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Been living in Broward County for almost 40 years now. My only time living out of S.Florida is when I went to college at FSU in the mid 90s. Now that I have a family, I have been itching to get of of S.Florida to safer pastures.
I'm probably one of those people who you run across that is extremely tired of the South Florida nonsense and wants to get the hell out. There is an other side of me that realizes that living down here has many benefits. Mostly economic and diversity.
We've been driving around Florida, including Tally,for the last couple of years and Tallahassee always seems to rise to the top for me. My main fears about Tallahassee may be unfounded and not real, but here they are.........
1) The Southern thing from a South Florida perspective, will it become too restrictive?
2) The good ol boy network, we have one down here as well, but I'm worried about jobs.(We're Teachers)
3) The lack of diversity
4) Will we get bored living there, and have to move again?
5) Is Tallahassee going to be left behind being isolated with no real airport.
6) Will my child lose out on diversity and cultural awareness by moving to a more conservative and Southern town type of dynamics.
7) Religion being pushed our way
Now, when I lived in Tally, during my college years, I loved it there. Mostly everything about it. But that was only for 3 years. Going to college and living there are two different things. If I could move to one neighborhood in Tally, it would be the Betton Hills neighborhood.
So, if anyone from South Florida who has moved up there for good and has any thoughts or advice about Tallahassee from a South Florida perspective, it would be greatly appreciated. Locals chime in as well.
Thanks!
Go Noles!
Last edited by Florida Paul; 11-18-2010 at 06:09 AM..
Been living in Broward County for almost 40 years now. My only time living out of S.Florida is when I went to college at FSU in the mid 90s. Now that I have a family, I have been itching to get of of S.Florida to safer pastures.
I'm probably one of those people who you run across that is extremely tired of the South Florida nonsense and wants to get the hell out. There is an other side of me that realizes that living down here has many benefits. Mostly economic and diversity.
We've been driving around Florida, including Tally,for the last couple of years and Tallahassee always seems to rise to the top for me. My main fears about Tallahassee may be unfounded and not real, but here they are.........
1) The Southern thing from a South Florida perspective, will it become too restrictive? Not really. You can learn to live with it and at some point, tune it out if you have to. It's nothing oppressive at all.
2) The good ol boy network, we have one down here as well, but I'm worried about jobs.(We're Teachers) Get in where you fit in.
3) The lack of diversity. It's Tallahassee. There aren't too many cities/regions in Florida that will offer the type of diversity that you're used to so there's definitely a tradeoff.
4) Will we get bored living there, and have to move again? The $100,000 question. It depends on what you like to do for leisure. Being that you will not have access to fine shopping, great dining as well as other recreational activities widely available down south, I would say yes. It's an adjustment period. However, its about making your surroundings work for you and if you're willing to explore Tallahassee and find out what it really has to offer, you may be in for a treat.
5) Is Tallahassee going to be left behind being isolated with no real airport. It's been that way for a long time and it's preferred. That will not change any time soon as local resistance keeps Tally/Leon County from progression. That you will notice on your own.
6) Will my child lose out on diversity and cultural awareness by moving to a more conservative and Southern town type of dynamics. Uhhhhh.... probably. This is not to say that your children will not be exposed to different cultures but the exposure level up here is different.
7) Religion being pushed our way. No, it's never been pushed in my face and I've been up here for 16 years now.
Now, when I lived in Tally, during my college years, I loved it there. Mostly everything about it. But that was only for 3 years. Going to college and living there are two different things. If I could move to one neighborhood in Tally, it would be the Betton Hills neighborhood.
So, if anyone from South Florida who has moved up there for good and has any thoughts or advice about Tallahassee from a South Florida perspective, it would be greatly appreciated. Locals chime in as well.
Thanks!
Go Noles!
1) The Southern thing from a South Florida perspective, will it become too restrictive? Not really. You can learn to live with it and at some point, tune it out if you have to. It's nothing oppressive at all.
2) The good ol boy network, we have one down here as well, but I'm worried about jobs.(We're Teachers) Get in where you fit in.
3) The lack of diversity. It's Tallahassee. There aren't too many cities/regions in Florida that will offer the type of diversity that you're used to so there's definitely a tradeoff.
4) Will we get bored living there, and have to move again? The $100,000 question. It depends on what you like to do for leisure. Being that you will not have access to fine shopping, great dining as well as other recreational activities widely available down south, I would say yes. It's an adjustment period. However, its about making your surroundings work for you and if you're willing to explore Tallahassee and find out what it really has to offer, you may be in for a treat.
