what is the last island in the florida keys
Okeechobean Sea


currently. The Tomeu Islands were near future western Palm Beach County All three islands were covered with pine and palmetto forests. Flanking the Tomeu Islands on the west was the Capeletti Reef Tract. The southeastern and Atlantic facing part of the peninsula supported the Miami and Palm Beach Archipelagos. Connected and to the south of that and what would be the future Florida Keys was the Monroe Reef Tract. The Belle Glade Subsea was named after Belle Glade, Florida and lasted ~300,000 to 75,000 years ago, a period of ~. During this time
21464659
Long Key State Park


explorers arrived. "Cayo Vivora", or Rattlesnake Key, is what the first Spaniards called the island, since to them it resembled a snake with its jaws open. By the early twentieth century, Long Key became an important depot for the completed of the Florida East Coast Railroad. The railroad's founder, Henry Flagler, also established the Long Key Fishing Camp, a resort that attracted the greatest saltwater fishermen from around the world. But it did not last for long, when in 1935, the Labor Day hurricane
2258093
Cedar Key, Florida


commander of United States troops in the war, ordered construction of a hospital on what had become known as Depot Key. (The island's name may reflect the establishment of a depot there by Florida militia general Leigh Read. The primary depot for the U.S. Army in Florida at the time was at Palatka.) Depot Key was the headquarters for the Army in Florida, but Fishburne states headquarters was not in a fixed place, but wherever the commander was. Cantonment Morgan was established on nearby Seahorse Key by 1841 and used
18463719
Florida Keys Community College


Florida Keys Community College (FKCC) is a community college in Key West, Florida. Its main campus is on Stock Island, adjacent to what it purports to be the only living coral reef in North America. FKCC also operates two additional campuses in the Florida Keys; one in Marathon and another in Key Largo. With its Key West location, FKCC is the southernmost post-secondary school of any type within the contiguous United States. FKCC offers two-year associate degrees in various programs and associate degrees for students planning
4727299
Grassy Key


Grassy Key, Florida, is an island in the middle Florida Keys. It is located on U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway), near mile markers 57—60, below the Conch Keys. It has an area of 3.65 km², with a population of 974 as of the census 2000. It is one of the northernmost islands in a chain of islands that comprises the City of Marathon, Florida. The island or "key"—as the islands are called in parts of Florida—hosts many mom-and-pop-type
9207575
Perdido Key, Florida


Perdido Key is an unincorporated community in Escambia County, Florida, United States, between Pensacola, Florida and Orange Beach, Alabama. "Perdido" means "lost" in the Spanish and Portuguese languages. The community is located on and named for Perdido Key, a barrier island in northwest Florida and southeast Alabama. The Florida district of the Gulf Islands National Seashore includes the east end of the island, as well as other Florida islands. No more than a few hundred yards wide in most places, Perdido Key stretches some
8130251
Florida Keys


the islands, while the channels between the bars now separate the islands. Just offshore of the Florida Keys along the edge of the Florida Straits is the Florida Reef (also known as the Florida Reef Tract). The Florida Reef extends 270 km from Fowey Rocks just east of Soldier Key to just south of the Marquesas Keys. It is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world. The climate and environment of the Florida Keys are closer to that of the Caribbean than the rest of Florida, though unlike the
4388826
Man Key


Man Key is an island in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is within the boundaries of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Located in the Outlying Islands of the Florida Keys, it is in the southern Mule Keys that are 9 miles (15 km) west of Key West. It is composed of three separate islets. It is east of Ballast Key (24°31′23.0″N)which is the farthest south island, and it is also east of Woman Key. To the north of Man Key
6724879
Tropical Depression Fourteen (1987)


were centered in the area of Jamaica, who would later received rainfall in excess of as the center of the depression moved across the island. In the United States, the National Hurricane Center issued two tropical storm warnings in Florida. The first was from the middle and lower islands of the Florida Keys to the area of Dry Tortugas on November 1. The warning lasted only 24 hours, with the warning ending on November 2. The second issued tropical storm warning was from the area of Fort Myers Beach to Cedar Key on
8306567
Key West National Wildlife Refuge


of open water and of land on the 26 islands of Mule Keys and of Marquesas Keys. The Refuge includes mostly mangrove islands, with a few sandy beaches and dunes that are critical nesting habitat for endangered sea turtles. Other habitat includes salt marsh and coastal berm hammocks, plus sea grass and coral reef communities. The refuge, along with the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge, represents the last of the offshore (and raccoon-free) islands in the lower Florida Keys available as critical nesting, roosting, wading and
13287834
Key Biscayne


Key Biscayne is elongated in the north-south direction, tapering to a point at each end. It is approximately long and wide. The northern end of the island is separated from another barrier island, Virginia Key, by Bear Cut. The southern end of the island is Cape Florida. The Cape Florida Channel separates the island from the Safety Valve, an expanse of shallow flats cut by tidal channels that extends southward about to the Ragged Keys, at the northern end of the Florida Keys. Only Soldier Key, approximately
11800617
Government Cut


Government Cut is a manmade shipping channel between Miami Beach and Fisher Island, which allows better access to the Port of Miami in Miami, Florida. Before the cut was established, a single peninsula of dry land stretched from what is now Miami Beach to what is now Fisher Island, and boats destined for the port at the mouth of the Miami River had to pass around Cape Florida, to the south of Key Biscayne. Opened in 1905, the cut across the peninsula that is now Miami Beach was authorized by the U.S.
15032139
Atsena Otie Key


