tallahassee bound (homes, buying, high school)

[kgphoto]

We live in Michigan right now. Enough said, as to why we must move. Actually my husband is buying into an existing business there. In the Tallahassee area. We have 3 children, 2 who will be in the high school in the fall, and one starting kindergarten in the fall.
After spending a couple of hours reading threads from a search of Tallahassee, I am so nervous. There is quite a bit of negative information on here. Not just about Tally, but about the whole state.

I have visited a couple of times and loved it. Great change from the awful winters here.
My question is, what area in Tallahasse, in your own opinion, is good for raising a family with a young child and older teens? "A" rated schools, since that is what they attend now, and for living? I heard so far Southwoods, or someone mentiond around "Killearn".
I am a portrait photographer and am looking forward to Florida's beauty. I appreciate any input.
Oh and we come from a smaller town but growing one in Michigan. I am looking forward to the more diversity that Tallahasse has to offer, but also worried now about all the talk about racism. I am an american of hispanic decent and my husband is white american. We have never had a problem here. Will we in Tallahassee?

[TriMT7]

I just left Tallahassee after almost three years. It's a good town, a very eclectic mixture of cultures.... it doesn't know if it wants to be an old Southern town, a college town, or an up-and-coming metropolitan area. It succeeds partially at being all three simultaneously with all the good and the bad that entails.


Since I lived there and experienced all it has to offers, I am still a big fan of Southwood for raising a family, especially if you enjoy the outdoors. It's a bit more expensive than your average Tallahassee home in terms of price per square footage maybe, but it is VERY family friendly and oriented, and appreciation of homes has been higher in the area than in geater Tallahassee. Right now there is a lot of inventory in Southwood, though, so you can get 3-4 bedroom homes under 300k. Southwood and Killearn are primarily where the families seem to live, but I am not too familiar with Killearn, as it's in the extreme Northeast part of town that was always pretty "out of my way" for daily living. Another place that a lot of families live is the "Piney Z" subdivision, so check into that as well.

Wherever you DO move in Tallahassee, however, make sure it's primarily on the Eastern side.... be in NE or SE (Southwood). The Western side is primarily college (NW) and then "old industrial" (SE) (where the remnants of the old south ghetto is still located).



Now, about racism in Tallahassee: There is a definite segregation here between the "black side of town", which is LITERALLY across the tracks as you pass out of towntown South on Monroe St.... and the "rest" of Tallahassee. It's where FAMU (a historical black college) is located. Though it's a bit more rundown than the rest of Tallahassee, I never really felt "unsafe" there or anything (not that I'd live there, though!). On the balance, however, I have never heard stories of tremendous racism... and actually the only story I've ever heard was from a white girl who was heckled in the "black" part of town during FAMU homecoming for being white ("why you here, white girl?!" That sort of thing....)

It's a college town. That brings in people of educated people of all races and ethnicities, so true racists would do well to stay outside the boundaries of the city, which is a "blue" dot in a sea of "red" Panhandle cultural and political leanings. I'm not going to say that the "good old boy" network doesn't still operate in Tallahassee, and it is still very traditional... but I don't think you'll experience problems.

I've never seen more inter-racial (black and white of any ethnicity) couples anywhere else in my travels than in Tallahassee!! Half of the people up here might not even be able to tell you're a "mixed ethnicity" couple, especially if you're a white Latina.



As for schools, here are the schools in Tallahassee: http://www.greatschools.net/schools....assee&state=FL


Hope this helps some!

[kgphoto]

TriMT7, Thank you SO much! I so appreciate this. We are on the phone right now with a realtor in Southwoods. I think that sounds promising.
I appreciate your honesty and outlook. This information is exactly what we were looking for.

[BlueWillowPlate]

kgphoto
I am glad that Tri was able to help you so much.
I have only been to Tally twice, but I thought it was a beautiful city.
We toured all over Southwood and I gotta tell you I'd move there in a heartbeat.
It's gorgeous, and everything you'd ever need is right there.
Good luck to you!