Tallahassee, city, capital of Florida, U.S., and seat (1824) of Leon county. It is situated in the central part of the state’s northern panhandle region about halfway between Pensacola (west) and Jacksonville (east). Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto ca
Calusapeoples were early inhabitants of the area. The Spanish explorersPánfilo de Narváez(1528) andHernando de Soto(1539) were the first Europeans to visit the region. Settlement began as early as the 1840s, but thecommunityactually dates from 1875, when John C. Williams ofDetroit, Michigan...
(90 km) southwest ofBirmingham. Founded in 1816 by Thomas York on land opened to settlement after theCreek War, it was named for theChoctawchief Tuscaloosa (“Black Warrior”), who fought the Spanish explorerHernando de Sotoin 1540. The city served as the state capital (1826–46) and was...
(established in 1827), an important post during theSeminole Wars. The city’s name was derived from Ocali, theTimucuaIndian name for the province through which Spanish explorerHernando de Sotopassed in 1539; its literal meaning is unknown. After the Seminole Wars, Ocala evolved as an ...