The name "Tallahassee" comes from the language of the Apalachee natives, who originally inhabited the land. The word translates to "old fields," in reference to the large fields of crops the Apalachee cultivated in the region's red clay hills. The founding of the city itself was a matter of convenience, as the territorial government had grown weary of constantly traveling to St. Augustine or Pensacola for meetings and wanted a more central location. In October of 1823, John Lee Williams and Dr. William Simmons selected Tallahassee, the former capital of the Apalachee chiefdom. The city of Tallahassee was formerly established in March of 1824.

During the Civil War, students from the Florida Military and Collegiate Institute (which later became Florida State University) fought alongside soldiers from Tallahassee, defeating the Union troops in the Battle of Natural Bridge in 1865. This victory ensured the safety of Tallahassee, making it the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi not captured by the Union. This historic battle is reenacted every March at the Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park.