City of Key West, FL
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city located in Monroe County, Florida.
As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 25,478.
What is odd is the 1920 census put the population at approximately
20,000. It is the county seat of Monroe County6.
The city of Key West is on an island of the same name
at the westernmost tip of the Florida Keys. It is also
the southern terminus of U.S. 1.
Notable Key West Natives
- David Robinson - born in Key West while his
father was stationed there with the Navy
- George Mira - Native of Key West went on to
star as a two-time All-American at the University of Miami in
the early 1960s. He played Pro Football for San Francisco and
the Miami Dolphins. His nickname was “The Matador".
- Boog Powell - Played for Key West High in the
1950s, went on to star for the Baltimore Orioles from 1961 to
1974 (his final three years were with the Indians and Dodgers).
He had 339 career home runs and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Notable Key West Non-Natives
- Ernest Hemingway
- Jimmy Buffett
- Wallace Stevens
History of Key West, FL
In Pre-Columbian times Key West was inhabited by the Calusa people.
The first European to visit was Ponce de Leon in 1521. As Florida
became a Spanish colony, a fishing and salvage village with a small
garrison was established here.
The name "Key West" is derived from a "false friend"
anglicization of the Spanish language name of the island, Cayo Hueso,
meaning "Bone Island".
In 1763 when Great Britain took control of Florida, the community
of Spaniards and Native Americans were moved to Havana.
Florida returned to Spanish control 20 years later, but there was
no official resettlement of the island. Informally the island was
used by fishermen from Cuba and from the British Bahamas, who were
later joined by others from the United States after the latter nation's
independence. While claimed by Spain, no nation exercised de facto
control over the community there for some time.
In 1815 the Spanish governor in Havana deeded the island of Key
West to Juan Pablo Salas of Saint Augustine, Florida. After Florida
was transferred to the United States, Salas sold the island to US
businessman John Simonton for $2,000 in 1821. Simonton divided the
island into plots and sold some of them. There was already a town
on a part of the island, with the inhabitants recognizing the authority
of no nation. Simonton lobbied the U.S. Government to establish
a naval base on the island, both to take advantage of the island's
strategic location and to bring law and order to the town. In 1823
Commodore David Porter of the United States Navy West Indies Anti-Pirate
Squadron took charge of Key West, which he ruled (but, according
to some, exceeding his authority) as military dictator under martial
Major industries in Key West in the early 19th century included
fishing, salt production, and most famously salvage. A number of
the inhabitants worked salvaging shipwrecks from nearby Florida
reefs, and the town was noted for the unusually high concentration
of fine furniture and chandeliers which the locals used in their
own homes after salvaging them from wrecks.
During the American Civil War, while Florida joined the Confederate
States of America, Key West remained in US hands thanks to the Naval
Buoy at the southernmost point in the continental United StatesIn
the late 19th century salt and salvage declined as industries, but
Key West gained a thriving cigar making industry.
Many Cubans moved to Key West during Cuba's unsuccessful war for
independence in the 1860s and 1870s.
Key West was the last of the series of Keys connected to the Florida
mainland by a series of railroad bridges completed in 1912, as the
Overseas Railway extension of Henry M. Flagler's Florida East Coast
Railway. The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed many of the railroad
bridges, and drowned hundreds of Flagler's workers. The United States
Federal Government then rebuilt the rail lines as an automobile
highway, completed in 1938, which became an extension of United
States Highway 1. The portion of US 1 through the Keys is called
the Overseas Highway. Because Key West can be accessed by land,
the southern point of the island is marked as the southernmost point
of land on the United States mainland.
Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West for many years,
and graces the front of Sloppy Joe's bar t-shirts.
In the 1980s Key West, and the rest of the Florida Keys, briefly
declared its "independence" as a protest over a United
States Border Patrol blockade. This blockade was setup on U.S.1
where the Northern end of the Overseas Highway meets the mainland
at Florida City. This blockade was in response to the Mariel Cuban
boatlift. Flags, T-shirts and other merchandise representing the
Conch Republic are still popular souvenirs for visitors to Key West.
Key West is located at 24°33'33" North, 81°47'3"
West (24.559166, -81.784031)1. The maximum elevation above sea level
is about 16 feet, known as Solares Hill. Key West Island is about
4 miles long and 2 miles wide; since the late 20th century it has
been artificially expanded to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total
area of 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²). 15.4 km² (5.9 mi²)
of it is land and 3.8 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is water. The
total area is 19.73% water.
Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous 48 states,
as seen in picture (see Extreme Points for more information.)
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 25,478 people, 11,016 households,
and 5,463 families residing in the city. The population density
is 1,653.3/km² (4,285.0/mi²). There are 13,306 housing
units at an average density of 863.4/km² (2,237.9/mi²).
The racial makeup of the city is 84.94% White, 9.28% African American,
0.39% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.86%
from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. 16.54% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 11,016 households out of which 19.9% have children under
the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% are married couples living
together, 8.2% have a female householder with no husband present,
and 50.4% are non-families. 31.4% of all households are made up
of individuals and 8.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years
of age or older. The average household size is 2.23 and the average
family size is 2.84.
In the city the population is spread out with 16.0% under the age
of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to
64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is
39 years. For every 100 females there are 122.3 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there are 126.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $43,021, and the
median income for a family is $50,895. Males have a median income
of $30,967 versus $25,407 for females. The per capita income for
the city is $26,316. 10.2% of the population and 5.8% of families
are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.5% of
those under the age of 18 and 11.3% of those 65 and older are living
below the poverty line.