The Florida Keys are a
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...
cay archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...
located off the southern coast of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...
, about south of
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited
Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the
Florida Straits, dividing the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
to the east from the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...
to the northwest, and defining one edge of
Florida Bay. At the nearest point, the southern part of Key West is just from
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
. The Florida Keys are between about 24.3 and 25.5 degrees North latitude.
More than 95 percent of the land area lies in
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
*Monroe County, Alabama
* Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
*Monroe County, Georgia
* Monroe County, Illinois
* Monroe County, Indi ...
, but a small portion extends northeast into
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
, such as
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.
History
It was probably named for General Joseph Totten wh ...
. The total land area is . As of the
2010 census the population was 73,090 with an average density of ,
although much of the population is concentrated in a few areas of much higher density, such as the city of Key West, which has 32% of the entire population of the Keys. The US Census population estimate for 2014 is 77,136.
The city of Key West is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
*Monroe County, Alabama
* Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
*Monroe County, Georgia
* Monroe County, Illinois
* Monroe County, Indi ...
. The county consists of a section on the
mainland which is almost entirely in
Everglades National Park, and the Keys islands from
Key Largo to
Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park is a national park located about west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the seven Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys. The archipelago ...
.
History
The Keys were originally inhabited by the
Calusa
The Calusa ( ) were a Native American people of Florida's southwest coast. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years.
At the time of ...
and
Tequesta
The Tequesta (also Tekesta, Tegesta, Chequesta, Vizcaynos) were a Native American tribe. At the time of first European contact they occupied an area along the southeastern Atlantic coast of Florida. They had infrequent contact with Europeans a ...
tribes, and were charted by
Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León (, , , ; 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santerv� ...
in 1513. De León named 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
. Improved navigation led to fewer shipwrecks, and Key West went into a decline in the late nineteenth century.
Overseas Railway
The Keys were long accessible only by water. This changed with the completion of
Henry Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...
's
Overseas Railway
The Overseas Railroad (also known as Florida Overseas Railroad, the Overseas Extension, and Flagler's Folly) was an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city located beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. Work on the l ...
in the early 1910s. Flagler, a major developer of Florida's Atlantic coast, extended his
Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México.
Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...
down to Key West with an ambitious series of oversea railroad trestles. Three hurricanes disrupted the project in
1906,
1909, and
1910.
1935 Labor Day hurricane
The strongest hurricane to strike the U.S. made landfall near Islamorada in the Upper Keys on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 1935. Winds were estimated to have gusted to , raising a storm surge more than above sea level that washed over the islands. More than 400 people were killed, though some estimates place the number of deaths at more than 600.
The Labor Day hurricane was one of only four hurricanes to make landfall at
Category 5 strength on the U.S. coast since reliable weather records began (about 1850). The other storms were
Hurricane Camille (1969),
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged o ...
(1992), and
Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael was a very powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to ma ...
(2018).
In 1935, new bridges were under construction to connect a highway through the entire Keys. Hundreds of World War I veterans working on the roadway as part of a government relief program were housed in non-reinforced buildings in three construction camps in the Upper Keys. When the evacuation train failed to reach the camps before the storm, more than 200 veterans perished. Their deaths caused anger and charges of mismanagement that led to a Congressional investigation.
The storm also ended the 23-year run of the Overseas Railway; the damaged tracks were never rebuilt, and the
Overseas Highway (
U.S. Highway 1) replaced the railroad as the main transportation route from Miami to Key West.
Seven Mile Bridge
One of the
longest bridges when it was built, the
Seven Mile Bridge connects
Knight's Key (part of the city of
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
in the Middle Keys) to
Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. The piling-supported concrete bridge is or 6.79 miles (10.93 km) long. The current bridge bypasses
Pigeon Key, a small island that housed workers building
Henry Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...
's
Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México.
Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...
in the 1900s, that the original Seven Mile Bridge crossed. A section of the old bridge remains for access to the island, although it was closed to vehicular traffic on March 4, 2008. The aging structure has been deemed unsafe by the
Florida Department of Transportation. Costly repairs, estimated to be as much as $34 million, were expected to begin in July 2008. Monroe County was unable to secure a $17 million loan through the state infrastructure bank, delaying work for at least a year. On June 14, 2008, the old bridge section leading to Pigeon Key was closed to fishing as well. While still open to pedestrians—walking, biking and jogging—if the bridge were closed altogether, only a ferry subsidized by FDOT and managed by the county would transport visitors to the island.
Overseas Highway
After the destruction of the Keys railway by the
Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the railroad bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge, were converted to automobile roadways. This roadway, U.S. Highway 1, became the
Overseas Highway that runs from Key Largo south to Key West. Today this highway allows travel through the tropical islands of the Florida Keys and the viewing of exotic plants and animals found nowhere else on the US mainland and the largest
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...
chain in the United States.
Cuban exiles
Following the
Cuban Revolution, many Cubans emigrated to South Florida. Key West traditionally had strong links with its neighbor ninety miles south by water, and large numbers of Cubans settled there. The Keys still attract Cubans leaving their home country, and stories of "rafters" coming ashore are not uncommon.
Conch Republic
In 1982, the
United States Border Patrol established a roadblock and inspection points on US Highway 1, stopping all northbound traffic returning to the mainland at
Florida City
Florida City is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is the southernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. Florida City is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area. As of the 2020 census, it h ...
, to search vehicles for illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants. The Key West City Council repeatedly complained about the roadblocks, which were a major inconvenience for travellers, and hurt the Keys' important tourism industry.
After various unsuccessful complaints and attempts to get a legal injunction against the blockade failed in federal court in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, on April 23, 1982, Key West mayor
Dennis Wardlow
Dennis Wardlow (born c. 1944) is a former mayor of Key West, Florida, having served on three occasions.
He is best known for being the prime minister of the Conch Republic, the micronation that seceded from the United States on April 23, 1982, ...
and the city council declared the independence of the city of
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
, calling it the "
Conch Republic". After one minute of secession, he (as "Prime Minister") surrendered to an officer of the Key West Naval Air Station (NAS), and requested one billion ($1,000,000,000) dollars in "
foreign aid
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.
Ai ...
".
The stunt succeeded in generating great publicity for the Keys' plight, and the inspection station roadblock was removed. The idea of the Conch Republic has provided a new source of revenue for the Keys by way of tourist keepsake sales, and the Conch Republic has participated in later protests.
Geology
The northern and central sections of the Florida Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...
, the
Key Largo Limestone. The northernmost island arising from the ancient reef formation is
Elliott Key, in
Biscayne National Park. North of Elliott Key are several small transitional keys, composed of sand built up around small areas of exposed ancient reef. Further north,
Key Biscayne and places north are
barrier island
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a ...
s, built up of sand. The islands in the southwestern part of the chain, from
Big Pine Key
Big or BIG may refer to:
* Big, of great size or degree
Film and television
* ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks
* ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show
* ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...
to the
Marquesas Keys
The Marquesas Keys form an uninhabited island group about west of Key West, in diameter, and largely covered by mangrove forest. They are an unincorporated area of Monroe County, Florida and belong to the Lower Keys Census County Division. The ...
, are exposed areas of
Miami Limestone
The Miami Limestone, originally called Miami Oolite, is a geologic formation of limestone in southeastern Florida.
Miami Limestone forms the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in southeastern Florida, near the coast in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami Dad ...
.
The Florida Keys have taken their present form as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent
glaciation
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate bet ...
s or ''
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...
s''. 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 formed along the edge of the submerged
Florida Platform, stretching south and then west from the present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas. This reef formed the Key Largo Limestone that is exposed on the surface from
Soldier Key (midway between Key Biscayne and Elliott Key) to the southeast portion of
Big Pine Key
Big or BIG may refer to:
* Big, of great size or degree
Film and television
* ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks
* ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show
* ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...
and the Newfound Harbor Keys. The types of
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...
that formed Key Largo Limestone can be identified on the exposed surface of these keys. Minor fluctuations in sea level exposed parts of the reef, subjecting it to erosion. Acidic water, which can result from decaying vegetation, dissolves limestone. Some of the dissolved limestone redeposited as a denser ''cap rock'', which can be seen as outcrops overlying the Key Largo and Miami limestones throughout the Keys. The limestone that eroded from the reef formed
oolites in the shallow sea behind the reef, and together with the skeletal remains 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
Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
In zoology
''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...
