TALLAHASSEE, FL — Northeast Tallahassee is experiencing a surge in economic growth as new housing, restaurants and retail spaces open in this area.
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Leaders of long-established businesses are taking notice.
Jacob Ogden, vice president of Hopkins’ Eatery, is planning to open the family’s fourth location in Bannerman Crossing at the former Rae’s Restaurant location.
"It's such an up-and-coming area. It's such busy traffic. There's all these nice places around it, you know, places to get your nails done, shopping, Chiles High School, the Target and the neighborhoods are just constantly growing right now," Ogden said.
"There's always new houses being built and just seemed like an obvious next step for us.”
The new restaurant follows the success of their location in the Market District.
“That store is our busiest location,” he said.
Leon County Commissioner Brian Welch said the area's quality of life and infrastructure—including roads, parks, and bridges—are drawing residents, which attracts new businesses.
"My job as a county commissioner is just to make sure that we have an incredible quality of life in our community and that quality of life is what attracts businesses to come here," Welch said.
That attraction is producing wins for the economy.
Newly released data from the Office of Economic Vitality reveals Tallahassee surpassed the state in economic growth in 2024.
The local economy grew by 4.3%, beating Florida’s average of 3.3%.
Most of that growth came from the private sector, which includes small businesses.
The momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
Roughly 67 businesses activated their utilities across Leon County as of late 2025, indicating more businesses are coming soon.
"Obviously, small businesses are the backbone of our community. They're the backbone of our economy, they create jobs, they provide tax revenue and so we want to support them," Welch said.
Other new businesses coming to Northeast Tallahassee include a new Culver’s, Surcheros, Starbucks and SunStop.
Ogden hopes to open the new Hopkins’ Eatery within the month.
It is the first opening he is managing, and it will be the first location to sell alcoholic beverages.
"I hope it goes gangbusters immediately, and I'm pretty sure that it will. It's going to be the first one that we sell drinks — alcoholic beverages," Ogden said.
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