Spotlight: Frenchtown

Frenchtown is located northwest of downtown Tallahassee. It is bordered approximately by Seventh Avenue and Alabama Street to the north, Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard to the east, Tennessee Street to the south, and Woodward Avenue to the west.

The Frenchtown community got its start in 1825 when the federal government deeded $200,000 worth of northern Florida territory to the Marquis de Lafayette for his assistance during the Revolutionary War. He decided to establish a town where slavery was outlawed. This attracted many French and free black settlers to the area. After the Civil War, many emancipated slaves moved to the area and settled in Frenchtown. It is considered the state's oldest primarily black community. The area became a thriving middle-class African American community. It went through a period of decline in the 1960s and '70s. Frenchtown is currently undergoing a revitalization under the Frenchtown Neighborhood First plan.
 

Today, residents enjoy art walks, hosted by the Ash Gallery on Georgia Street, as well as the community garden and weekly farmers market. The neighborhood is less than a mile from FAMU, Florida State, and the Capitol.

School zones:

• Riley Elementary School

• Bond Elementary School

• Ruediger Elementary School

• Griffin Middle School

• Raa Middle School

• Leon High School

• Godby High School