[Strel]

Originally Posted by musicmom

We are trying to decide between FL or TX and basically have the same questions/desires as divine82. We want to find a neighborhood that is well-mixed, safe, and friendly. My husband and I have children and are homeschoolers, so it would be nice to find other kids for our children to play with, although I will probably be able to find other christian homeschoolers or start my own group like I have done in the past.

Does anyone know, of the 2 neighborhoods, (Killearn and Southwood) which one is more racially mixed (basically a good balance of several different races-aa/afro-latino/ latino/asian etc.)?

What stores are near Southwood ie: Malls? Walmart? etc. Too bad Tallahassee doesn't have a Cheesecake Factory! Since it is one of my favorite restaurants, I checked online out of curiosity and I saw that there is not one there. From what everyone is saying, I can see a restaurant like CF in Killearn or Southwood. Oh well, life will go on without the CF!

I found a few karate schools listed online in Tallahassee. Not as many as you would find up North, but a few to choose from. Can anyone recommend one that has a good reputation?

You can go to the Wikipedia about Tallahassee for the latest demographic information, but demographically Tallahassee is a pretty typical Deep South town. It's somewhat isolated from the major cities in Florida and in a rural/agricultural.wilderness area. We occassionaly have the odd bear wander into town to take a dip in someone's swimming pool. I see whitetail deer and foxes in my "suburban" neighborhood on a regular basis.

But more to your question, you won't have any trouble finding Christians here - though no one who has lived here for any length of time would call tallahassee conservative or fundamentalist. It is actually a fairly liberal place by Southern standards, and had been controlled by Democrats (more like moderate Dixiecrats) since it was founded. Tolerance for religion and race is better here than many places in Florida and is a striking contrast to the rural areas surrounding it. IOW, Tally is welcoming to just about everybody.

The population is something like 60-70% Caucasian and 30-40% African-American. There rest comprise only a small percentage of the population. There is a small Hispanic population in Tallahassee itself, but the neighboring counties have significant Mexican farmworker populations (like Quincy).

Southwood is growing fast. A few years ago it was nothing but farmland, so if your favorite restaurant isn't here there is some chance it will be in the future. At the moment there seem to be plenty of amenties on that side of town, and they are mostly all new and pretty!

Plus, it's Tallahassee. It's not that big. The road system can be ...interesting...but it's no big deal to go to downtown or the mall or the budding cafe/wine bar district on lower Thomasville Road - or anywhere else! If you drive 30 minutes in any direction in Tallahassee you won't be in Tallahassee anymore.

[musicmom]

Strel, that was helpful.

[fsuphd2b]

Musicmom - There are two "malls" here, although the Tallahassee Mall is pretty well dried up. The other mall is Governor's Square Mall and has a lot of the more common stores in it (Dillards, Sears, Macy's, etc.).

Tallahassee has a lot of parks (Tom Brown Park is the big one) and lakes (Lake Ella is a great .6 mile walk) that are family-friendly. The library has storytime for the little ones and a great children's section. My husband, daughter, and I frequent the outdoor pools at Jack McLean and Trousdell during tot time (up to 5 year olds). The Tallahassee Museum is also a great outdoorsy place for the little ones.

Even if you are living up in the NE part of town, Tallahassee is compact enough that you can get anywhere in a short amount of time.

There are several Walmarts, a couple of Targets, a Costco, and a Sam's Club. The Toys R Us recently had the roof blown off during a storm, so I don't know if it's reopening or not.

There is a meetup.com group for moms/children that have playdates throughout the week.

Hope this helps.

[musicmom]

The info. that you gave is very helpful!