{{short description, Park in Tallahassee, Florida Capital Cascade Greenway is a 6-mile (9.6 km) long

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

greenway in

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, designed manage

stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...

, enhance

natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...

and

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...

, and assist in promoting sustainable development.

Location

The Capital Cascade Greenway passes through downtown Tallahassee following the course of the St. Augustine Branch, a small

creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...

that flows south through Cascades Park and Black Swamp, ending in

Lake Munson Lake Munson is a shallow reservoir on the southeast side of Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida. Historically known as Munson's Mill Pond as early as the 1840s, in 1950 a permanent dam was constructed. From 1934 to 1984, Lake Munson received outf ...

. The greenway includes both public and private land.

History

The Capital Cascade Greenway was borne of Tallahassee's Blueprint 2000, an initiative to provide efficient, attractive, environmentally responsible stormwater, trail and road projects that help revitalize in-town and southside neighborhoods. It is funded by an extension of the local one-cent sales tax approved by voters in November 2000. The

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

and the Department of Community Affairs have invested $7.8 million to the project.

The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...

is also a partner in the greenway's creation.

Stormwater

The greenway will address stormwater and

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

ing problems in southern Tallahassee where the St. Augustine Branch basin slopes steeply near downtown. Almost the whole basin is built upon which has increased the amount of

impervious surface Impervious surfaces are mainly artificial structures—such as pavements (roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots, as well as industrial areas such as airports, ports and logistics and distribution centres, all of which use considerable p ...

s leaving no absorption area for rain.

Recreation

Capital Cascade Greenway will include

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

s for walking, and biking and link to the St. Mark's Trail, the Bow Tie Trail and the proposed Gopher, Frog and Alligator Trail (GFA.) The greenway will also have parks and playgrounds, businesses and shops and an opportunity to preserve a historic section of Florida's capital city. Parts of the corridor house the Korean War Memorial as well as historic plaques that commemorate the beginnings of Tallahassee and the State of Florida. The corridor is also very close to a number of structures listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as well as historic neighborhoods such as Stearns-Mosely.

Sources

Capital Cascades TrailsThe Trust for Public LandFlorida Department of Environmental Protection
Parks in Tallahassee, Florida History of Tallahassee, Florida Protected areas of Leon County, Florida