5) Is Tallahassee going to be left behind being isolated with no real airport. It's been that way for a long time and it's preferred. That will not change any time soon as local resistance keeps Tally/Leon County from progression. That you will notice on your own.
6) Will my child lose out on diversity and cultural awareness by moving to a more conservative and Southern town type of dynamics. Uhhhhh.... probably. This is not to say that your children will not be exposed to different cultures but the exposure level up here is different.
7) Religion being pushed our way. No, it's never been pushed in my face and I've been up here for 16 years now.
I lived in Miami for 30 years and have been here since April. IMO all of your fears are very well founded. We have yet to find decent employment. All we can find so far is minimum wage or comission only "jobs".
Don't get me wrong, we like it here a lot, but would like it better if the good-ole-boys would relent and offer us some kind of actual job.
Been living in Broward County for almost 40 years now. My only time living out of S.Florida is when I went to college at FSU in the mid 90s. Now that I have a family, I have been itching to get of of S.Florida to safer pastures.
Glad you came to your senses! I came up here from Tampa in the 80's and still cannot find a good reason to leave. I know a lot of people who went to college here, moved away, and then when they wanted to settle down, moved back to Tallahassee.
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I'm probably one of those people who you run across that is extremely tired of the South Florida nonsense and wants to get the hell out. There is an other side of me that realizes that living down here has many benefits. Mostly economic and diversity.
We've been driving around Florida, including Tally,for the last couple of years and Tallahassee always seems to rise to the top for me. My main fears about Tallahassee may be unfounded and not real, but here they are.........
1) The Southern thing from a South Florida perspective, will it become too restrictive?
I don't understand what you mean my "restrictive." This is a pretty liberal place. Southern, but not redneck (not in the city anyway). Southerners do expect people to be more polite and have better manners than they do down there - but that's not bad thing, it's part of why living here is nicer.
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2) The good ol boy network, we have one down here as well, but I'm worried about jobs.(We're Teachers)
It's more like the "career state employee network" than any good ole' boy thing. I don't know what teacher job prospects are like, but I can tell you that the public schools here - generally and especially on the north side of town - are relatively good and teachers compete to work here rather than other parts of the state. I don't think your "network" concerns would apply to teachers at any rate.
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3) The lack of diversity
Demographically, you may be right - but remember, this town is dominated by two universities, so it tends to be a lot more multicultural and tolerant of diversity than most people think. It is a "blue" county, not a "red" one. Don't judge Tallahassee by its location in rural North Florida - it is very sophisticated for its size and location.
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4) Will we get bored living there, and have to move again?
In the summer, yes, you will get bored. It is part of the price for living in a nice, clean, well-run family-oriented place, IMHO. I always tell people, however that Tallahassee is "a nice place to live but I wouldn't want to visit there." It's not a tourist destination, but it has more cultural attractions that you would think, again, because of the universities and its status as the seat of government.
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5) Is Tallahassee going to be left behind being isolated with no real airport.
If we had a big airport and the development to go with it, it wouldn't be the same place and we would likely lose a lot of the small town charm that makes this place special. I like the airport just like it is, thanks. You can always fly out of Jax or Tampa if it is important.
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6) Will my child lose out on diversity and cultural awareness by moving to a more conservative and Southern town type of dynamics.
This place isn't that conservative. It votes Blue in every election since...well ever. I don't know what kind of preconceived notions you have about "the South" but I can bet most of them are unfounded. The city is about 40% black, 60% white and the rest don't make up much of the population, but there is a lot more diversity and cultural awareness here than you would think.
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7) Religion being pushed our way
Not a problem in the city. I'm more or less agnostic and have lived here for 21 years and haven't had a problem. Again, this is a BLUE county. Don't let the magnolias and porch swings fool you. And if they push, just politely decline and they will leave you alone.
Honestly, do you people down there think we are all Bible-thumping rednecks? Is this is kind of press Tallahassee gets?
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Now, when I lived in Tally, during my college years, I loved it there. Mostly everything about it. But that was only for 3 years. Going to college and living there are two different things. If I could move to one neighborhood in Tally, it would be the Betton Hills neighborhood.
Look around more. This place is huge. You cannot have explored much of it if you were just a student here for three years. It took me the better part of a decade to realize how big this place really is - the abundance of trees fools you into thinking it's smaller.