Atsena Otie Key, the original site for the town of Cedar Key, Florida is a Florida island. It includes a swimming area, trail and Faber Mill ruins. The property is part of the Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Atsena Otie Key is a barrier island a half mile offshore from Cedar Key, Florida. A skeleton found on the island in 1999 was determined to be more than 2,000 years old, attesting to the occupation of the island by Native Americans at
5915168
Key Largo, Florida


Key Largo is a census-designated place in Monroe County, Florida, United States, located on the island of Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. The population was 10,433 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the Spanish "Cayo Largo", or "long key". It is both the first island and town of the Florida Keys to be reached from the Overseas Highway to Key West. It was also the location of one of the stations of the Overseas Railroad. Key Largo is located at (
18573061
Ballast Key


Ballast Key is an island in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is the southernmost point of land in the contiguous United States. It is also the only privately owned land within the boundaries of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge, and is being offered on the real estate market for US $15,800,000. Located in the Outlying Islands of the Florida Keys, it is one of the Mule Keys that are nine miles (15 km) west of Key West. The island's are privately owned
115441
Duck Key


Duck Key is an island in Monroe County, Florida, United States, in the middle Florida Keys. It is part of the Duck Key, Florida census-designated place. The CDP also includes the neighboring island of Conch Key. The key was the site of a salt manufacturing operation in the 1820s & 1830s. Occupation of the island ceased after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and did not resume until the key was connected to the highway by a causeway in 1953. J.W. Norie, in his Piloting Directions for the
15617976
Fleming Key


Fleming Key is an island off the northwest corner of the island of Key West, Florida in the lower Florida Keys. It is roughly long by wide. It is connected to the island of Key West by the Fleming Key Bridge (Mustin Road), having of clearance over Fleming Key Cut, a small channel. The island and bridge road are part of a section of the Naval Air Station Key West called Trumbo Point and are inaccessible to civilians without US Navy clearance. The island has a 10 million gallon per day
10152717
Key West


and includes much of the northwestern corner of the island. The official city motto is "One Human Family". At various times before the 19th century, people who were related or subject to the Calusa and the Tequesta inhabited Key West. The last Native American residents of Key West were Calusa refugees who were taken to Cuba when Florida was transferred from Spain to Great Britain in 1763. "" () is the original Spanish name for the island of Key West. Spanish-speaking people today also use the term when
18573071
Florida Keys


. (Lower Matecumbe through Plantation Keys are incorporated as Islamorada, Village of Islands. The "towns" of Key Largo, North Key Largo and Tavernier, all on the island of Key Largo, are not incorporated.) All keys north of Broad Creek are in Biscayne National Park and Miami-Dade County. The following are "true" Florida Keys (exposed ancient coral reefs): The following are "transitional keys", made of exposed ancient reef surrounded by sand. Key Biscayne is not one of the Florida
4388840
Dismal Key


Dismal Key is a small island, part of the Ten Thousand Islands archipelago in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. The island is artificial, constructed by people of the Glades culture. Construction of the island proceeded in stages over some 1,500 years following the end of the Archaic period in Florida. Occupation probably ended a couple of centuries before the arrival of Europeans in Florida. Dismal Key was occupied by several hermits in the 20th century. The southwest coast of Florida has many large artificial structures known as shell works
11043615
Key Haven, Florida


Key Haven is an unincorporated community on Raccoon Key, an island in the lower Florida Keys about a mile (1.6 km) east of the island of Key West. It is a suburb of greater Key West, and houses around a thousand residents. The city limits of Key West on northern Stock Island are separated from Key Haven by a channel about a quarter mile (400 m) wide. It lies off the northeast side of Stock Island, and is connected by fill to U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway) via
2247173
Sands Key


Sands Key is an island north of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park. It is in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located in lower Biscayne Bay, between Elliott Key and Boca Chita Key. Earlier names for the island were "Las Tetas", "The Paps", "Pownal Kay", "Pownall Island", "Restinga de Las Tetas" and "Saunder's Key". "Las Tetas" is Spanish for "breasts". The island was most likely called this due
10467262
Flight 19


was west, but in reality was northwest, almost parallel to Florida. After trying that for a while and with no land in sight, Taylor decided that it was impossible for them to fly so far west and not reach Florida. He believed that he might have been near the Key West Islands. What followed was a series of serious conversations between Taylor, his team and the control tower. Taylor was not sure whether he was near Bahama or Key West, and he was not sure which direction was which due to
3041030
Sigsbee Park


Sigsbee Park, also known as "Dredgers Key", is an island about half a mile (800 m) north of Key West island in the lower Florida Keys; administratively it is within the City of Key West, Florida, United States. It is connected to the island of Key West by Sigsbee Road. The island and causeway are part of the Key West Naval Air Station. It is primarily used for Navy housing. It also includes a Navy Exchange, commissary, elementary school, Morale, Welfare and Recreation
13727198
Glades culture


The Glades culture is an archaeological culture in southernmost Florida that lasted from about 500 BCE until shortly after European contact. Its area included the Everglades, the Florida Keys, the Atlantic coast of Florida north through present-day Martin County and the Gulf coast north to Marco Island in Collier County. It did not include the area around Lake Okeechobee, which was part of the Belle Glade culture. Two, or possibly three, areas at the extremities of the cultural area are recognized as variant districts: the Ten Thousand Islands district
2942541
Cudjoe Key, Florida


