Key West: Difference between revisions

| image1 = Key west 2001.JPG

| alt1 = Aerial view of Key West

| image2 = Southernmost_point_buoy,_NE_view.jpg

| alt2 = Southernmost point buoy

| image6 = Duval_Street.jpg

| alt6 = Duval Street

}}

| image_flag = Flag of Key West, Florida.svg

| image_seal = Seal Of The City Of Key West, Florida.png

| motto = ''One Human Family''

| image_map = Monroe County Florida Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Key West Highlighted.svg

| seat =

| government_footnotes =

| leader_title = [[Mayor of Key West|Mayor]]

| leader_name = [[Teri Johnston]]

| unit_pref = Imperial

| area_footnotes =<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022">{{cite web |title=2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Florida |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2022_Gazetteer/2022_gaz_place_12.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 18, 2023}}</ref>

| population_total = 26444

| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]

| population_density_sq_mi = 4722.99

| population_density_km2 = 1823.44

| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]s

| postal_code = 33040, 33041, 33045

| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]

| blank_info = 12-36550<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>

}}

 

 

 

The city of Key West is the [[county seat]] of [[Monroe County, Florida|Monroe County]], which includes a majority of the Florida Keys and part of the [[Everglades]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/bisc/resource/island.htm |title=Emerald Keys|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107101748/http://www.nps.gov/archive/bisc/resource/island.htm |archive-date=November 7, 2007 }}</ref> The total land area of the city is {{convert|5.6|sqmi|km2|1}}.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">{{cite web|title=2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_12.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=Jul 7, 2017}}</ref> The population within the city limits was 26,444 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020"/> The official city [[motto]] is "One Human Family".

 

 

==History==

 

===Precolonial and colonial times===

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.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Florida Keys: A History of the Pioneers|last=Viele|first=John|publisher=Pineapple Press|year=1996|isbn=978-1-56164-101-7|location=Sarasota, Florida|pages=3, 7}}</ref>

 

 

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 in the Florida Keys. Cubans and Bahamians regularly visited the Keys, the Cubans primarily to fish, while the Bahamians fished, caught turtles, cut hardwood timber, and salvaged wrecks. Smugglers and privateers also used the Keys for concealment. In 1766 the British governor of East Florida recommended that a post be set up on Key West to improve control of the area, but nothing came of it. During both the British and Spanish periods no nation exercised ''de facto'' control. The Bahamians apparently set up camps in the Keys that were occupied for months at a time, and there were rumors of permanent settlements in the Keys by 1806 or 1807, but the locations are not known. Fishermen from New England started visiting the Keys after the end of the [[War of 1812]], and may have briefly settled on [[Key Vaca]] in 1818.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Florida Keys: A History of the Pioneers|last=Viele|first=John|publisher=Pineapple Press|year=1996|isbn=978-1-56164-101-7|location=Sarasota, Florida|pages=13–16}}</ref>

In the 19th century, major industries included [[Wrecking (shipwreck)|wrecking]], [[commercial fishing|fishing]], [[Turtling (hunting)|turtling]], and salt manufacturing.<ref name="Keith Salt">June Keith, ''June Keith's Key West & The Florida Keys: A Guide to the Coral Islands'' (5th ed.: Palm Island Press, 2014), p. 8.</ref> From 1830 to 1861, Key West was a major center of U.S. salt production, harvesting the commodity from the sea (via receding tidal pools) rather than from salt mines.<ref name="Keith Salt"/> After the outbreak of the Civil War, Union troops shut down the salt industry after Confederate sympathizers smuggled the product into the South.<ref name="Keith Salt"/> Salt production resumed at the end of the war, but the industry was destroyed by an [[1876 Atlantic hurricane season|1876 hurricane]] and never recovered, in part because of new salt mines on the mainland.<ref name="Keith Salt"/>

 

 

{{USS|Maine|ACR-1|6}} sailed from Key West on her fateful visit to Havana, where she blew up and sank in [[Havana Harbor]], igniting the [[Spanish–American War]]. Crewmen from the ship are buried in Key West, and the Navy investigation into the blast occurred at the Key West Customs House.

 

[[John F. Kennedy]] was to use "90 miles from Cuba" extensively in his speeches against [[Fidel Castro]]. Kennedy himself visited Key West a month after the resolution of the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]].

