Former Tallahassee native considers a returns home

[Flori-gonian 0]

Hello everyone,

I've been searching the web for weeks for information on Tallahassee and finally came upon this site. It's great! I'm hoping you guys can help me.

I am a Tallahassee native (graduated from FL High) who has been living in Portland, OR for about 5 1/2 years now. I moved out here originally to live in a bigger city that boasted a vibrant music and cultural scene, progressive thinking around environmental and social issues, and to just generally explore the world (it's what college kids do, ya know?).

I love Portland, however the cold rainy weather is starting to wear on me, as is being far from my family who still live in Tallahassee. It's also very expensive to buy a house here and I've started to doubt if I could ever afford one. I've started to consider a move back, probably to go to grad school at FSU eventually.

I haven't ever lived in Tallahassee as an adult (I left in 2000 to go to college at UWF and then came to Portland). I am left wondering...will I like it? Is there anything for me there? Have I been spoiled by living in a bigger city with lots of amenities and will Tallahassee be boring by comparision?

I am 25, single, and *don't* enjoy the bar scene. I like live music, eating at ethnic and locally owned restaurants (no fast food), I'm not really into sports (which I know is big in Tally). I enjoy outdoor activities and I will be absolutely thrilled to get back to the Wakulla River and St George Island. I am liberal politically and was raised somewhat "alternative" (I practically grew up at New Leaf Market and we had lots of friends at the Land Co-Op). I work in the non-profit sector currently here in Portland.

What do you guys think? Am I going to be able to fit back in in Tallahassee? Find a job? Make friends who don't want to just drink beer and watch the FSU game (nothing against FSU football by the way, I've been known to enjoy a live game)? Are there activities for young adult singles? Has Tallahassee grown since I lived there as a kid? I sure hope so because I really do want to come back, I'm just nervous.

Your insight would be appreciated!

[TD 1]

Hello everyone,

I've been searching the web for weeks for information on Tallahassee and finally came upon this site. It's great! I'm hoping you guys can help me.

I am a Tallahassee native (graduated from FL High) who has been living in Portland, OR for about 5 1/2 years now. I moved out here originally to live in a bigger city that boasted a vibrant music and cultural scene, progressive thinking around environmental and social issues, and to just generally explore the world (it's what college kids do, ya know?).

I love Portland, however the cold rainy weather is starting to wear on me, as is being far from my family who still live in Tallahassee. It's also very expensive to buy a house here and I've started to doubt if I could ever afford one. I've started to consider a move back, probably to go to grad school at FSU eventually.

I haven't ever lived in Tallahassee as an adult (I left in 2000 to go to college at UWF and then came to Portland). I am left wondering...will I like it? Is there anything for me there? Have I been spoiled by living in a bigger city with lots of amenities and will Tallahassee be boring by comparision?

I am 25, single, and *don't* enjoy the bar scene. I like live music, eating at ethnic and locally owned restaurants (no fast food), I'm not really into sports (which I know is big in Tally). I enjoy outdoor activities and I will be absolutely thrilled to get back to the Wakulla River and St George Island. I am liberal politically and was raised somewhat "alternative" (I practically grew up at New Leaf Market and we had lots of friends at the Land Co-Op). I work in the non-profit sector currently here in Portland.

What do you guys think? Am I going to be able to fit back in in Tallahassee? Find a job? Make friends who don't want to just drink beer and watch the FSU game (nothing against FSU football by the way, I've been known to enjoy a live game)? Are there activities for young adult singles? Has Tallahassee grown since I lived there as a kid? I sure hope so because I really do want to come back, I'm just nervous.

Your insight would be appreciated!

[Florida 0]

Welcome to UrbanPlanet{sodEmoji.{sodEmoji.|}}Tallahassee Flori-gonian

I'm so glad you found us and that you're considering coming back "home".

Now to answer your question about relocating from Portland to Tallahassee:

Tallahassee offers a great variety of new housing options including the high-rise condos downtown. Further we've broadened our selection of restaurants so you'll find the taste of something new if you decide to come back, even the locally-owned type. The roads are a little wider making driving around a lot nicer. There's a night scene, even for those of us who don't enjoy the bar scene. New Leaf is still here, so is the Miccosukee Land Co. Op. so you should be able to go back and see some familiar faces.