Cudjoe Key is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Monroe County, Florida, United States, on an island of the same name in the lower Florida Keys. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 1,695. The island was called Littleton Island in 1772. The name changed to Cudjoe's by 1849, later shortened to Cudjoe. It may have been named for the Joewood or Cudjoe wood tree ("Jacquinia keyensis") which grows on the island. John Viele notes that "
18573039
Adams Key


Adams Key is an island north of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park. It is in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located west of the southern tip of Elliott Key, on the north side of Caesar Creek in the lower part of Biscayne Bay. The key is only accessible by boat, and overnight docking is prohibited. The earlier name for this island was "Cocolobo Key". It was the site of the Cocolobo Cay Club, a private resort. Everything on the island, including the
10102367
Florida City, Florida


had to stay in Homestead until their houses could be built. The name was changed to Florida City when the town incorporated in 1914. It has a small historic area, but much of the city is hotels and other tourist facilities. The city is at the eastern end of the only road running through the Everglades National Park, which terminates at Flamingo. Florida City is the southernmost city in the United States which is not on an island. It is also the last stop on the mainland north of the Florida Keys.
18464912
Boca Chita Key


Boca Chita Key is the island north of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park, Miami-Dade County, Florida. The key is located in Biscayne Bay, just north of Sands Key. An ornamental lighthouse is present on the key. The harbor has a bulkhead with cleats where boats may be tied. There is a campground with picnic tables and salt water toilets. Fresh water and electricity are not available on the island. On the north-west part of the island is the Boca Chita Key Historic District containing
10467273
Tropical hardwood hammock


as well as other communities such as sandhill and scrub. The Key deer is restricted to pine rocklands and tropical hardwood hammocks on Big Pine Key. Both the Key Largo cotton mouse and the Key Largo woodrat are endemic to tropical hardwood hammocks on Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. The Stock Island tree snail is historically known only from hammocks on Stock Island and Key West. The endangered Florida bonneted bat is considered to be the largest bat in Florida. Although the bat numbers are unknown, the species was once believed to
15146946
Key Biscayne, Florida


on the island. It is the only newspaper in South Florida catering exclusively to residents of Key Biscayne. They also publish "Island Life" The Official Guide and Directory of the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce. Published annually, "Island Life" contains community information and a comprehensive business directory of Chamber members. The Chamber also publishes a bi-weekly e-newsletter with a circulation of over 1,000. "Key Biscayne Magazine" is a lifestyle magazine based on the island. The magazine's tagline is, "Island Living
18465091
Florida Keys


The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and defining one
4388808
Pigeon Key, Florida


Pigeon Key is a historic district located on the small island of Pigeon Key in the lower Florida Keys, United States. The island is named "Cayo Paloma" on many old Spanish charts. It is located off the old Seven Mile Bridge, at approximately mile marker 45, west of Knight's Key, (city of Marathon in the middle Florida Keys) and just east of Moser Channel, which is the deepest section of the seven-mile span. Said to be named for large flocks of white-crowned pigeons
5440017
Wisteria Island


Wisteria Island, also known as "Christmas Tree Island", is a federally owned, uninhabited island in the lower Florida Keys 645 yards (590 m) northwest of the northwestern corner of the main island and city of Key West, Florida, Monroe County, United States. It is located 280 yards (260 m) north-northeast of Sunset Key ("Tank Island"), its closest neighbor. Wisteria Island's area is (26 acres) . The nickname "Christmas Tree Island" comes from the large
11498133
Stock Island, Florida


below the poverty line, including 28.9% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over. Monroe County School District operates public schools serving Stock Island. Three schools in the City of Key West, Gerald Adams on Stock Island and Horace O'Bryant Middle School and Key West High School , located on Key West Island, serve Stock Island. Florida Keys Community College is located here as well. The community tends to be residential in character, rather than the tourist-oriented Key West, with a year
18573168
Flight 19


Bahama Island and his compass was malfunctioning, he set a course to what he thought was southwest to head straight back to Fort Lauderdale. However, in reality this changed his course farther northwest, toward open ocean. To further add to his confusion, he encountered a series of islands north of Abaco Island, which looks very similar to the Key West Islands. The control tower then suggested that Taylor's team should fly west, which would have taken them to the landmass of Florida eventually. Taylor headed for what he thought
3041029
USS Ericsson (TB-2)


, Rhode Island, her home port. Through the summer months, she cruised New England waters for trials and training, instructing regular and reserve officers in torpedo tactics. She left Newport on 18 September for a cruise to Annapolis, Norfolk, Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, and several ports in Florida, arriving at Key West on the last day of the year. This was to be her base for operations in the Caribbean during the next seven months. As war with Spain approached, "Ericsson" patrolled the Florida Keys
1094345
Soldier Key


yards (200 meters) by 100 yards (100 meters) with a maximum elevation of six feet (under two meters). It is at the southern end of the along-shore movement of sand that feeds the barrier islands to the North (such as Key Biscayne) and is the northernmost exposure of the Key Largo limestone (fossilized coral reef) which forms the "true" Florida Keys. The island is covered by grass and shrub vegetation typical of the Florida Keys. Although the island was described as "thickly
10467417
West Florida Controversy


