Green Real Estate

Tallahassee is the capital of Florida and the county seat of Leon County. Located on the eastern edge of the Florida panhandle, the area is locally known as the “Big Bend”. Tallahassee is a mid-sized city with a population of 158,500 people, according to U.S. Census estimates in 2005. The city’s population has grown 5.2% since the 2000 census. A significant increase in the populous occurred in the 1990′s with a 19.4% change. The racial profile of the city finds White Non-Hispanic residents making up 59% of the population, African-American 32.8%, and Hispanic 4.3%. Families made up 48% of households. The city’s high student population keeps low the average age of residents at 28 years, over eight years younger than the U.S.

The number of young people relocating to Tallahassee for an education likely drives down the average earning potential of city inhabitants. The median income for Tallahassee households in 2005 was $35,765, over $10,000 below the rest of the country. Families emerged closer to the surface with a median family income of $51,688, about $4,000 behind the national figure. Public administration and educational services heads the list of industries for both men and women. Considered a regional center for trade and agriculture, Tallahassee supports a fast growing manufacturing and high tech economy. The biggest private employers are a General Dynamics, Talla-Comm, and Infinity Software Development. Yet, with so many young people with their noses in books, poverty and unemployment figures are bloated. The poverty level finds 22.3% of Tallahassee’s population as poor. The percentage of unemployed is above the state average, at 11.1% in early 2005. It took an average of almost 18 minutes for city residents to get to work, about seven minutes less the U.S. average.

Housing is affordable for the most part in Tallahassee. The 2005 median house/condo value was $161,300, about $6,000 below the U.S. average. However, it is much higher than values that averaged $102,500 in 2000. Over 60% of Tallahassee’s 76,000-plus housing units were either single-family or mobile homes. The city has plenty of new housing, with 28% of dwellings built since 1990. Renters occupied slightly more than half of city homes. The median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners was $1,191, renters paid $719 for their living arrangements. Over half of renters reported spending 30% or more of household income on housing in 2005. Crime in Tallahassee is one and one-half times greater than the national average, based on statistics compiled by the FBI. The biggest reason for a high violent crime rate was forcible rape statistics that were more than 2.7 times greater than average between 2002 and 2004. The city’s crime index was 563.7 in 2005, compared with a U.S. rate of 325.2.

Tallahassee is described as a quaint city with unique charm. The city’s climate has the widest range of temperatures from summer to winter in all of Florida. This city is one of a few in the state to record temperatures above 100 degrees. The average summertime high is 92. However, the city is much cooler in the winter. In January, the average high is 63.8 degrees with a low that averages 39.7. Thanks to tropical forces, plenty of rainfall finds Tallahassee land. The average annual precipitation is 63.2 inches. During the U.S. Civil War, Tallahassee was not captured by Union forces. Unlike other towns that were set ablaze, the city remained in tact allowing it to keep its historic southern charm and antebellum appearance. Following the war, the community benefited from the relocation of some of Florida’s industry. Tallahassee was considered a small southern town before World War II, with a majority of its population living near the city center. Because the city government was set apart from growing population centers, Tallahassee was nearly unseated as the state’s capitol in the 1960s. Since then, the area has undergone revitalization of the capitol building and historic district. Downtown development includes a number of high-rise condominiums.

A well-educated city, Tallahassee finds nearly half of its residents 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher. The city is home to two major universities, Florida State and Florida A&M, and one community college. These institutions combined have a student population upwards of 65,000. The college campuses are a source of community pride and play significant roles in the area. With a full-time enrollment near 30,000 students, FSU is one of Florida’s oldest and largest universities. The campus is located about a mile from downtown. It is well known for its athletic excellence, as a perennial football power and among other sports.

One of the favorite mystery shops that I ever did was at Lowe’s. In fact, I was waiting for a mystery shop at the store because of the bad experience that I had whenever I was shopping there prior to beginning my mystery shopping career. Once I saw the Lowe’s store shop pop up on the radar, I was quick to accept it as I was sure I would be able to get a little bit of revenge on the people who had treated me so poorly in the first place. Now I know that mystery shopping is not about seeking out bad experiences, it is about evaluating people for the job that they do. Here’s how my mystery shop at Lowe’s ended up going for me.

Whenever I entered the Lowe’s store the first thing that I was supposed to do was to find three different people in order to see if they would help me or not. I walked up and down the main aisle of the store, looking up each individual aisle to see if I could find an employee that was not busy at the time. Even though I had had a bad experience at the store before, I wanted to give them a fair opportunity to be able to get a good evaluation. As it turns out, my first experience with the store ended up being fairly typical of every experience that I ever had. The first person that I walked up to pretended not to see me and simply turned around and walked away. The second person that I walked up to did the same thing, so I followed them into another isle. They ended up ignoring me two times. The third person that I walked up to ended up talking on their personal cell phone, something that was definitely against the rules.

Every mystery shop has a particular department that you are going to want to single out. For this particular shop, it was the kitchen Cabinet department. I walked back into that department, looking like I was interested in purchasing some cabinets or least asking some questions. According to the instructions that I received ahead of time, I was to wait around for at least 10 minutes to see if anybody was going to ask me any questions. After several people walk past me without acknowledging the fact that I was there, I finally decided it was time for me to approach someone. The person that I approached not only was uninterested in my questions, they were not knowledgeable about anything in the area.

I know that a mystery shopper is not supposed to feel satisfaction when giving a bad report, even if they are out for personal revenge. In this particular case, however, giving them bad marks was quite appropriate. All I had to do was to answer each of the questions accurately and to provide them with names of certain employees. I felt as though I was giving the company what they truly wanted, an honest evaluation.

Moving to a new city can be stressful on an adult and on a child. But you can make it a new adventure too. Having a positive attitude and making a child feel safe and secure can go a long way in making a move to a new city go smoothly. When searching for a new home, you may want to focus on neighborhoods that have lots of children of various age groups, nearby city parks and sporting complexes. Also activities such as movies, miniature golf, amusement parks and local attractions are nice. For instance, if you are moving to Florida, maybe look for a home in close proximity to the beach, a lake or river where you can enjoy the sunshine while splashing in the water, riding on a boat, or trying to water ski. If you are moving to North Carolina, living near the mountains where you can hike, snow ski, or sled may be appealing to children too.

Once you have found your new home, try to make your child’s room have familiar characteristics that make him or her feel like its home. Favorite stuffed animals, pictures of family and old friends can help ease them into their new home. It can also be fun to have something new in their room such as new furniture, bedding or accessories that reflect their personality and make their new room even better than their last.

After you have settled into your home, next you need to help your child meet people their own age. Visit local places that kids your children’s age would go to. For small children you could go to a play gym, a city park, or join a Mom’s Club. For older children you can visit your city’s recreation complex and enroll your child in a team sport such as baseball, soccer, or cheerleading. For those who do not excel in sports they may enjoy taking an art class, playing a musical instrument in a band, or joining a swimming team.

Getting to know your new co-workers, other parents and neighbors can also help a child feel adjusted. Seeing you make friends and acquaintances can help your child feel happy about their new city. If you’re invited to a social event, company picnic or neighborhood block party, go with your family. These types of events are great to mingle, and your new friends just might have children your child’s age too!