sand. While the islands of the upper and middle keys, consisting of Key Largo Limestone, 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, in which
tidal channel
A tidal creek or tidal channel is a narrow inlet or estuary that is affected by the ebb and flow of ocean tides. Thus, it has variable salinity and electrical conductivity over the tidal cycle, and flushes salts from inland soils. Tidal creeks a ...
s cut through a submerged oolitic deposit. The bars
lithified into Miami Limestone, and with changes in sea level are presently exposed as 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 from
Fowey Rocks just east of Soldier Key to just south of the Marquesas Keys. It is the third-largest
barrier reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
...
system in the world.
Environment
The climate and environment of the Florida Keys are closer to that of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...
than the rest of Florida, though unlike the Caribbean's volcanic islands, the Keys were built by plants and animals. The Upper Keys islands are composed of sandy-type accumulations of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
grains produced by plants and marine organisms. The Lower Keys are the remnants of large coral reefs, which became fossilized and exposed when the sea level dropped.
The natural habitats of the Keys are upland forests, inland wetlands and shoreline zones. Soil ranges from sand to
marl to rich, decomposed leaf litter. In some places, "caprock" (the eroded surface of coral formations) covers the ground. Rain falling through
leaf debris becomes acidic and dissolves holes in the limestone, where soil accumulates and trees root.
Flora and fauna
The Florida Keys have distinctive plant and animals species, some found nowhere else in the United States, as the Keys define the northern extent of their ranges. The climate also allows many imported plants to thrive. Some exotic species which arrived as landscape plants now invade and threaten natural areas.
The native flora of the Keys is diverse, including members of both temperate families, such as red maple (''
Acer rubrum''), slash pine (
''Pinus elliottii'' var. ''densa'') and oaks (''
Quercus
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...
'' spp.), growing at the southern end of their ranges, and tropical families, including mahogany (''
Swietenia mahagoni''), gumbo limbo (''
Bursera simaruba
''Bursera simaruba'', commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florida to Mexico and the Caribbean t ...
''), stoppers (''
Eugenia'' spp.), Jamaican dogwood (''
Piscidia piscipula
''Piscidia piscipula'', commonly named Florida fishpoison tree, Jamaican dogwood, or fishfuddle, is a medium-sized, deciduous, tropical tree in the Fabaceae family. It is native to the Greater Antilles (except Puerto Rico), extreme southern Flori ...
''), 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 part of the northernmost range of the American crocodile, which is found throughout the
Neotropics. 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
Dry Tortugas National Park is a national park located about west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the seven Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys. The archipelago ...
.
The waters surrounding the Keys are part of a protected area known as the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. It includes the Florida Reef, the only barrier coral reef in North America and the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world. It also has ex ...
.
Climate
The climate of the Florida Keys is
tropical savanna (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
: Aw). Other than some areas of coastal Miami (Miami Beach), the Florida Keys are the only areas in the continental United States to never report freezing temperatures since settlement. The record low in Key West is (in both 1886 and 1981), and low temperatures below are rare. Most of the Florida Keys fall into USDA zone 11a to 11b; Key West is zone 12a.
There are two main "seasons" in the Florida Keys, a hot and wet season from June through October, and a dry season from November through April, that features little rainfall, sunny skies, and warm breezy conditions. The warm and sunny winter climate, with average highs around and lows above , is the main tourist season in the Florida Keys. Key West is the driest city in Florida, and most of the Florida Keys can become quite dry at the height of the dry season. Some of the more exposed vegetation in the keys is
scrub, stunted due to the intense sun, quick draining sandy soil, and arid winter climate.
Tropical cyclones
The Keys are occasionally threatened by
tropical storm
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s and
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...
s, leading to evacuations to the mainland.
Hurricane Georges
Hurricane Georges () was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde Category 4 hurricane which caused severe destruction as it traversed the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in September 1998, making eight landfalls along its path. Georges was the seventh ...