that West Florida formed no part of Louisiana. However, the ambiguous third article of the treaty of St. Ildefonso lent itself to his purpose, although he had to adopt an interpretation that France had not asserted nor Spain allowed. Chambers arrives at what he calls the key to Mr. Livingston's sudden change of conviction concerning West Florida: "It had been and was the desire of the United States to acquire West Florida and the Island of Orleans. [James] Monroe had assented to the purchase of Louisiana instead. If Livingston
6968966
HMS Tyger


were raised from the main deck (which was now at the waterline of the partially sunken ship) to the upper deck, so that they could be used to defend the camp on the island. Three weeks after the longboat left, the ship's yawl, with eight men under the command of Second Lieutenant Craig, also sailed to seek help from New Providence. After sailing about 100 miles, the yawl reached what Lieutenant Craig recognized as the "islands of Cape Florida" (the upper Florida Keys), where the
19299841
Key Biscayne


Key Biscayne () is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies south of Miami Beach and southeast of Miami. The key is connected to Miami via the Rickenbacker Causeway, originally built in 1947. The northern portion of Key Biscayne is home to Crandon Park, a county park. The middle section of the island consists of the incorporated Village of Key Biscayne.
11800614
Key Largo Limestone


The Key Largo Limestone is a geologic formation in Florida. It is a fossilized coral reef. The formation is exposed along the upper and middle Florida Keys from Soldier Key (at the north end of the Florida Keys) to the Bahia Honda Channel (at the west end of Bahia Honda Key). The islands form a long narrow arc concentric with the inner edge of the Florida Straits and with the Florida Reef. The limestone includes fossils of corals, mollusks and bryozoans. Fossilized coral head formations are visible in some exposures
8111559
Trumbo Point


Trumbo Point is a section of the northwest corner of the island of Key West, Florida in the lower Florida Keys. It is one of several bases comprising the Key West Naval Air Station. Trumbo Point is inaccessible to civilians without U.S. Navy clearance. Trumbo Point was a man-made addition to the island of Key West. It was built around 1912 to accommodate a shipping port for the Florida East Coast Railway and was the terminus of the Overseas Railroad. Construction was done by the Trumbo American Dredging Company, with Howard
10152974
Maritime history of Florida


Florida" and attempted to circumnavigate what he thought was an island, sailing south to the Keys, naming a cluster of islands "Las Tortugas" and sailing north to present-day Tampa. Ponce de León was followed by fellow Spaniard Pánfilo de Narváez who landed near Tampa Bay in 1528 and proceeded north to the area now known as Apalachee. Only four members of the Narváez expedition survived, including Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who wrote an account of their travels. A fifth member of the expedition, Juan Ortiz lived
13050654
USS PC-817


Francisco, California—to her last wartime assignment—the Hawaiian Islands. She reached Pearl Harbor on 1 May and conducted patrols among and escorted ships between the islands through the end of the war. On 11 September, she headed back to the U.S. West Coast, arriving in San Pedro, California, on the 20th. From there, she steamed to the Panama Canal and thence proceeded via Key West, Florida, to Jacksonville, Florida, where she arrived on 28 November. "PC-817" was to have undergone inactivation
12804336
Crawl Key


Crawl Key is an island in the middle Florida Keys. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) traverses the key between Grassy Key and Long Point Key, which is part of a long stretch of road known as the Grassy Key Causeway. It is entirely within the city of Marathon, Florida. The island was named for the pens (kraals) where large sea turtles were once held until butchered for steaks and soup. The entrance to Curry Hammock State Park, on Little Crawl Key which is adjacent to Crawl Key on
5623957
St. Armands Key, Florida


St. Armands Key is an island in Sarasota Bay off the west coast of Florida in the United States. It is part of the city of Sarasota, Florida. The island is connected to the mainland by the John Ringling Causeway. A Frenchman named Charles St. Amand bought property on the island in 1893. His name was misspelled in land deeds, and this misspelled name is still used today. Circus magnate John Ringling purchased the St. Armands Key property in 1917 and planned a development which included residential lots and a shopping center laid
12823933
Duck Key, Florida


Duck Key is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Monroe County, Florida, United States, on an island of the same name in the middle Florida Keys. The CDP also includes the neighboring island of Conch Key. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 443. Ownership of Newkirk's Indies Inn changed in 1983 when the Pompano Beach Barrington Group purchased the holdings and made extensive changes. The nine-hole par 3 course designed by Robert Trent Jones was removed to make room for
18573046
Florida Keys


), and many others, which grow only in tropical climates. Several types of palms are native to the Florida Keys, including the Florida thatch palm Thrinax radiata, which grows to its greatest size in Florida on the islands of the Keys. The Keys are also home to unique animal species, including the American crocodile, Key deer, protected by the National Key Deer Refuge, and the Key Largo woodrat. The Keys is the northernmost range of the American crocodile, which is endemic from South America to Panama, north
4388830
Florida Keys


of bryozoans, formed the Miami Limestone that is the current surface bedrock of the lower Florida peninsula and the lower keys from Big Pine Key to Key West. To the west of Key West the ancient reef is covered by recent calcareous sand. While the islands of the upper and middle keys form a long narrow arc, the islands of the lower keys are perpendicular to the line of that arc. This configuration arose from an ancient tidal-bar system. The bars lithified and with changes in sea level are presently exposed as
4388825
Lower Matecumbe Key