In 1982, the city of Key West briefly asserted independence as the [[Conch Republic]] as a protest over a [[United States Border Patrol]] [[blockade]]. This blockade was set up on [[U.S. Route 1 in Florida|US 1]], where the northern end of the Overseas Highway meets the mainland at [[Florida City]]. A traffic jam of {{convert|17|mi|km}} ensued while the [[United States Border Patrol|Border Patrol]] stopped every car leaving the Keys, supposedly searching for illegal immigrants attempting to enter the mainland United States. This paralyzed the Florida Keys, which rely heavily on the tourism industry. Flags, T-shirts and other merchandise representing the Conch Republic are still popular souvenirs for visitors to Key West, and the Conch Republic Independence Celebration—including parades and parties—is celebrated annually, on April 23.

 

 

In 2017, [[Hurricane Irma]] caused [[Effects of Hurricane Irma in Florida#Florida Keys|substantial damage]] with wind and flooding, killing three people.

}}

 

 

The city of Key West is the southernmost city in the [[contiguous United States]],<ref name=IslandStats/> and the island is the westernmost island connected by highway in the [[Florida Keys]]. The city boundaries include the island of Key West and several nearby islands, as well as the section of [[Stock Island, Florida|Stock Island]] north of [[U.S. Route 1 in Florida|U.S. Route 1]], on the adjacent key to the east. The total land area of the city is {{convert|5.6|sqmi|km2}}, with an additional {{convert|1.6|sqmi}} of surrounding water within the city limits.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022"/> [[Sigsbee Park]]{{emdash}}originally known as Dredgers Key{{emdash}}and [[Fleming Key]], both located to the north, and [[Sunset Key]] located to the west are all included in the city boundaries. Both Fleming Key and Sigsbee Park are part of [[Naval Air Station Key West]] and are inaccessible to the general public.

In the late 1950s, many of the large [[salt evaporation pond|salt ponds]] on the eastern side of the island were filled in. The new section on the eastern side is called New Town, which contains shopping centers, retail malls, residential areas, schools, [[Baseball park|ball parks]], and [[Key West International Airport]].

 

 

Duval Street is the main street in Key West and is {{convert|1.1|mi|km}} in length in its 14-block-long crossing from the Gulf of Mexico to the Straits of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

===Notable places===

====Old Town====

The earliest Key West neighborhoods, on the western part of the island, are broadly known as [[Old Town (Key West)|Old Town]]. The [[Key West Historic District]] includes the major tourist destinations of the island, including [[Mallory Square]], Duval Street, the [[Truman Annex]], and [[Fort Zachary Taylor]]. Old Town is where the classic bungalows and guest mansions are found. [[Bahama Village]], southwest of Whitehead Street, features houses, churches, and sites related to its [[Afro-Bahamian]] history. [[The Meadows (Key West)|The Meadows]], lying northeast of the [[White Street Gallery District]], is exclusively residential.{{fact|date=September 2023}}

 

 

Some antebellum structures survive, including the Oldest (or Cussans-Watlington) House (1829–1836)<ref>{{Cite web|title = Old Island Restoration Foundation's Key West Oldest House Museum and Garden|url = http://oirf.org/page.php?p=history|access-date = 2016-01-05|archive-date = July 17, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180717013141/http://oirf.org/page.php?p=history|url-status = dead}}</ref> and the John Huling Geiger House (1846–1849), now preserved as the [[Audubon House and Tropical Gardens]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = About the Audubon House – Audubon House & Tropical Gardens|url = http://audubonhouse.com/about-audubon-house/|website = Audubon House & Tropical Gardens|access-date = 2016-01-05|language = en-US|archive-date = January 6, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160106192145/http://audubonhouse.com/about-audubon-house/|url-status = dead}}</ref> Fortifications such as [[Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park|Fort Zachary Taylor]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fort Zachary Taylor |url=http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/history.html |website=Fortzacharytaylor.com |access-date=2016-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212060214/http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/history.html |archive-date=2015-12-12 }}</ref> the East Martello Tower,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Art & Historical Society {{!}} Fort East Martello|url = http://www.kwahs.org/visit/fort-east-martello/|access-date = 2016-01-05}}</ref> and the [[West Martello Tower]],<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tower History|url = http://www.keywestgardenclub.com/Tower_History.html|access-date = 2016-01-05|archive-date = March 11, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180311212554/http://www.keywestgardenclub.com/Tower_History.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> helped ensure that Key West would remain in Union control throughout the Civil War. Another landmark built by the federal government is the [[Key West Lighthouse]], now a museum.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Art & Historical Society {{!}} Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters|url = http://www.kwahs.org/visit/lighthouse-keepers-quarters/|access-date = 2016-01-05}}</ref>

