Tallahassee is the capital of the State of Florida and the county seat of Leon County. Tallahassee became the capitol of Florida in 1824. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 156,512, while the Tallahassee metropolitan area is estimated at 255,500. Tallahassee is located at 30°27′6″N, 84°16′22″W (30.451800, -84.272770). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 254.5 km² (98.2 mi²). 247.9 km² (95.7 mi²) of it is land and 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²) of it (2.59%) is water.

As of the census of 2000, there were 150,624 people, 63,217 households, and 29,459 families residing in the city. The population density was 607.6/km² (1,573.8/mi²). There were 68,417 housing units at an average density of 276.0/km² (714.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.42% White, 34.24% African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.19% of the population.