Lower Matecumbe Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys, United States, located on U.S. 1 between mile markers 75–78. All of the key is within the Village of Islamorada as of November 4, 1997, when it was incorporated. It is home to the main base of the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base. The island lies to the southwest of Upper Matecumbe Key, and to the northeast of Craig Key. This key is the site of a number of Indian mounds and middens, most of which were destroyed
9968739
Key Biscayne


The southern part of the island is now protected as Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, adjacent to Biscayne National Park, one of the two national parks in Miami-Dade County. Key Biscayne, although named a "key", is not geologically part of the Florida Keys, but is a barrier island composed of sand eroded from the Appalachian Mountains, carried to the coast by rivers and then moved along the coast from the north by coastal currents. There is no hard bedrock near the surface of the island, only
11800615
Key West


Key West () is an island and city in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent. The city lies at the southernmost end of U.S. Route 1, the longest north-south road in the United States. Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous United States and the westernmost island connected by highway in the Florida Keys. The island is about long and wide, with a total land mass of . Duval Street, its main street, is in length in its 14-block-long crossing from the Gulf
18573068
Florida Keys


and places north are barrier islands, built up of sand. The islands in the southwestern part of the chain, from Big Pine Key to the Marquesas Keys, are exposed areas of Miami Limestone. The Florida Keys have taken their present form as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or "ice ages". Beginning some 130,000 years ago the Sangamonian Stage raised sea levels about feet above the current level. All of southern Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reef
4388822
Florida Keys


to the Florida Keys. The Key Largo Woodrat is found only in the northern part of its namesake island, and is a focus of management activities in Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge. About 70 miles (110 km) west of Key West is Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the most isolated and therefore well-preserved in the world. The waters surrounding the Keys are part of a protected area known as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The climate of the Florida Keys is tropical savanna (Köppen climate classification:
4388831
Summerland Key


Summerland Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys about east of Key West; it contains an unincorporated community of Monroe County of the same name. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the island at approximately mile markers 24—25.5, between Ramrod Key and Cudjoe Key. The name appears on U.S. Coast Survey chart #169 in 1878. Summerland Key is a bedroom community located almost midway between the larger communities of Marathon and Key West. It is home to the Brinton Environmental Center of the Florida National High Adventure Sea
1150572
Boot Key


Boot Key is an island in the middle Florida Keys located adjacent to Key Vaca. Boot Key is within the city limits of Marathon, Florida, United States. The island is largely undeveloped despite having a bridge spanning Boot Key Harbor to Key Vaca, which is now closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Immediately adjacent to Boot Key is a tract of land from which the United States Government broadcasts Radio Marti. These broadcasts consist of anti-communist propaganda directed towards residents of Cuba, in an attempt to incite a revolt against
884731
Exploration of North America


northwest. On April 2, 1513, Ponce de León disembarked on the northeast coast of what he named Florida for the crown. The exact location is disputed, but historians have offered the possibilities of St. Augustine, Ponce de León Inlet, and Melbourne Beach. He encountered the powerful Gulf Stream and found a passage through the Florida Keys to land on the southwestern Gulf Coast of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. Again, the exact location is disputed. While it is true that Columbus visited Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
15467743
Key Biscayne, Florida


In 1948 José Manuel Áleman, a Cuban politician in exile, bought the Cape Florida property from the Deering estate. After Áleman died in 1951, his widow, Elena Santeiro Garcia, added to her Cape Florida property by buying an ocean-to-bay strip that had been part of the Matheson property. This strip included a canal that had been dug by William Matheson in the 1920s, and which extended from the bay across most of the island. The land north of this canal was developed as part of what is
18465078
Monroe County, Florida


in Florida by total area. More than 99 percent of the Monroe County population lives in the island chain known as the Florida Keys. Two thirds of the large area in what local residents call "mainland Monroe" is uninhabited by virtue of being part of the Everglades National Park, and the remainder by the Big Cypress National Preserve in the northeastern interior. The area, officially named Cape Sable Census County Division, is virtually uninhabited. As of the Census of 2000, this area had 86.9 percent of the county's land
21742376
Perdido Key, Florida


Early maps indicate that, at the time, the pass was located on or very near to today's official State boundary between Alabama and Florida. Hurricanes and other forces—natural as well as man-made—have moved the pass back and forth several times to where it lies now in Orange Beach, Alabama, approximately from the Florida boundary. Pensacola Beach was once 'whites only' and what is now The Gulf Islands National Seashore was one of the few beaches near Pensacola that was African American friendly. Army Private
8130255
Indian Key, Florida


Indian Key was an unincorporated community in Monroe County and, for a while, Dade County, Florida, United States. It was located in the upper Florida Keys on the island of Indian Key and is currently a ghost town. In 1733, 19 ships of the Spanish treasure fleet were wrecked on the nearby Florida Reef by a hurricane; some of the survivors camped on Indian Key until they were rescued. Beginning in the 18th century, Bahamians and Cubans used Indian Key as a base for fishing, turtling, logging,
19056548
Caesar's Rock


Black Caesar Rock is a small island north of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park. It is in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located in southern Biscayne Bay, just north of Old Rhodes Key and Totten Key, just southeast off the southern tip of Elliott Key, and due south of Adams Key. It is in the middle of Caesar Creek, the creek that separates Elliott and Old Rhodes Keys. The island is named after Black Caesar, a pirate. Munroe, writing in "The Commodore
11349265
Matecumbe


