As a famous tennis player liked to say, 'Image is everything.' And the Northeast image of better schools, more prestigious neighborhoods and fashionable shopping centers makes it first choice for most homebuyers. Betton Hills, in particular, appeals to the established set. Killearn Estates, considered too far out in the country when it was developed some 25 years ago, continues to attract upward strivers. Rose Hill, High Grove, Ox Bottom Manor and other upscale neighborhoods have become the favorite haunts of white-collar professionals drawn to the city's universities, medical facilities and law offices. First-time buyers look to Eastgate, Arbor Hills and a whole raft of townhouse and carriage home clusters.

Key road improvements: Park Ave., realigned and widened to four lane from Magnolia Drive to Capital Circle SE; Blair Stone Road extension, which now connects Capital Circle SE to Capi-tal Circle NE'and all points in-between, a great addition; Welaunee Blvd., new 4-lane road from Capital Circle NE to Fleischmann Road, by 2006+; Mahan Drive four-laned from Capital Circle E to Interstate 10

A quieter, less traffic-intense section of middle-class neighborhoods and dormitory-style apartment complexes punctuated by a few upscale outposts, the northwest corridor remains popular with university students looking for off-campus housing. Squeezed between Lake Jackson and the Ochlockonee River, it's just about run out of room for residential growth. Tower Oaks with its cul-de-sac streets and starter-home prices is one of the few new subdivisions.

Closer to the FSU campus, once gentrified neighborhoods like Mission Hills and San Luis Ridge are struggling to retain their family character as students move in. Gov. Bush's deci-sion to ax a $400,000 road widening of two-lane Northwest Capital Circle was a blow to com-mercial development. Lake Jackson remains almost a puddle of its former self, pulling the plug on several waterfront neighborhoods.

On the upside, homebuyers can usually get more for their money than in the Northeast. They also have an easier drive to downtown jobs, with a number of roads that penetrate the I-10 barrier. Neighborhoods such as Huntington Woods and Lakeshore Estates are as upscale as any.

Highlights: Commonwealth Centre, the city's top industrial park with more than 40 business establishments employing about 2,700 people; San Luis Mission, with restored fort, church and other buildings from the site of a 17th-century Spanish mission site; Tallahassee Mall's AMC movie screens. Florida State University's 35,000 students, 5,200 employees including faculty, and 463-acre physical plant

Recent additions: Northwood Center and the newly revamped Northwood Station, with a combined 172,000 square feet of shopping and office space including a top-of-the-line Publix in the old K-Mark building; Hopkins Crossing, opened by Lowe's with 370,000 sq.ft. of commercial and office space; Home Depot, 127,160 sq.ft. home center off Capital Circle Northwest; Refur-bished WalMart, now a Super WalMart

Key road improvements: Mission Road, refigured and widened north from Tallahassee Community College; North Monroe Street, repaved for better access to shopping, restaurants, motels and the Tallahassee Mall. Tharpe Street, four-laned from North Monroe Street to Ocala Road, with further widening to Northwest Capital Circle in the works.

Southwood continues to be the engine that draws new life to this sometimes overlooked section of the community whose established neighborhoods around Capital City Country Club are among the city's best. Indian Hills Acres, in particular, appeals to many professionals looking for a less stressful commute to work and retirees who like the relatively modest home prices.

Built along the lines of New Urbanism planning concepts, SouthWood has proven immensely popular with upper-end homebuyers. Carved from several hundred rural acres outside the Capital Circle beltway, it offers such attractions as its own town center, shopping, recreation and top-notch schools including the city's only Catholic High School, John Paul II, and the relo-cated Florida High.

At the other end of the scale, less affluent neighborhoods such as Apalachee Ridge, fallen on hard times since its 1950s origins, hopes to recapture the past through a cooperative effort with city and county officials as part of what they call the Southern Strategy Area. Not only are residents learning about government programs to refurbish their mostly modest homes, but they've also added a neighborhood computer center with classes in high-tech skills.

Highlights: Dramatic residential growth in the rural farmlands of eastern Leon County, overlap-ping into the northeast quadrant around Chaires and out Buck Lake Road. Indian Head Acres, funky and affordable, where mostly 1950s-era homes draw residents to its close-in location, winding streets and woodsy stream. State of Florida Satellite Office Complex, engine for major high-tech initiatives in nearby SouthWood and along I-10 at the Mahan Drive exit. North Florida Fair, home of a 19-county fair each November as well as a regular trade, auto and food shows.

New additions: Capital Circle Office Center, looking to add 100,000 sq.ft. to existing 1.16 mil-lion sq.ft. of state government office space. Southwood, project in progress, a multi-use complex on 1,859 acres that expects 2,270 residential units, 317,000 sq.ft. of commercial and 700,000 sq.ft. of office space by build-out in 2015.

Key road improvements: Orange Avenue, widened to four lanes from South Monroe Street to Blairstone Road, then extended four lanes to Southeast Capital Circle; Capital Circle Southeast, widened to six lanes as far as Apalachee Parkway.

Student apartments continue to flourish in this area, long known as home to the city's sewer plants, airport, sand mines, county jail and spray fields. But there's nothing like the townhouses built for students around Tallahassee Community College and northwest of the two universities.

The area does boast of such outdoor delights as Leon Sinks, Seminole Golf Course, Messer Park's public athletic fields (including a skateboard park) and the Lake Bradford chain of lakes. It's a mixed bag definitely in need of more than just fine tuning, just about everyone agrees. So far, they can't agree on how to get started.

Highlights: Innovation Research Park, a 238-acre university-related research park including the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and joint FSU/FAMU school of Engineering. Talla-hassee Museum of History and Natural Science, with its natural-habitat zoo, restored 1880s farm, antebellum home and schedule of special events. Tallahassee Regional Airport, improving in service and carriers but still pricey compared to other state airports. Tallahassee Community College, with almost 12,000 students in more than two dozen major subjects. Florida A&M University, one of the nation's pre-eminent historically black institutions of higher learning with highly acclaimed programs in business, pharmacy and architecture among others.

New additions: Airport Commerce Center, a 189,000 sq.ft. addition across from the Tallahassee Regional Airport with plans to add light industrial.

Key road improvements: Gaines Street, widening to four lanes as a major thoroughfare between the two universities; Crawfordville Road, four-laned to Wakulla Springs as a throughway to the Gulf; Pensacola Street, reconfigured around Doak Campbell Stadium in a dramatic shift of traffic patterns west from the FSU campus. Jackson Bluff Road extension, straightening out the main route from downtown to the airport.

Sources: Andy Lindstrom of the Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee-Leon County Planning De-partment, University of Florida Bureau of Economic & Business Research, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Association of Realtors, Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau.

**All information deemed accurate but not guaranteed