Chaires, Florida facts for kids
Chaires (pronounced as "chairs") is a small community located just east of Tallahassee, Florida in Leon County, Florida, United States. It's not a formal city, but a "census-designated place" (CDP), meaning it's an area identified for population counting. In 2020, about 308 people lived there. Chaires is part of the larger Tallahassee metropolitan area. You can find it near the intersection of Chaires Cross Road and Capitola Road, northeast of Lake Lafayette, Florida. The ZIP Code for Chaires is 32317.
Contents
The Story of Chaires
How Chaires Got Its Name
Chaires was named after one of its first important settlers, Green Hill Chaires. He was one of three brothers who moved to Florida and helped establish Tallahassee and the areas around it. Green Hill and his brothers, Benjamin and Thomas Peter Chaires, built successful farms called plantations in the southeastern part of Leon County. They became wealthy farmers and had some influence on the politics of North Florida. Even though their plantations are gone today, their family names and history are still a big part of the Chaires community.
Early Challenges and New Beginnings
Green Hill Chaires first built a large cotton plantation near Lake Lafayette, Florida. He became a rich and important person in the Southern farming community. However, in 1838, an attack by a group of Native Americans caused his home to burn down. Sadly, several of his family members, including his wife, died during this event. To start over, Green Hill moved further east. He built a new plantation called Evergreen Hills in the area we now know as Chaires. He owned all of this land until he gave some parts of it for the building of the railroad and to his family members.
In 1839, another attack happened on a Saturday night in July. The Chaires family had to flee their home. Hannah Averitt Chaires, Green Hill's wife, and two children died in this attack. Green Hill Chaires asked for help from a small group of men in Tallahassee called the "minute men." They tried to track the attackers, but a heavy rainstorm made it impossible to follow their trail. The reason for these attacks is not fully known, but it might have been because the Chaires farm was located far to the east, away from the main road at the time.
Education in Chaires
Chaires School
One of the special historical places in Chaires is the Chaires School. As the Chaires area grew and became more settled, the community needed schools for its children. In the early days of Leon County, children from Tallahassee even attended school in Chaires. They would stay with families in Chaires during the week and go home on the train for the weekend.
Today, Chaires School is known as Chaires Elementary School. It serves about 550 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. Chaires Elementary is known for being an "A+ school" and has been since at least the year 2000. It also provides jobs for about 40 teachers. The school is now in its second location at 4774 Chaires Cross Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32317.
Community Services
Public Safety
Fire and rescue services for the Chaires community are provided by the Chaires-Capitola Volunteer Fire Department (VFD). They help keep everyone safe.
Places to Visit
In the early 2000s, Leon County built the Chaires-Capitola Community Park. This park is right next to Chaires Elementary School. It has four lighted tennis courts, two basketball courts, and two baseball fields for Little League Baseball. The Dorothy Cooper Spence Community Center was also built to serve the people of the community. It was named after Dorothy Cooper Spence, who was a community leader. The community center and park have become important gathering spots for the larger Chaires community.
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Location of Chaires, Florida