Matecumbe is a neighborhood within the village of Islamorada in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located in the upper Florida Keys on the island of Upper Matecumbe Key. It is located at , its elevation . Matecumbe consists of two islands (keys), Upper Matecumbe Key and Lower Matecumbe Key. The latter is where the settlement of Matecumbe is located, just south of Matecumbe Bight and adjacent to and just north of Matecumbe Harbor. The settlement was the location of one of the stations of the Overseas Railroad.
3661981
Longboat Key, Florida


7,603 at the 2000 census. Longboat Key was originally inhabited by Native Americans. The area what is now Longboat Key was scouted by Juan de Añasco who was the first known European to explore the key and Hernando De Soto's scout. He spent about 2 months attempting to find a landing site and he was also most likely the first man to see and explore Sarasota Bay, Boca Ceiga Bay and the Manatee River. According to local legend, he believed the Indians were hostile. When the party reached land on the island
18463937
Key deer


outside the breeding season. The range of the Key deer originally encompassed all of the lower Florida Keys (where standing water pools exist), but is now limited to a stretch of the Florida Keys from about Sugarloaf Key to Bahia Honda Key. Key deer use all islands during the wet season when drinking water is more generally available, retreating to islands with a perennial supply of fresh water in dry months. Key deer inhabit nearly all habitats within their range, including pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks, mangroves, and freshwater wetlands
6609322
Florida Keys


On September 12, parts of the Keys were still inaccessible by causeway and some areas were closed to the public. Governor Rick Scott reported devastation; most areas were without power or water. The damage was the worst in the Lower Keys, though less severe in Key West; parts of the Lower Keys may be uninhabitable for months. U.S. Highway 1, the "Overseas Highway", runs over most of the inhabited islands of the Florida Keys. The islands are listed in order from southwest to north. Mile markers are
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Islandia, Florida


built on the Safety Valve, and existing small keys to Elliott Key and on to Key Largo. When the Dade County Planning Board was unable to secure a right of way for the highway across the southern end of Key Biscayne, it dropped the plan. At the end of 1960, however, 13 of the island's 18 registered voters approved the incorporation of a municipality, and the 33 northernmost islands of the Florida Keys became the city of Islandia. Developers and the residents revived the plan to build a causeway across the
18465034
Key Biscayne


layers of weak "shelly sandstone" to depths of or more. The coastal transport of sand southward ends at Key Biscayne. In the 1850s Louis Agassiz noted that "[s]outh of Cape Florida no more silicacious sand is to be seen." (The beaches in the Florida Keys, by contrast, consist primarily of finely pulverized shells.) Geologists believe that the island emerged around 2000 BCE, soon after the sea level stopped rising, as the sand built up to form new barrier islands on the southern Florida coast.
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Coconut


outdoors without irrigation in Hawaii, southern and central Florida, and the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In Florida, wild populations of coconut palms extend up the East Coast from Key West to Jupiter Inlet, and up the West Coast from Marco Island to Sarasota. Many of the smallest coral islands in the Florida Keys are known to have abundant coconut palms sprouting from coconuts that have drifted or been deposited by ocean currents. Coconut palms
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Totten Key


Totten Key is an island of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park. It is in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located in southern Biscayne Bay, just west of Old Rhodes Key. It was probably named for General Joseph Totten who was Chief of Engineers for the U.S. Army. In 1848, Totten was in charge of a survey of the Florida coast concentrating on Biscayne Bay, with Robert E. Lee as a subordinate. U.S. Coast Survey chart #68, Florida Reefs, Key Biscayne to Carysfort Reef
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Islandia, Florida


Islandia is an unincorporated community and former city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is located in the upper Florida Keys on the islands of Elliott Key and other nearby keys, such as Totten Key. It was the only municipality in the Florida Keys not located in neighboring Monroe County. The population was 18 at the 2010 Census. Most residents of the city were National Park Service employees. In the 2010 Primary Election, the Miami-Dade County Commission was empowered via a charter amendment to abolish Islandia
18465031
Effects of Hurricane Irma in Florida


. Strong winds on the island also toppled the Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower. Several homes on Cudjoe Key were reduced to piles of rubble, including newer homes built on stilts, which generally experienced the least amount of damage throughout the Florida Keys. Throughout the island, 625 homes were inflicted minor damage, 52 were inflicted severe damage, and 81 were destroyed. On Summerland Key, a dorm was deroofed and the ground level storage facilities were damaged by storm surge at the Brighton Environmental Center at the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base
1387257
Key Colony Beach, Florida


1950s, Shelter Key (on which most of Key Colony Beach is located) was a low-lying island. Then, Phil Sadowski began dredging around the island, adding to its size and increasing its height to above mean sea level, and later built developments on the island. Around 1956-1957, residents of nearby Marathon began discussing incorporating the entire area. Sadowski was not keen on having his development swallowed up into Marathon, so he began the process of incorporating the island into its own city. The Florida Legislature
18573057
Florida


native species of Florida by living in the state and eating them. There are about 3,000 different types of wildflowers in Florida. This is the third-most diverse state in the union, behind California and Texas, both larger states. In Florida, wild populations of coconut palms extend up the East Coast from Key West to Jupiter Inlet, and up the West Coast from Marco Island to Sarasota. Many of the smallest coral islands in the Florida Keys are known to have abundant coconut palms sprouting from coconuts that have drifted or
21176879
Mule Keys


