Tallahassee, FL

[papajohn56]

Anyone know much about The Pines apartments in Tallahassee? I'm looking for a nice-ish place to live within my stipend this fall. I also don't know ANYONE there, so my scouting for a roommate or living alone begins too.

Also, if anyone knows about stipend disbursement from FSU, when does it begin? Do they front anything for book costs or security deposits?

[UndraftedFreeAgent]

If you have an RA/TAship, then you will be paid biweekly during the semester, according to university pay periods. You will probably get your first pay check in early September. Set up direct deposit as soon as possible, so you can find any unexpected problems early. If you have a tuition waiver, it only covers tuition, not fees and not books. The school also does not cover anything related to housing, unless that was specifically mentioned in your deal. Depending on the size of your stipend, Alumni Village is dirt cheap, but is "not a very nice place to live". Nicer places start at about 600 per month. Really nice places start around 800 per month.

I've never been to The Pines, but I just looked it up and it is FAR from campus. If at all possible, you should visit Tallahassee before choosing a place to live. You can't really get a good idea of how the town works from satellite photos. apartmentratings.com is a good place to get ideas, but most people who submit reviews either work for the complexes or have had unusually bad experiences. The average resident doesn't bother to comment.

[papajohn56]

If you have an RA/TAship, then you will be paid biweekly during the semester, according to university pay periods. You will probably get your first pay check in early September. Set up direct deposit as soon as possible, so you can find any unexpected problems early. If you have a tuition waiver, it only covers tuition, not fees and not books. The school also does not cover anything related to housing, unless that was specifically mentioned in your deal. Depending on the size of your stipend, Alumni Village is dirt cheap, but is "not a very nice place to live". Nicer places start at about 600 per month. Really nice places start around 800 per month.

I've never been to The Pines, but I just looked it up and it is FAR from campus. If at all possible, you should visit Tallahassee before choosing a place to live. You can't really get a good idea of how the town works from satellite photos. apartmentratings.com is a good place to get ideas, but most people who submit reviews either work for the complexes or have had unusually bad experiences. The average resident doesn't bother to comment.

We're about to visit for this coming weekend, actually. Planning on stopping by a few apartment complexes. I have a pretty good stipend for a first year as a TA, around $20,000 plus it's incremented to cover all other university fees, especially since it's not terribly expensive to live there. So I'd kind of like somewhere nicer than Alumni Village (you know, air conditioning!). I don't need mega nice, but laundry-in-apartment and a dishwasher would be nice. I'll be looking for roommates eventually, but looking for a place first, etc.

Thanks for the info.

[UndraftedFreeAgent]

A few places to check out on your visit: Polos on Park, Evergreens at Mahan, and Blairstone at Governor's Square. All are pretty nice places on the east side of town. You can get a really good place if you're willing to take on a roommate.

[papajohn56]

A few places to check out on your visit: Polos on Park, Evergreens at Mahan, and Blairstone at Governor's Square. All are pretty nice places on the east side of town. You can get a really good place if you're willing to take on a roommate.

Do you know of anywhere to look for Houses up for rent in the area, rather than just apartments?

[rising_star]

Do you know of anywhere to look for Houses up for rent in the area, rather than just apartments?

Several of my friends have found their most recent places via Craig's List or livejournal (the fsu_noles community is quite active).

[papajohn56]

Anyone have any info on average bills in Tallahassee? I'm looking at housing, and if I'm in a 2BR/2BA townhouse I'm wondering if anyone knows the average:

Electric bill

Water/Sewer bill

Natural Gas bill

Garbage bill

Etc

All help would be appreciated, thank you

[rising_star]

papajohn, if you know the address, you should be able to look up the bills online. Within the city limits, all of those bills you listed would come on a single bill from the City of Tallahassee, which provides electric, water, gas, and garbage/recycling service to its customers. It also includes the bill for the fire department, and I think something else to. I'd expect to pay at least $100/mo, more depending on how much you use the a/c.

[LateAntique]

It looks as if I'll be headed to Tallahassee next Fall. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on finding a house and a quiet pub with good beer.