 

=====Collection=====

 

===Notable residences===

Legend has it that [[Ernest Hemingway]] wrote part of ''[[A Farewell to Arms]]'' while living above the showroom of a Key West [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Car dealership|dealership]] at 314 Simonton Street<ref>{{Google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=314+Simonton+Street,+Key+West,+Fl&ll=24.558365,-81.802783&spn=0.026074,0.05197&om=1 |title=314 Simonton Street, Key West, Fl |access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> while awaiting delivery of a [[Ford Model A (1927)|Ford Model A]] [[Roadster (automobile)|roadster]] purchased by the uncle of his wife [[Pauline Pfeiffer|Pauline]] in 1928.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hemingway's Key West |first=Stuart B. |last=McIver |publisher=Pineapple Press Inc |isbn=978-1-56164-241-0 |year=2002 |page=7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Y3VpdaWgKoC}}</ref>

 

|url=https://sloppyjoes.com/history/|title=Sloppy Joe's...Yesterday|date=June 27, 2012|access-date=2019-12-04}}</ref> The group had nicknames for each other, and Hemingway wound up with "Papa".

 

==Climate==

[[File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Key West Area, FL(ThreadEx).svg|thumb|right|Climate chart for Key West]]

 

 

===Wet and dry seasons===

[[File:key road.jpeg|thumb|Palm trees along a street in the [[Truman Annex]]]]

 

Easterly (tropical) waves during this season occasionally bring excessive rainfall, while infrequent [[hurricanes]] may be accompanied by unusually heavy amounts. On average, rainfall markedly peaks between August and October; the single wettest month in Key West is September, when the threat from tropical weather systems (hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions) is greatest. Key West is the driest city in Florida, averaging just over {{convert|40|in|mm}} of rain per year. This is driven primarily by Key West's relative dryness in May, June and July. In mainland Florida peninsular areas like Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg and Fort Myers, June and July average monthly rainfalls typically reach {{convert|7|to|10|in|mm}}, while Key West has only half such amounts over the same period.<ref>

Some locals maintain that [[Hurricane Wilma]] on October 24, 2005, was the worst storm in memory. The entire island was told to evacuate and business owners were forced to shut their doors. After the hurricane had passed, the resulting storm surge sent {{convert|8|ft|m|0|spell=on|abbr=off|sp=us}} of water inland completely inundating a large portion of the lower Keys. Low-lying areas of Key West and the lower Keys, including major tourist destinations, were under as much as {{convert|3|ft|m|0|spell=on|abbr=off|sp=us}} of water. Sixty percent of the homes in Key West were flooded.<ref>Key West Citizen "New commissioners' trial by wind and flood" October 27, 2005</ref> The higher parts of Old Town, such as the [[Solares Hill]] and [[Key West Cemetery|cemetery]] areas, did not flood, because of their higher elevations of {{convert|12|to|18|ft|m|0}}.<ref name="ReferenceB">Key West Citizen October 25, 2005, pp 1–2, 6</ref> The surge destroyed tens of thousands of cars throughout the lower Keys, and many houses were flooded with {{convert|1|to|2|ft|cm|0|spell=on|abbr=off|sp=us}} of sea water. A local newspaper referred to Key West and the lower Keys as a "car graveyard".<ref>Key West Citizen "Flooded cars litter the Keys" October 27, 2005</ref> The peak of the storm surge occurred when the eye of Wilma had already passed over the [[Naples, Florida|Naples]] area, and the sustained winds during the surge were less than {{convert|40|mi/h|km/h kn|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> The storm destroyed the piers at the [[Nude beach|clothing-optional]] Atlantic Shores Motel and breached the shark tank at the [[Key West Aquarium]], freeing its sharks. Damage postponed the island's famous Halloween [[Fantasy Fest]] until the following December. [[MTV]]'s ''[[The Real World: Key West]]'' was filming during the hurricane and deals with the storm.

