Tallahassee is the capital of the State of Florida. The city became the capital of Florida in 1824. The Tallahassee Visitors Bureau Web describes the area as a “menagerie of sights including one of the world’s deepest freshwater springs, a wildlife habitat, Capitol buildings, fascinating museums of history, sprawling plantations, highly acclaimed fishing and hunting adventures, nearby beaches and more.

History

The name "Tallahassee" is a Muskogean Indian word often translated as "old fields". This likely originated from the Creek (later called Seminole) Indians who migrated from Georgia and Alabama to this region in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The Mississippian Indians built mounds near Lake Jackson around 1200 A.D., which survive today in the Lake Jackson Archaeological State Park.

Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi not captured by Union forces during the American Civil War. On March 6, 1865, a small engagement, the Battle of Natural Bridge, was fought south of the city. Following the Civil War, much of Florida's industry moved to the south and east, a trend that continues till this day.

Until World War II, Tallahassee remained a small southern town, with virtually the entire population living within a mile of the Capitol. The main economic drivers were the universities and state government.