[rising_star]

Craig's List, any student listservs, and driving around are all good ways to find a place to live. Look for a duplex or something like that probably.

For a pub, go to Proof on W Tennessee St. It's sandwiched between Ruby Tuesday and Starbucks, and has an attached liquor store (Liquor Loft). The beer list there is absolutely phenomenal.

[intextrovert]

It looks as if I'll be headed to Tallahassee next Fall. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on finding a house and a quiet pub with good beer.

Awesome! I grew up in Tallahassee. The best part about it is that it's so green - trees everywhere, canopy roads, etc. I'm always struck by that when I come home.

As for a nice pub, I really like Finnegan's Wake on Thomasville. There's also a good wine bar next to it.

Congrats and good luck!

[LateAntique]

Thanks for the pub suggestions.

I'm going to look for a house/townhouse with a back yard since I have a dog and he likes to run around - I've heard this shouldn't be too pricey in Tallahassee.

[psych21]

Looks like I'm headed to Tallahassee as well. Really excited. I've read so many bad reviews of apartments online that I think I'll definitely live at that university hotel for the first week/s... any apartment buildings that would be worth checking out? (I'm going with my husband, so no roommate thing...)

Thanks for the good beer tips, highly appreciated!

[lauren]

Looks like I'm headed to Tallahassee as well. Really excited. I've read so many bad reviews of apartments online that I think I'll definitely live at that university hotel for the first week/s... any apartment buildings that would be worth checking out? (I'm going with my husband, so no roommate thing...)

Thanks for the good beer tips, highly appreciated!

Hi all! Welcome to Tallahassee! Over the last several years I've shared my opinions about where to live (and not live) in this thread but will happily reiterate.

If you're looking for a place with a yard, check out the east side of town. There are plenty of small homes (3br) and town houses (2br) over there. I encourage you to look at the townhouses on Whetherbine Way. They are very reasonably priced and offer varying sized yards. I also had a police offer tell me once that Whetherbine Way is the safest neighborhood in Tallahassee. I don't know if this is still true but, in general, the east side is very family friendly and safe.

If you're looking for an apartment, check out Arbor Properties - http://www.arborproperties.com/. They have several communities throughout Tallahassee and are wonderfully managed. I've lived with them for 5 years and have NEVER had a problem that management couldn't fix immediately! All of the communities have pools, work out facilities, and individual alarm systems. My community also has an off leash dog park!

If you're looking to move into midtown, you'll likely pay a bit more but it'll be worth it. It's absolutely beautiful! There are plenty of small homes and town houses to rent or buy but, like I said, you'll pay more to be in that area. If you want to stay in mid-town but can't afford a house or townhouse, consider Ashford Club - http://www.ashfordatbetton.com/. They are conveniently located to EVERYTHING and the complex sits on an excellent bike/walking trail (something Tallahassee is known for)! This apartment complex is also pet friendly with doggie stations positioned throughout the complex!

I've been in Tallahassee for 8 years now (4 as an undergrad, 4 as a grad student). I'm happy to answer any of your Tallahassee related questions

@psych21: Is it safe to assume that you'll be accepting an offer from the psychology department? If so, which area? I'm in the social area!

[psych21]

Lauren, it's actually the combined counseling/school psych program, in the college of education, not the psych dept... I presume I'll be spending quite some time there anyway, though, or am I completely off?

Thank you so much for the links, very useful! I'm checking it all out now...

[lauren]

Lauren, it's actually the combined counseling/school psych program, in the college of education, not the psych dept... I presume I'll be spending quite some time there anyway, though, or am I completely off?

Thank you so much for the links, very useful! I'm checking it all out now...

It's been my experience that, even though we are all psychologists, we are actually kept quite separate. I can't recall anyone from your department being in any of my classes, nor have I taken any classes in your department. That certainly doesn't mean it's not possible though!

Good luck with your move! Let me know if you need anything!

Cheers,

Lauren

[LateAntique]

Hi all! Welcome to Tallahassee! Over the last several years I've shared my opinions about where to live (and not live) in this thread but will happily reiterate.

