Tallahassee Almanac

Tallahassee is positioned  30.45 degrees north of the equator and 84.28 degrees west of the prime meridian. Its elevation is 203 feet
above sea level.

The city was incorporated on Dec. 9, 1825. It has a total area of 103.1 square miles.

Leon County’s population was 300,488 in the 2024. It was 275,487 in 2010 and 240,201 in 2000.

At 22 stories, Florida’s Capitol is the tallest building in the city. The modern structure was built behind the more classically styled “old” Capitol, which was supposed to be demolished after the new building was completed. However, the Historic Capitol was preserved, and the juxtaposition of the old and new buildings creates a unique vista for those driving westward on Apalachee Parkway.

Florida’s Prime Meridian—the marker from which all surveying in the state is based—is located about a quarter-mile away from the Capitol building in Cascades Park in a plaza behind the Capital City Amphitheater.

Tallahassee was the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi River that did not fall to the Union army.

Tallahassee is the only municipality in Leon County, and about 66% of county residents live within the city limits.  Voters have gone to the polls four times (1971, 1973, 1976, 1992) to vote on consolidating the city and county into one entity, but it was rejected each time.

All of Tallahassee and Leon County is within Florida’s 2nd congressional district, represented since Jan. 3, 2017, by Republican Neal Dunn. Florida’s two U.S. senators are Republicans Ashley Moody, since 2025, and Rick Scott, since 2019.

Historians suspected that Hernando de Soto wintered in Tallahassee in 1539 during his explorations, and in 1987 a state archaeologist, the late B. Calvin Jones, pinpointed and excavated the site. About a mile away from the Capitol building, it is the only site in the U.S. definitively associated with the de Soto expedition.

Government

State of Florida

Florida’s state government is overseen by the governor and three elected members of the state Cabinet: the Agriculture Commissioner, Attorney General, and Chief Financial Officer.

Each resident is also represented by a member of the Florida House of Representatives and a member of the Florida Senate. The House has 120 members, the Senate has 40. Leon County is represented by House Districts 7, 8, and 9 and by Senate District 2. 

To determine which House and Senate districts you live in, you can contact the Leon County Supervisor of Elections. You can also use your zip code on the legislative websites (flsenate.gov or myfloridahouse.gov) to determine your representative and senator. 

Representatives are elected every two years. Senators are elected every four years.

Leon County

Leon County is guided by an elected, seven-member Board of County Commissioners. Five board members are elected to serve specific commission districts, and two members are elected at-large. Each year, members of the board select a chairman and vice chairman from within the group. The Leon County Administrator and County Attorney are appointed by the board to oversee all functions, directives and policies.

Other Leon County elected officials include county and circuit court judges, the State Attorney, Public Defender, the School Board, Superintendent, and five constitutional officers: Clerk of the Court, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector.

City of Tallahassee

The Mayor and four-member City Commission are the governing body of the city, and all serve four-year terms. All of the seats are nonpartisan and there are no districts: All members are elected citywide. The terms of office are staggered, with elections for two commission seats held every other
year. The mayor, who is elected to that particular position, has a vote at commission meetings but no veto power.

Tallahassee’s executive staff—the City Manager, Attorney, Auditor and Treasurer/Clerk—are appointed to their positions by the city commission.

A wealth of information about the Tallahassee City Commission, as well as city operations and services, can be found at the talgov.com website.

Weather Stats

Avg* Temps (High/Low ˚ F)

JAN . . . . . . . . 64 39

FEB . . . . . . . . . 67 42

MAR . . . . . . . . 74 47

APR . . . . . . . . 80 52

MAY . . . . . . . . 87 62

JUN . . . . . . . . 91 69

JUL . . . . . . . . 92 72

AUG . . . . . . . . 92 72

SEP . . . . . . . . . 88 68

OCT . . . . . . . . 81 57

NOV . . . . . . . . 73 47

DEC . . . . . . . . 65 41

Avg** Rainfall Amounts (in.)

JAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.5

FEB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4

MAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.0

APR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.9

MAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.5

JUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3

JUL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.0

AUG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.5

SEP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.2

OCT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.6

NOV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.2

DEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.3

Does it ever snow? Tallahassee can be considerably colder than Central and South Florida, with temperatures dipping below freezing on some winter nights. According to the local office of the National Weather Service, Tallahassee has had measurable snowfall only eight times since 1891. The most snow Tallahassee has seen, 2.8 inches, fell in February 1958.

* From the U.S. Climate Data website,usclimatedata.com.usclimatedata.com.

** From the FSU Florida Climate Center’s website, climatecenter.fsu.edu, 2014-2024.

VISIT THESE WEBSITES TO FIND LISTINGS OF LOCAL AND STATE OFFICIALS:

State of Florida Elected offi cials: StateofFlorida.com/elected-offi cials

Leon County Commissioners: CMS.LeonCountyFl.gov/home/county-commission/meet-your-commissioners

Tallahassee City Commission and Appointed Offi cials:

TalGov.com/cityleadership You can also visit FlSenate.gov or MyFloridaHouse.gov to determine your representative and senator by using your zip code.