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Tallahassee[taluhas´E] Pronunciation Key, city (1990 pop. 124,773), state capital and seat of Leon co., NW Fla.; inc. 1825. It is a wholesale trade and distribution center for the surrounding lumber, livestock, and agricultural area. The state government, Florida State Univ., and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical Univ. are major sources of employment. Lumber and wood products are manufactured, and food is processed. Tallahassee is one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities, marked by a population increase of 53% between 1980 and 1990. The city lies in a hilly region known for its lakes, springs, forests, and picturesque gardens. When Hernando De Soto arrived there in 1539, he found a flourishing Native American settlement of Apalachees. Spanish missionaries and settlers followed, but the Apalachee village remained the major settlement until Tallahassee was founded (1824) as the capital of the Florida Territory. The ordinance of secession was adopted there in 1861. The city successfully resisted Union attempts to capture it; a nearby state monument marks the site of the battle of Natural Bridge (Mar., 1865), where Tallahassee cadets helped repel a Union attack. The capitol (1845; remodeled 1901) contains the state library. The graves of Prince Achille Murat (Napoleon I's nephew) and his wife are there. Nearby are Apalachicola National Forest and Wakulla Springs.
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