Tallahassee is still very much a family-city so you'll find much of the community still operates as such. There seem to be more things to do as a kid than as an adult, but you seem to be the type that would enjoy the natural beauty we've managed to maintain and the recreation that comes with getting out and exploring our little corner of the earth. They've made good progress cleaning up the beaches in our area, and Wakulla Springs is still there!!

One small caution: Home prices in Tallahassee have doubled since 2001 so if you're looking to buy, there may be some slight sticker shock. But don't let that scare you because I think those prices are coming back down to earth soon.

Again, Welcome!

[Go Gators 0]

I've grown to enjoy Tallahassee as I've grown older. I never thought I would stay here my first two years of college. Its by no means perfect, but I enjoy it.

[Rachiroo 0]

I returned to Tally on Monday after three months working on the west coast (Western Washington and So Cal) and I have never appreciated Tallahassee more than I do right now. I'm 24 and not a big drinker, so you and I share a similar demographic. To be honest, I'm not Tallahassee's biggest fan, I find that for a town our size we lack a lot of amenities and culture that you might find in similarly sized towns, or at the very least, these features aren't well advertised and if you lack connections or a willingness to search them out, you can find yourself in a rut as far as entertainment goes.

That being said, for the outdoors-type, there are endless possibilities, as I'm sure you know from growing up here. And if you spend some time searching around our forum, you'll discover that Tallahassee is beginning to make improvements and attract better known businesses and events.

I found that I enjoyed the city a great deal more after we moved away from the college side of town. Prices aren't what I would call affordable, but they are certainly better than Portland. I have seen some very well-priced homes for sale in the area.

My fear for you would be employment, which may not be as big an issue if you're looking to get into grad school. We've discussed this in other threads, but finding decent employment in this town without connections to the government or the school is next to impossible and that does not seem to be improving, especially with the way things are going economically.

[Florida 0]

Do you honestly see no improvements in our economy over the past few years Rachiroo?

[TD 1]

Do you honestly see no improvements in our economy over the past few years Rachiroo?

[Florida 0]

I think finding a job anywhere can be hard. But do you agree that our situation isn't improving?

[Rachiroo 0]

I don't think I would have any more luck finding a decent paying job in Tallahassee now than I did when we moved here in '05. I still don't have the connections at the school and the city/state/county are all in a major budget crisis.

He works in the non-profit sector right now, and they're also in a bad situation. The first thing people do when the economy goes south is start hoarding money...and that means donations dry up.

My biggest compaint would be the difficulty with finding gainful employment, gotta pay the bills ya know?

[Go Gators 0]

Maybe a better way to put it is Tallahassee's economy isnt very diversified.

You can always go out and get a job in retail at the mall, or at a restaurant or something. But its tough getting good stable jobs here right now. Especially if you dont know anyone at FSU or in the state.

[Florida 0]

Knowing what I know about our local job market, I'd say while we've got tons of work to do to get where we want to be, we've made some measurable progress over the past few years at bringing in jobs that not only have helped to diversify our economy but also pay well above our current average full-time wages. Turbocor, GTTechnologies, and General Dynamics are among the companies that jump to my mind right away. While Turbocor is the only company we've brought in from the outside of the past few years, the other two companies I mentioned have added a significant number of good paying jobs to our area. And there are more examples... I just wanted to get a clearer idea of what Rachiroo was saying, and I now clearly understand what she means regarding her situation.

[Go Gators 0]

^ I see what you are saying, but those are niche industry jobs. Its a great they're here, but not enough to diversify our economy.

[Florida 0]

I mention them to draw attention to the fact that we're making improvements and not slipping backwards. But I totally understand this success in itself is only a starting point.

[Go Gators 0]

I agree that we're not slipping backwards. Status Quo isnt always as bad as it could be.

[bioforce 0]

I have to add a caution to these replies as I have done just this sort of boomerrang. I was here for grad school, left and lived in three other cities, some smaller and some larger than Tallahassee, and then took a job that brought me back to Tallahassee. Do not come to Tallahassee unless you have a job offer in hand. While I had a job here waiting for me when I arrived, my wife did not. This is a very tough town in which to find a professional-level job. We were caught off guard by how difficult it was for her to find such a job.

BioForce

[TD 1]

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS BIOFORCE!!!!! GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE!!!!

I agree, its a tough job market... hopefully this will improve with time!