If you're looking for a place with a yard, check out the east side of town. There are plenty of small homes (3br) and town houses (2br) over there. I encourage you to look at the townhouses on Whetherbine Way. They are very reasonably priced and offer varying sized yards. I also had a police offer tell me once that Whetherbine Way is the safest neighborhood in Tallahassee. I don't know if this is still true but, in general, the east side is very family friendly and safe.

If you're looking for an apartment, check out Arbor Properties - http://www.arborproperties.com/. They have several communities throughout Tallahassee and are wonderfully managed. I've lived with them for 5 years and have NEVER had a problem that management couldn't fix immediately! All of the communities have pools, work out facilities, and individual alarm systems. My community also has an off leash dog park!

If you're looking to move into midtown, you'll likely pay a bit more but it'll be worth it. It's absolutely beautiful! There are plenty of small homes and town houses to rent or buy but, like I said, you'll pay more to be in that area. If you want to stay in mid-town but can't afford a house or townhouse, consider Ashford Club - http://www.ashfordatbetton.com/. They are conveniently located to EVERYTHING and the complex sits on an excellent bike/walking trail (something Tallahassee is known for)! This apartment complex is also pet friendly with doggie stations positioned throughout the complex!

I've been in Tallahassee for 8 years now (4 as an undergrad, 4 as a grad student). I'm happy to answer any of your Tallahassee related questions

@psych21: Is it safe to assume that you'll be accepting an offer from the psychology department? If so, which area? I'm in the social area!

Thanks so much for the info. I'll definitely look in that area for a house/townhouse.

[britboi04]

haha....it's too funny reading some of the opinions of Tallahassee on this thread as mine are so different!

I feel to give both ends of the spectrum for any of you who have gotten offers I'll offer my two cents.

I have lived in Tallahassee now for almost 6 years, I did my undergraduate work at FSU and stayed on to work a year as I prepped my apps. for grad schools.

FSU itself, aesthetically, is a great campus (mostly.) There is one side of campus where all of the science buildings are that is hideous and out of place with the rest of the classic, brick architecture that dominates the rest of campus. It is certainly a walking campus and takes 15-20 to walk from one side to the other. It's doable, but there are hills and in the summer it is quite hot, so the bus system is heavily utilized.

Class wise, there are lots of large lecture classes, however my experience with these was limited as my major (French & International Affairs) and being in the Honors program helped keep class size low.

I'll shift my focus now to Tally at large since FSU is similar to most big, state universities, however, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Ok, so Tally. I was reading one of the first posts in this thread from 2006 and someone said they heard it was 'run down.' In my opinion, this is correct.

Aside from Downtown and the 'rich' neighborhoods on the outskirts (closer to Thomasville and Southwood) Tallahassee has a very 'let-go' type of feel to it--especially once you venture off campus to the student-oriented parts of the city (which, let's be honest, is where most of you as students will be spending your time.) Run-down shopping plazas dominate the roadsides and believe it or not, this is where night clubs function. FSU's Anthropology department (now closing I believe) is a running joke here in town as it's sandwiched between a billiards bar and nightclub called Chubby's in a shopping plaza. The word I believe you are searching for is 'ghetto.'

However, I will give Tally props for cleaning up 'the Strip' last year. The Strip is a popular plaza (surprise) of clubs and bars directly across from campus on Tennessee St. For all of my undergrad, I couldn't fathom why anyone frequented these places as they were incredibly small and looked to be in violation of multiple health and safety standards. However, after enough students got run over since the busiest street in town was dangerously close to this strip, they renovated the whole thing, put safety bars to separate the road, and now it looks decent--at least on the outside.

When school is in session, traffic is horrible on main streets such as Tennessee and Monroe (access to downtown), especially considering you don't get the benefits at least of living in a major city. The streets are really narrow and this creates all sorts of traffic nightmares. The canopy roads around town are nice, however, they are also filled with speeding drivers so can be a bit scary to brave. Forget about riding your bike/running if you don't live near campus. There have been multiple biker deaths recently.

And public transport is a joke. If you have to ride the bus, pop in headphones. I've heard stories of how crazies will approach you...not to mention the lateness with which the bus system runs. Still, it is free to students.

