Needing info on Tallahassee area (Miami, Pensacola: employment, universities, quality of life)

[Sugarcandy]

My family and I are relocating somewhere, not where were at, no jobs, no opportunities. I have been told Tallahassee is nice. I am wondering how the jobs are in that area. I am also wondering about the weather, about hurricanes, and basically if its a good area to move with kids and to start a better life. If anyone out there has anything to tell me, I would appreciate it very much. I would like to know the good the bad and the ugly. Thanks....

[WellShoneMoon]

Tallahassee is a great place for families and for raising kids. Most people who live here really like it, in fact a lot of people come to Tallahassee for FSU and then just stay here. People do complain about traffic, but having lived in Miami I tell them they don't know what they're talking about.

The weather in North Fla. is different from that farther south -- in Tallahassee we get cold weather (like in the teens, sometimes) in winter, and it's considerably hotter here in summer than in Miami, for example. No sea breeze here.

The landscape also looks different from places farther south: we have live oak trees with Spanish moss rather than palm trees (we're very proud of our trees), and the land here is much hillier than in most of the rest of FL. Actually it looks more like Georgia or Alabama than it does like the rest of FL. This is the Deep South, with all that's good and bad about that.

We have been very, very lucky in escaping the hurricanes that have plagued the rest of the state. I have read that because of our geographical location we are less likely to be directly hit by a hurricane than other locations farther west, such as Pensacola. I don't know if that's true but it sounds good to me. Still, we're constantly warned to be ready for a hurricane strike. The last one that did any damage here was back in the mid-80's. (It also snowed here in the mid-80's!)

Now for the bad news: Finding employment here will be difficult, with this economic downturn. The major employers, FSU and state government, have either frozen new hires or are not actively seeking very many new employees. So while I highly recommend Tallahassee for you and your family, if you have a job where you're living now, I'd suggest trying to get a job in Tallahassee before moving here.

[Guntersville Boomer]

I agree with Weindell, I use to work in Governor's budget office and when there are revenue shortfalls, all position vacancies in all state agencies and at the universities are frozen and usually those positions eliminated as part of budget cuts......

[cs2go]

If you are looking for a place to stay short term, I would recommend
www.thepinestallahassee.com they offer short term housing incase you need to move.

[TD*]

Sugar, People love it here, its constantly rated high as a great place to live and to raise kids. People tell me all the time they move up here from South Florida and Love it, because its not as crowded, and the quality of life here is very high!

[Strel]

Originally Posted by Sugarcandy

My family and I are relocating somewhere, not where were at, no jobs, no opportunities. I have been told Tallahassee is nice. I am wondering how the jobs are in that area. I am also wondering about the weather, about hurricanes, and basically if its a good area to move with kids and to start a better life. If anyone out there has anything to tell me, I would appreciate it very much. I would like to know the good the bad and the ugly. Thanks....

I'm just waiting for grapico to chime un about the lack of night life for yuppies.

If you have a family and are past the college-party days, but also want to live in a place that is not too big but still has culture and lots of family-oriented stuff, then Tallahassee is worth a look.

It is a college town...but that really only applies to the areas around campus and those places frequented by the students outside those areas. Away from campus, Tallahassee is a clean, green family-oriented place for the most part.

Don't worry about the weather or hurricanes. Of all the places in Florida to live, Tallahassee is one of the safest in this context.

The bad? 4-6 hours to major city.

The ugly? Some of the central and southern parts of town

The rest is beautiful. Visit now in the spring while all the flowers are blooming.

[grapico]