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So, if anyone from South Florida who has moved up there for good and has any thoughts or advice about Tallahassee from a South Florida perspective, it would be greatly appreciated. Locals chime in as well.
I lived in Miami for 30 years and have been here since April. IMO all of your fears are very well founded. We have yet to find decent employment. All we can find so far is minimum wage or comission only "jobs".
Don't get me wrong, we like it here a lot, but would like it better if the good-ole-boys would relent and offer us some kind of actual job.
Strel, I agree with you about my preconceived notions.Their there. That's why I asked these questions. Coming from South Florida tends to warp ones world view. So by asking about these things, I hope I would get some clarification about some fears and questions I have about moving to Tally. Lake Talquin is nice but I want to be in town!
HeartofFlorida maybe you can expand on this:
"That will not change any time soon as local resistance keeps Tally/Leon County from progression. That you will notice on your own."
Last edited by Florida Paul; 11-18-2010 at 11:55 AM..
Strel, I agree with you about my preconceived notions.Their there. That's why I asked these questions. Coming from South Florida tends to warp ones world view. So by asking about these things, I hope I would get some clarification about some fears and questions I have about moving to Tally. Lake Talquin is nice but I want to be in town!
HeartofFlorida maybe you can expand on this:
"That will not change any time soon as local resistance keeps Tally/Leon County from progression. That you will notice on your own."
Here's an old - but rather positive - travel article on Tallahassee, written by someone with a peninsular Florida perspective.
"By the 20th century, however, it was as if the place had fallen into an enchanted sleep. Other parts of Florida rushed to ruin: dredging, draining, bulldozing, clear-cutting and levelling.
Tallahassee got bigger slowly -- gently. While there are the usual poisonous strip malls and subdivisions, there's still a lot of what historian Gloria Jahoda called "the other Florida" here -- wild lands, old houses, the vestiges of a past every bit as odd and intriguing as the heady events of November 2000."
Remember that FAMU is a historically black school, so while you don't have the Hispanic population you do in other parts of the state, there's a significant and highly educated black population in town.
I enjoy Tallahassee. I travel outside of Tallahassee a lot as well though, so I am not prone to getting bored. If you are home bodies or you stay in town quite often you may run into that problem. There are a lot of hidden gems in Tallahassee though. You just have to find them.
Been living in Broward County for almost 40 years now. My only time living out of S.Florida is when I went to college at FSU in the mid 90s. Now that I have a family, I have been itching to get of of S.Florida to safer pastures.
I'm probably one of those people who you run across that is extremely tired of the South Florida nonsense and wants to get the hell out. There is an other side of me that realizes that living down here has many benefits. Mostly economic and diversity.
We've been driving around Florida, including Tally,for the last couple of years and Tallahassee always seems to rise to the top for me. My main fears about Tallahassee may be unfounded and not real, but here they are.........
1) The Southern thing from a South Florida perspective, will it become too restrictive?
2) The good ol boy network, we have one down here as well, but I'm worried about jobs.(We're Teachers)
3) The lack of diversity
4) Will we get bored living there, and have to move again?
5) Is Tallahassee going to be left behind being isolated with no real airport.
6) Will my child lose out on diversity and cultural awareness by moving to a more conservative and Southern town type of dynamics.
7) Religion being pushed our way
Now, when I lived in Tally, during my college years, I loved it there. Mostly everything about it. But that was only for 3 years. Going to college and living there are two different things. If I could move to one neighborhood in Tally, it would be the Betton Hills neighborhood.
So, if anyone from South Florida who has moved up there for good and has any thoughts or advice about Tallahassee from a South Florida perspective, it would be greatly appreciated. Locals chime in as well.
Thanks!
Go Noles!
A move to the Tallahassee area has been on our agenda for some time now and now that my wife has some family there it is looking more likely. One of the things that I like as opposed to south Florida is the access to the other parts of the country. I live in Broward and it feels like I live on an island at times. Tallahassee is a one day drive from so many places it offers a lot more freedom for vacationing and short term travel and recreation. In Broward if I drive east 10 minutes I will be in the ocean and west 20 minutes I will be in the everglades. I swear, I think I know every mile of 95 north and south I have driven it so many times. I want a few more degrees on the compass to explore. My brother in law by the way had to move to Tallahassee with his job from NY and he thought he would hate it, he was a real city guy. Now 8 years later he would not live anywhere else.
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