Housing options are varied as with any college town. Most of the on campus housing is old and horrid. A few newer halls are pretty nice, however the price is still exorbitant. Apartments immediately next to campus are similar--horrid and overpriced for the value. I've lived on campus, right off campus in apartments and finally got smart and rented a townhouse. I have loved the townhouse option as I pay less than I did to live in a small dorm with a roommate and got a two story townhome with my own room-with traffic, it takes me 15 minutes to get to campus, without, probably about 8.

My general views of the city are negative. It's boring point blank. While the student population brings in the liberal side of the town and you have interesting events here and there, at large, it's just another predominantly republican, southern town that doesn't have much to offer by way of culture or new activities/events to do. It's very much a who-you-know type of town and that bugs me to no end. The nightlife is miserable--especially if you are gay or lesiban--we get only one night a week at a straight establishment now. Even the straight places are overrun with frat boys and sorostitutes and the fact that clubs are in shopping plazas is just a downer in my book. I think if you are into the small town feel and aren't looking for a city with much to do by way of nightlife, restaurant offerings, and cultural events, then Tally could be the best bet for you.

Its redeeming qualities are that it can be pretty with all the trees. There are a few parks in the city, however even these can seem a bit run down. Lake Ella, though the potential to be a nice place, gets overtaken with homeless as it is pretty close to Frenchtown. (Let's not even get started on this part of town. You'd never want to walk around here.)

Another redeeming quality is that because of the big student population, you can find groups of people with similar interests so that helps to build your own island in this otherwise desolate town. Your 4 hours away from Orlando and Atlanta, not exactly meccas of culture, but certainly a reachable escape for times when you are ready to pull your hair out from being in this town for so long.

I don't know, there are some days I wake up, the sun's out and I appreciate Tally's quaint, naturey feel, but then I drive to campus or a park and see the run down buildings or I struggle to come up with something new to do on the weekends and revert right back into calling it by its student-given nickname 'Tallatrashy'

I realize this probably stems from the fact I have studied abroad and lived in cities like Paris and London, so I intrinsically am a big-city kind of person, but once you're off campus, there is just not much to Tallahassee.

It's a big reason that though I have a job in my field and been accepted into a grad. program that will be paid for, I might have to just decline the offer. 6 years here has been my breaking point I feel..so I'm now weighing do I stay in a miserable town for free grad school or venture elsewhere and possibly pay?

Well, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to be brutally honest

Edited March 11, 2010 by britboi04

[UrbanTallahassee.com]

The "hideous" side of FSU the writer above refers to above, looks like this:

I'll agree that it is NOT the most attractive part of the Florida State Campus. However, I wouldn't consider the writers comments objective regarding Tallahassee, as it seems, based on his or her shared opinions of it, they rarely strayed away from the areas immediately surrounding the university campus and certain other high-traffic shopping districts where the comments shared would apply. It is common knowledge to most people who live in Tallahassee that those are student and/or low income areas. Most of Tallahassee's residential areas are strung out along the city's eastern corridors (where more industrial activities occur in the west). The area is full of great parks, great pubic schools, and great neighborhoods.

As state capital, most of Florida's history is on display, yet unlike other state Capitals, Tallahassee is not full of super-elaborate architecture and grand buildings, the downtown is modern but quaint, there are sidewalks all over, plenty of shade from the huge oaks.

Tallahassee is NOT run down. There are many authentic/organic feeling establishments surrounding the universities that cater to the students which may lead you to think so but I think they look the way they do on purpose. Unlike many other cities I've visited, Tallahassee doesn't have many abandoned buildings, and for the most part the city is doing a fairly good job reusing/redeveloping those that are.

The writer above says Tallahassee is predominantly republican... FALSE. Tallahassee's entire city commission is anchored by Democrats. Further this city and the immediate surrounding area are traditional democratic strongholds in North Florida (see historic Presidential election maps from CNN if you don't believe me). Not that this is something I personally hang my hat on, its just another telling sign that the writer above may not be a credible source for information on this city.

