s I'm looking for a different kind of town.

Tallahassee has FAMU and FSU, which combined have like 50,000+ students, which is a sizeable part of the population of 168,000 according to City-Data. Some posters say its like Gainesville but worse, others seem like diehard Tally fans. I don't know who to believe, ha ha.

Guess I gotta make a few rides out myself to check.

[TD*]

The 50,000 + college students are not counted in the city's population tally, and never have been... They are not here year round, so they are not counted as permanent residents...

[TriMT7]

Cut the city of Tallahassee into two halves. GENERALLY, the Eastern part is where the families live, while the Western part is the student ghetto, and the actual ghetto.

I've never experienced Gainesville other than once passing through.

[FSUMike]

Tallahassee is great because for a city of its size, it basically has everything you could want or expect. It's no Jacksonville, Tampa, or Atlanta, but for its size, it has plenty of amenities. There are rough areas as in any city (South and West sides), but the north and eastern parts of the city are very family oriented and you would never even know that there are 2 major universities nearby. If you live near FSU, and only experience that part of town, I could see why you wouldn't like it. But it is a very family friendly place with plenty to do. Lots of state parks within a couple of hours, and Apalachicola State Forest. I love Tallahassee and think that unless you are a big city type of person, pretty much everybody would like it if they gave it a chance and saw the entire picture rather than just the "college town" part.

Sorry to keep going on and on, but what really separates Tallahassee from Gainesville is that it really is more than just a college town. It's the state capitol! Because of that, it is much more cosmopolitan. Though again, to compare it to bigger cities is really not fair. For what it is, Tallahassee is great.

[TNRyan23]

I wonder if by saying that you have one nice side of town, then saying that the other side is " ghetto " also includes the undesirable redneckish towns or is it strictly meant to mean black neighborhood(s)

I've been to both Gainesville and Tally.

I would say there is more going on in Tally and you have access to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. On the other hand, Gainesville is only like what ? hour, hour and a half ? from both Orlando and Tampa ?

I'd say UF is a little more prestigious than FSU but that's all opinion.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

I wonder if by saying that you have one nice side of town, then saying that the other side is " ghetto " also includes the undesirable redneckish towns or is it strictly meant to mean black neighborhood(s)

The black ghetto is on the West side of town. The redneck "ghettos" (so to speak) are typically outside of town limits, and therefore are outside of my analysis.

This is all very general, and exceptions do occur. The Northeast side of town is typically considered the "best" by many, though Southeast (Southwood) gives the NE a run for its money.

Originally Posted by TNRyan

I would say there is more going on in Tally and you have access to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. On the other hand, Gainesville is only like what ? hour, hour and a half ? from both Orlando and Tampa ?

I would agree that Gainesville feels less "far away" from everything than Tallahassee. Except the beach.