The Mule Keys, are a group of scattered islets in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. They are between 3 and 12 miles (5–20 km) west of Key West, separated from it by the Northwest Channel. On the west, they are separated from the Marquesas Keys by the 6-mile (10 km) wide Boca Grande Channel. They belong to the outlying islands of the Florida Keys. Administratively, they are an unincorporated area of Monroe County. The islets are part of the Key West
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Islamorada, Florida


Islamorada is an incorporated village in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located directly in the middle of Miami and Key West on five islands—Tea Table Key, Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key and Plantation Key—in the Florida Keys. The name "Islamorada" (), came from early Spanish explorers in the area. It sometimes goes by the nickname "Purple Isle", since "morada" means "purple". Islamorada was the location of one of the stations of
18573024
Plume hunting


. Following the modest trend begun with Pelican Island, many other islands and parcels of land and water were quickly dedicated for the protection of various species of colonial nesting birds that were being destroyed for their plumes and other feathers. Such refuge areas included Breton National Wildlife Refuge in Breton, Louisiana (1904), Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge in Passage Key, Florida (1905), Shell Keys National Wildlife Refuge in Shell Keys, Louisiana (1907), and Key West National Wildlife Refuge in Key West, Florida (1908
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Fort Jefferson (Florida)


Fort Jefferson is a massive but unfinished coastal fortress. It is the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas, and is composed of over 16 million bricks. The building covers . Among United States forts, only Fort Monroe in Virginia and Fort Adams in Rhode Island are larger. The fort is located on Garden Key in the lower Florida Keys within the Dry Tortugas National Park, west of the island of Key West. The Dry Tortugas are part of Monroe County, Florida, United States. In late December 1824 and early
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Atsena Otie Key


Territory in 1821. In 1840 General Walker Keith Armistead, commander at that time of United States troops in the Second Seminole War, ordered construction of a hospital on the island. U.S. Army headquarters for the war in Florida were moved to the island, and it became known as Depot Key. In August, 1842 Colonel William J. Worth, commander of the U.S. Army in Florida, met with Seminole leaders on Depot Key and negotiated an agreement that if the Seminoles retreated to southernmost Florida and stayed there the Army would leave them
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Lignumvitae Key


Lignumvitae Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys. It is located due north of, and less than one mile from the easternmost tip of Lower Matecumbe Key. The island has the Keys' highest point above sea level of , which beats the island of Key West's Solares Hill by . This dark green island is covered in rare tropical hardwoods such as the island's namesake, Holywood Lignum-vitae ("Guaiacum sanctum"). Records of the ownership of Lignumvitae Key go back to 1843, including the years
6147907
Big Pine Key, Florida


Big Pine Key is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Monroe County, Florida, United States, on an island of the same name in the Florida Keys. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 5,032. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at mile markers 29.5—33, one of the few places on the keys where the road orients north-south (along the eastern edge of the Key). Big Pine Key was the location of one of the stations
18573031
Windley Key


Windley Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 84—85.5, between Plantation Key and Upper Matecumbe Key. All of the key is within the Village of Islamorada as of November 4, 1997, when it was incorporated. Windley Key is home to Theater of the Sea, a popular tourist attraction since 1946, as well as the History of Diving Museum. A Florida State Park Service geological site, and
1573941
Cedar Key, Florida


Way Key, and Scale Key. Augustus Steele, US Customs House Officer for Hillsborough County, Florida, and postmaster for Tampa Bay, received the permit for Depot Key, which he renamed Atsena Otie Key. In 1843, he bought the buildings on the island, and built some cottages for wealthy guests. In 1844, he became the Collector of Customs for the port of Cedar Key, as well as for Tampa. A post office named "Cedar Key" was established on Atsena Otie Key in 1845. The Florida
18463722
Marathon, Florida


Marathon is a city spread over Knight's Key, Boot Key, Key Vaca, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key and Grassy Key islands in the middle of the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,255. As of 2014, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 8,708. Though the area has been settled for some time, Marathon is a relatively new city, incorporated in 1999. Its boundaries
18573145
Key West


referring to Key West. It literally means "bone cay", "cay" referring to a low island or reef. It is said that the island was littered with the remains (bones) of prior native inhabitants, who used the isle as a communal graveyard. This island was the westernmost Key with a reliable supply of water. Between 1763, when Great Britain took control of Florida from Spain, and 1821, when the United States took possession of Florida from Spain, there were few or no permanent inhabitants anywhere
18573072
Tea Table Key


Teatable Key also known as "Terra's Key" is an island in the upper Florida Keys. It is located on U.S. 1 at mile marker 75. All of the key is within the Villages of Islamorada as of November 4, 1997, when it was incorporated. The island lies to the southwest of Upper Matecumbe Key, and to the northeast of Lower Matecumbe Key. There is a small public beach on the island and the entrance to a private road that leads to a residence. The Island is also known as
3662486
Florida Keys


Keys, but the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida. The main chain of Keys islands can be traveled by motor vehicles on the Overseas Highway, a section of U.S. 1, which runs from Key West to Fort Kent, Maine in its entirety. The highway was built parallel to the original route of the Overseas Railway, which was not rebuilt following the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Even before the hurricane, road sections and highway bridges allowed automobile traffic to travel from Miami to Lower Matecumbe Key
4388841
Mack Dryden