[squaresquared]

There aren't too many threads happening around FSU. I keep hearing about crime problems, but is this really an exaggeration? I live in a big city and while we do have crime, it doesn't seem to be such a hot topic compared to what is mentioned about Tallahassee. Is living on campus a bad idea as a grad student? Are the buses really as bad as people describe if you live a bit further out from campus? It has been hard to find information about FSU and Tallahassee!

[benafflicted]

There aren't too many threads happening around FSU. I keep hearing about crime problems, but is this really an exaggeration? I live in a big city and while we do have crime, it doesn't seem to be such a hot topic compared to what is mentioned about Tallahassee. Is living on campus a bad idea as a grad student? Are the buses really as bad as people describe if you live a bit further out from campus? It has been hard to find information about FSU and Tallahassee!

I'm finishing up undergrad at FSU and have lived in Tallahassee for four years. The school sends crime bulletin e-mails to the students informing them of recent crimes around campus (usually involving theft or attempted theft). I have always felt safe around campus, though. A general rule of thumb that no one seems to have problems following is to avoid Frenchtown (Tallahassee ghetto). As regards finding a place to live, it is sage advice to check the crime history of the complex or neighborhood you intend to live in. Some complexes have a better record than others. I would not recommend living on campus as a grad student. I'm not even sure if the dorms allow grad students or if it is only for undergrads. There are plenty of roommate matching services in town, so you can find a roommate (if you want one) that matches your lifestyle. If I stay at FSU for grad school I will definitely be moving further from campus. Also, the buses at FSU are great! As long as you live on an FSU-bus route (I'm not sure about the city-bus system) you should be fine.

[Theophilus]

I'm finishing up undergrad at FSU and have lived in Tallahassee for four years. The school sends crime bulletin e-mails to the students informing them of recent crimes around campus (usually involving theft or attempted theft). I have always felt safe around campus, though. A general rule of thumb that no one seems to have problems following is to avoid Frenchtown (Tallahassee ghetto). As regards finding a place to live, it is sage advice to check the crime history of the complex or neighborhood you intend to live in. Some complexes have a better record than others. I would not recommend living on campus as a grad student. I'm not even sure if the dorms allow grad students or if it is only for undergrads. There are plenty of roommate matching services in town, so you can find a roommate (if you want one) that matches your lifestyle. If I stay at FSU for grad school I will definitely be moving further from campus. Also, the buses at FSU are great! As long as you live on an FSU-bus route (I'm not sure about the city-bus system) you should be fine.

Benafflicted,

Will you be attending FSU for graduate work? I'm thinking about accepting their offer.

[benafflicted]

Benafflicted,

Will you be attending FSU for graduate work? I'm thinking about accepting their offer.

Nope. I've accepted an offer in the UK at University of Reading. You will love FSU, though! If you have any questions, I will try to help you out.

[myama08]

Hey all. Just got an offer from FSU and it looks like I'll be accepting. I'm looking for a place to live that's in a safe neighborhood, is roughly 600/month, and is within half an hour from school by car. I'm willing to pay more or drive farther, but as I lived in some shady areas as an undergrad (car broken into multiple times by the same guy, etc) I'd really like to avoid it this time. Cypress Pointe has come up in searches as meeting my requirements, but not being from Tallahassee, I have no real way of knowing. Does anyone live there or know anyone who has? Is it safe? It's located north of I-10 behind the Killearn Shopping Center, if that helps.

Of course, if anyone knows of any other places that match those criteria, please let me know. I would certainly appreciate it. I've never been to Tallahassee, so I'm a bit lost as to nice neighborhoods for grad students.

Edited June 9, 2011 by myama08

[indorichai]

Hey, I will be at FSU for Fall 2011 thru Spring 2012. I won't be there next summer since I will be out of the country. I'm looking for a decent short-lease apartment that is furnished (I'll be moving into Tallahassee from Atlanta, GA so I don't want to worry about furniture). I just spent 3 hours today trying to find one but most of them seem to offer no short term leases or there was one that did, yet they didn't have a furnished option. Can anyone help me out with my apartment hunt dilemma?