Moving from NYC to Tallahassee need advice! (Miami, Panama City: insurance, house)

[tamicka123]

Going through a separation, recently graduated mother of three ages 8 , 4 , and 2 months. Considering moving to Tallahassee to live with my mother until I can get on my feet. I was wondering how are the educational and health resources for children with ADHD. We are die-hard New Yorkers, is this a town great for raising children or is it mainly college oriented? I understand that it can get slow at times, but this is ok , my 8 year old son (ADHD) needs to be in a slower environment. Also, how is the job market like? I have 8 + years experience in administration, management and retail is this a location for my type of skills?

Greatly appreciate any advice.

[JAS]

I can't help you with the ADHD information, but I grew up in TLH and visit there often. The areas around the campuses are geared towards college students, but most of the residential areas elsewhere in town don't have the college-student influence.

TLH moves at a snail's pace compared to NYC, which can be good or bad depending on your preferences. Public transportation isn't anything like NYC - most places aren't - so you would likely need a car. There is bus service, but I can't comment on its efficiency or scope.

The business environment is centered around govt jobs, education, and services (law firms, non-profits, etc). Very little industry. With the economy the way it is, I would assume that retail is weak; and unlike other parts of Florida, TLH doesn't have much of a tourism base. I'm also guessing that state govt jobs would be hard to find due to state budget economics and such.

Overall, it's a good place to raise a family. The largest downside is probably the job market. That and the adjustment required for moving from NYC to a much smaller town.

[Strel]

Originally Posted by tamicka123

Going through a separation, recently graduated mother of three ages 8 , 4 , and 2 months. Considering moving to Tallahassee to live with my mother until I can get on my feet. I was wondering how are the educational and health resources for children with ADHD.

I don't know specifically, but most Tallahassee schools are pretty good compared with the rest of the state.

We are die-hard New Yorkers, is this a town great for raising children or is it mainly college oriented?

It's both. People who don't know any better may tell you otherwise, but I have lived here for nearly 23 years now. It is very much a college town within a radius around campus - but unlike other college towns there is a city beyond that. Most students live here 4 years and never stray from the core student area (west of downtown). So outside this area, the city is not dominated by students or student culture. It's a bigger city than that.

I understand that it can get slow at times, but this is ok , my 8 year old son (ADHD) needs to be in a slower environment. Also, how is the job market like? I have 8 + years experience in administration, management and retail is this a location for my type of skills?

Greatly appreciate any advice.

Job market is stable but hard to get into. Local jobs mainly revolve around service and government - Tallahassee is a very clean, very green city.

Expect culture shock. The last person I knew from NYC that moved here was unnerved by the abundance of vegetation. Tallahassee is a city in a forest.

And yes, it is a very good place to raise children.

[tamicka123]

Thank-you very much for all your advice

[clearsight]

Generally speaking, Tallahassee is a wonderful family city. Nothing like NYC, but for it's size, it can be very accommodating. Bus service in the near-downtown area is fine, but you will need a car.

The university influence is a positive thing for the city! And being the capital city for Florida also is really great. You might have better luck with an admin job than with retail. Schools overall are good, not much to worry about there.

Very nice parks- largest is Tom Brown, and your kids can take lessons in any imaginable sport there. You'll love being close to the St. Marks & Apalachicola seashore area. There's a wonderful bicycle/walking/running/rollerblading trail just south of the city; it goes for several miles. The downtown farmers market is open every Saturday, (summer months), any kind of store you might need, affordable housing in many very nice subdivisions, great downtown festivals including a fantastic Christmas festival with a giant parade, dog parks, nearby countryside areas, water sports at lakes all around, and overall just a great place to raise a family.

[ferret111]

I can comment on Tallahassee's public transportation, as I use it frequently. Currently, all bus routes meet up at the downtown station at the same time, so you almost always need to transfer. They will begin implementing bus stops that run back and forth on a regular route (compared to the inbound-outbound system). Service is everyday, save holidays. Most routes run on Saturday, but only a half dozen ones operate on Sunday. You can get almost anywhere in town and it's practically impossible to miss a transfer at the downtown station. Fares are cheap, about $1.25 with the transfer included.

The only thing you'll have to plan for is the timing. Most routes start around 6AM, but end around 7PM. There are night routes that continue until 10PM. The system is very clean and safe, though the handful of fifteen year-old buses show their age and you may experience some panhandlers at the downtown terminal. Since the station always has an officer or two stationed, the panhandlers don't last long.

I hope this helps. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

[TallyPain]

Tallahassee, Florida:

YouTube - Tallahassee Video Tour with Audio

^^ Video explains all you need to know.

[pjstroh]

I lived in Talla-whacky for 1 year on a contract job. I enjoyed my stay and found the people to be very welcoming for the most part. But it is a small city. Its largely unexposed to the outside and not very diverse....good luck finding a good Thai restaurant. Thats not necessarily bad but very different from NYC. Also the pizza is awful. You'll miss that too.

But, you can buy a house cheap and be only a couple hours away from Panama City or JAX Beach. Between the government and colleges finding a job shouldn't be that hard...finding a high paying job? Thats a different story.

Ultimately I dont think I'd move to Florida unless I was near a beach. You can probably find more landlocked cities in the south that have better economic opportunities and medical facilities than Tallahasse...just my opinion.

[deb18]

I moved to Tallahassee over 20 years ago from Miami but I am originally from upstate NY and visited the City a lot growing up.
You will find culture shock. It is a very southern imho. People are nice and actually talk to you and do not have that nyc attitude usually. It is slow paced. When we first moved here from Miami I told my husband I did not think I could work here as everyone moved very slowly lol. Now I am use to it. The shopping stinks compared to NY but the shopping stinks most places compared to NY. There are things to do but you really have to seek them out. It is a small, laid back town and after a while you know most people that are tallahasseans or you have people that you know in common. But, being the center for the government and having 2 major Universities and some minor Colleges (Flagler, Keiser) there is a lot of diverse people here. People often come here for school and stay.

As for the ADHD, there are some docs who specialize in pediatric psychiatry. Dr. Connie Spear and Dr. Melody Agbung (sp) are two of them and Dr. Abebe if he comes back to town. Dr. Brodsky, although not specifically a child psychiatrist, works with children with ADHD. If insurance is an issue, there is Apalachee, which helps people without insurance with issues. There is a private school, Woodlawn academy, which specializes in children with behavioral problems and with adhd but they do not want the kids to be on meds when they go there. There use to be a CHAD group here but I am not sure if there one is now.

I think Tallahassee was a good town to bring up my children. Although not as much cultural exposure as NYC, naturally, it was relatively safe and the schools are pretty good, depending on where you live. You do have to be careful about what schools your children go to, the quality of the public schools vary greatly.

Job hunting, in this day and age, is harder. It takes a lot of time, persistance and getting out there to find a good job. and of course, here, salaries are generally way behind the times. It is nice now having to put snow suits on kids, nice not shoveling snow and dealing with the bone chilling cold and wind imo. But the heat and humidity in the summer is tough to get use to.

[clearsight]

[quote=pjstroh;14440819]..........good luck finding a good Thai restaurant. Thats not necessarily bad but very different from NYC. Also the pizza is awful. You'll miss that too.

Hey - Reangthai on Capital Circle Northeast is really very good! Service is outstanding! If they're still there; I haven't been for quite a while. Also used to be Bahn Thai on Monroe; not as good, but not bad at all.

Now pizza, well that's a very personal thing But there are a whole lotta pizza places, and many of them are very good too.