, one for Spot News and one for Investigative Reporting about school board members leasing school lands for pennies. When journalism failed to satisfy his creative urges, he moved to Key West, Florida and eked out a living as a freelancer, drawing advertising cartoons, writing stories for a local magazine, and contributing most of the art and copy for the first comprehensive guide to the island, a book titled "Key West: The Last Resort". In Key West, he met and teamed up with a local comedian and disc
7823998
Effects of Hurricane Irma in Florida


was then updated to reach its greatest extent, covering the entire east coast of the state, the west coast from Indian Pass southward, and the Florida Keys. The watches and warnings were discontinued or downgraded as the storm passed through the state and weakened, with the last remaining warning canceled at 21:00 UTC on September 11. Several storm surge watches and warnings were also issued due to the threat of significant storm surge and tides, including a projected surge from Cape Sable to Captiva Island. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (
1387238
Ragged Keys


Ragged Keys are small islands north of the upper Florida Keys. They are located in Biscayne Bay, just north of Sands Key. Earlier names for these islands were "Knox Island", "Laurence Island", "Los Paradisos", "Mascaras", "Mucaras", "Mucasas", "Pollock Island" and "Soldiers Island". Bernard Romans, who visited these keys in 1774, wrote that these were "Seven rocks called Mascaras", which he said had been "Ill copied on English charts
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Monroe County, Florida


Monroe County is a county in the state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 73,090. Its county seat is Key West. Monroe County includes the islands of the Florida Keys and comprises the Key West Micropolitan Statistical Area. Although 87% of the county's land area is on the mainland, that region is part of the Everglades and is virtually uninhabited with only 60 people in total. Over 99% of the county's population lives on the Florida Keys. Monroe County was created in 1823.
21742373
Indian Key, Florida


and wrecking. Crews might stay on the island for months at a time, but there were no permanent settlers. In 1821, Florida was transferred from Spain to the United States, and in 1824, two Key West men, Joshua Appleby and a man named Snyder, sent an employee, Silas Fletcher, to open a store on Indian Key. The store was to serve wreckers, settlers, and Indians in the upper Keys, and a settlement of primarily Bahamian wreckers and turtlers grew up on the island. By 1829
19056549
Florida Keys


the islands "Los Martires" ("The Martyrs"), as they looked like suffering men from a distance. "Key" is derived from the Spanish word "cayo", meaning small island. For many years, Key West was the largest town in Florida, and it grew prosperous on wrecking revenues. The isolated outpost was well located for trade with Cuba and the Bahamas and was on the main trade route from New Orleans. Improved navigation led to fewer shipwrecks, and Key West went into a decline in
4388811
Little Duck Key


Little Duck Key is a small island in the lower Florida Keys. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile marker 40, just west of the Seven Mile Bridge. The west end of the bridge terminates on this island. The island which is marked on current navigation charts as Little Duck Key is part of a very confusing name history of all the islands located on and near the highway between Pigeon Key and Bahia Honda Key. The key was always known locally as Pacet Key and was given
5439855
Florida Keys


their tropical climate, the Florida Keys attract several hundred thousand tourists annually. While some visitors arrive via Key West International Airport and Florida Keys Marathon Airport in Marathon, cruise ship or ferry from Miami, Fort Myers, or Marco Island, Florida, the vast majority of tourists drive down from the mainland on U.S. 1. This influx of traffic, coupled with the two-lane nature of U.S. 1 through most of its length in the Keys, and the fact that no alternative road routes are available mean that Monroe County has
4388843
Horr's Island archaeological site


The Horr's Island archaeological site is a significant Archaic period archaeological site located on an island in Southwest Florida formerly known as "Horr's Island". Horr's Island (now called "Key Marco", not to be confused with the archaeological site Key Marco) is on the south side of Marco Island in Collier County, Florida. The site includes four mounds and a shell ring. It has one of the oldest known mound burials in the eastern United States, dating to about 3400 radiocarbon years Before Present (BP
6751570
Key Colony Beach, Florida


Key Colony Beach is a municipality in the middle of the Florida Keys, Monroe County, Florida, United States. The population was 788 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 852. Key Colony Beach is located at (24.724515, -81.017928). Most of the city is located on an island formerly known as Shelter Key; a small part of the city is on Fat Deer Key, where the Sadowski Causeway (also 131st St Ocean on the Marathon street grid)
18573052
Pigeon Key


Pigeon Key is a small island containing the historic district of Pigeon Key, Florida. The island is home to 8 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, some of which remain from its earliest incarnation as a work camp for the Florida East Coast Railway. Today these buildings serve a variety of purposes, ranging from housing for educational groups to administrative offices for the non-profit Pigeon Key Foundation. The former Assistant Bridge Tender's House has been converted into a small museum featuring artifacts and images from Pigeon Key's colorful
15603742
1856 Last Island hurricane


. Additionally, Last Island itself was split in two. Inland, heavy rainfall caused the Mermentau River to flood, destroying crops and every house in Abbeville. The storm produced as much as of precipitation in New Orleans. In Plaquemines Parish, rice fields were under several feet of water, while many orange trees lost their fruit. The storm resulted in at least 200 fatalities. The cyclone was first detected in the eastern Gulf of Mexico 125 miles (200 km) west-northwest of Key West, Florida, on August
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