Modern Tallahassee

Modern Tallahassee. Cascades Park. Over the past century, Tallahassee has grown substantially. Leon County's population doubled to nearly 300,000 between 1980 and 2000, while roads continue to widen and the two major universities expand in size and number every year., Tallahassee greeted the 21st century as the epicenter of the most disputed U.S. presidential election in history. For 36 days after voting ended for the 2000 election, media, attorneys and political strategists from around the world descended on Tallahassee as recounts and court filings wrangled out the result of the George W. Bush-Al Gore election. The process ended when the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to halt further recounts and award Florida's electoral votes to President Bush. He was sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States in January, 2001., Rediscovered in the 1970s, Cascades Park had become a brownfield and underwent substantial cleanup efforts. In 2005, Blueprint 2000 spearheaded the project to transform the historic location into a beautifully landscaped public space and flood mitigation site. Whatever the future holds, the site that became Florida's capital in 1824 has come a long way from the old fields alongside a tumbling, cascading waterfall., (Captions) , Aerial photograph of Tallahassee showing the modern cityscape. State Archives of Florida, Controversies during the 2000 presidential election created a political firestorm in Tallahassee, where round-the-clock media coverage broadcast the recount of disputed voting ballots. State Archives of Florida