Formed December 29, 1824 (8th county)
Leon County (292,203), Tallahassee (196,171)
A Modern style concrete and glass courthouse fits into this community. Located at the corner of Monroe and Jefferson streets, this structure was built in 1989. Monroe Street is United States Highway 27 in the city. Barrett Daffin & Carlan, Inc., are the courthouse designers. Tallahassee, as the only county seat, was home to an 1884 and a 1930 courthouse too. The county was named for explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. The county seat’s name originates from the Native American word for “old town.” Leon County was the birthplace of 2 Florida Governors, William D. Bloxham and T. LeRoy Collins. Gadsden County was the source of land for Leon County on December 29, 1824 as the 8th county. The Florida state capitol is located in this county.
Leon County government consists of a manager, sheriff, and appraiser (executive). It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.) Thirteen Circuit Court Judges serve Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, and Wakulla counties and Five County Court Judges, clerk, and county attorney serve Leon County (judicial.) Leon County is located in the northwest part of the state on the border with Georgia. Jacksonville, Florida is east of the county. The Ochlochonee River forms the western border. The center of the county is 7.6 miles Northeast of Tallahassee. The county is surrounded clockwise by Georgia and Jefferson, Wakulla, Liberty, and Gadsden counties.
The area of the county is 667 square miles. It is 37 out of 67 counties in the state. It ranks 22 out of 67 in population in the state. It has a density of 438.1 persons per square mile making it 18 out of 67 in the state. Leon County has 67.1% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 10 crosses east to west from Jefferson County to Gadsden County. United States Highway 27 enters from Georgia on the north and exits into Jefferson County on the east. United States Highway 90 parallels Interstate Highway 10 from Jefferson County to Gadsden County. United States Highway 221 cuts the extreme northeast corner from Georgia to Madison County. United States Highway 319 comes from Georgia and heads south into Wakulla County. The county looks like a slide. Tallahassee dominates the center of the county. Tallahassee is the county seat and the largest city and only incorporated city. It is 67.1% of the county population. The county is pronounced LEE-OEN. The county seat is pronounced TAL-A-HAS-SEE. This county is in the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Tallahassee