 

 

The most intense previous hurricane was [[Hurricane Georges]], a Category 2, in September 1998. The storm damaged many of the houseboats along "Houseboat Row" on [[South Roosevelt Boulevard]] near Cow Key channel on the east side of the island.

|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|9.3

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===2000 census===

 

In 2000, there were 10,501 households, out of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.4% were classified as non-families. Of all households, 31.4% were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84.

 

 

In 2000, the median income for a household was $43,021, and the median income for those classified as families was $50,895. Males had a median income of $30,967 versus $25,407 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,316. About 5.8% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

The number of families (as defined by the US census bureau) declined dramatically in the last four decades of the 20th century. In 1960, there were 13,340 families in Key West, with 42.1% of households having children living in them. By 2000, the population had dwindled to 5,463 families, with only 19.9% of households having children living in them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/11085788v1p11ch3.pdf|title=Census 2000: Households of Key West, Florida|access-date=July 16, 2018}}</ref>

 

 

=== "Conchs" ===

{{See also|Wrecking (shipwreck)#Wrecking in the Florida Keys|l1=Wrecking in the Florida Keys}}

[[File:NSRW Turtles.png|thumb|left|Captured [[sea turtle]]s in Key West, circa 1900]]

 

Many of the black Bahamian immigrants who arrived later lived in [[Bahama Village]], an area of Old Town next to the [[Truman Annex]].

Key West is closer to [[Havana]] ({{convert|106|mi|km|disp=or}})<ref name=AcmeMapper/> than it is to Miami ({{convert|130|mi|km|disp=semicolon|abbr=on}}).<ref name=chkdist/> In 1890, Key West had a population of nearly 18,800 and was the biggest and richest city in Florida.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Key West|url=http://www.keyshistory.org/keywest.html |access-date=September 21, 2015}}</ref> Half the residents were said to be of Cuban origin, and Key West regularly had Cuban mayors, including the son of [[Carlos Manuel de Céspedes]], father of the Cuban Republic, who was elected mayor in 1876.<ref name="Amigospais-guaracabuya.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.amigospais-guaracabuya.org/oaghe007.php|title=DOS EXILIOS}}</ref> Cubans were actively involved in reportedly 200 factories in town, producing 100&nbsp;million cigars annually. [[José Martí]] made several visits to seek recruits for Cuban independence starting in 1891 and founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party during his visits to Key West.<ref name="Amigospais-guaracabuya.org"/>

 

 

==Government and politics==

 

===Mayors===

{{Main|List of mayors of Key West}}

 

==Military presence==

[[Naval Air Station Key West|NAS Key West]], [[Boca Chica Key|Boca Chica]] and the [[Truman Annex]] have been the home of U.S. ships, submarines, [[Pegasus-class hydrofoil|''Pegasus''-class hydrofoils]], Fighter Training Squadrons like the current [[VFC-111]] "Sundowners", and Light Photographic Reconnaissance Squadrons like the former [[VFP-62]] "Fighting Photos" during the Cuban Missile Crisis. [[Naval Air Station Key West|NAS Key West]] is still a training facility for US Naval Aviation personnel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrse/installations/nas_key_west/about/history.html|title=Naval Air Station Key West|website=Naval Air Station Key West|access-date=2021-11-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/military-installation/naval-air-station-key-west/base-essentials/major-units|title=Naval Air Station Key West|website=Naval Air Station Key West|access-date=2021-11-03}}</ref>

 

 

Key West was always an important military post, since it sits at the northern edge of the deepwater channel connecting the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico (the southern edge {{convert|90|mi|km|-1|disp=sqbr}} away is Cuba) via the [[Florida Straits]]. Because of this, Key West since the 1820s had been dubbed the "Gibraltar of the West". Fort Taylor was initially built on the island. The Navy added a small base from which {{USS|Maine|ACR-1|6}} sailed to its demise in [[Havana]] at the beginning of the [[Spanish–American War]] which later evolved into NAVSTA Key West.