, after destroying much of the housing and infrastructure on many of the
Caribbean islands
Almost all of the Caribbean islands are in the Caribbean Sea, with only a few in inland lakes. The largest island is Cuba. Other sizable islands include Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the smaller islands a ...
, caused damage and extensive flooding in the Lower Keys in 1998, before making
landfall in
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
. In 2005, Hurricanes
Katrina,
Rita
Rita may refer to:
People
* Rita (given name)
* Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984)
* Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962)
* Rita (Japanese singer)
* Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita
Places
* Djarrit, also known as R ...
and
Wilma affected the Keys (although none made a direct hit), causing widespread damage and flooding. The most severe hurricane to hit the area was the
Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, a Category 5 hurricane.
Tropical cyclones present special dangers and challenges to the entire Keys. Because no area of the islands is more than above sea level (and many are only a few feet elevation), and water surrounds the islands, nearly every neighborhood is subject to flooding as well as hurricane winds. In response, many homes in the Keys are built on concrete stilts with the first floor being not legally habitable and enclosed by breakaway walls that are not strongly attached to the rest of the house. Nonetheless, Monroe County, as reported in the Federal Register, has estimated that there are between 8,000 and 12,000 illegal enclosures inhabited by people.
Because of the threat from storm surge, evacuations are routinely ordered when the
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...
issues a hurricane watch or warning, and are sometimes ordered for a tropical storm warning. Evacuation of the Keys depends on causeways and the two-lane highway to the mainland. Time estimates for evacuating the entire Keys range from 12 to 24 hours. Evacuation estimates are significant in emergency planning, of course, but also because they are a factor in local and state regulations for controlling development. The building permit allocation was increased in 2005 when local governments reduced estimates for evacuation.
On September 10, 2017,
Hurricane Irma made landfall in Cudjoe Key. The storm destroyed an estimated 25% of the houses on the Keys and another 65% suffered major damage. Most residents had evacuated before the storm hit the area. On September 12, parts of the Keys were still inaccessible by causeway and some areas were closed to the public. Governor
Rick Scott
Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers, born December 1, 1952) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party (U ...
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.
Major islands
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 listed for keys that the Overseas Highway runs across or near.
[FDOT straight line diagrams]
, accessed April 2014.
*
Dry Tortugas
*
Loggerhead Key
*
Marquesas Keys
The Marquesas Keys form an uninhabited island group about west of Key West, in diameter, and largely covered by mangrove forest. They are an unincorporated area of Monroe County, Florida and belong to the Lower Keys Census County Division. The ...
*
Sunset Key
Sunset Key is a residential neighborhood and resort island in the city of Key West, Florida. It is located about off the coast of the island of Key West. The island is privately held among its residents. The island is accessible only by a shutt ...
*
Wisteria Island
*
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
(MM 0-4)
*
Fleming Key
*
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 isla ...
(off to the north at MM 2¾)
*
Stock Island
Stock Island is an island in the lower Florida Keys immediately east of Key West (separated from Key West by Cow Key Channel, which is only about 75 yards (70 m) wide). Immediately northwest is Key Haven (official name ''Raccoon Key''), from whi ...
(MM 5)
*
Raccoon Key
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 o ...
(off to the north at MM 5¼)
*
Boca Chica Key (MM 7-8)
*
Rockland Key
Rockland Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys about east of Key West.
U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway) crosses the edge of the key at approximately mile markers 8–9.5, between Boca Chica Key and Big Coppitt Key
Big Coppitt Key is an isla ...
(MM 9)
*
East Rockland Key
East Rockland Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys about east of Key West.
U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the edge of the key at approximately mile markers 8–9.5, between Boca Chica Key and Big Coppitt Key.
It is located direc ...
(MM 9½)
*
Big Coppitt Key (MM 10)
*
Geiger Key (off to the south at MM 10¾)
*
Shark Key (off to the north at MM 11¼)
*
Saddlebunch Keys (MM 12-16)
*
Lower Sugarloaf Key (MM 17)
*
Park Key (MM 18)
*
Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key is a single island in the lower Florida Keys that forms a loop on the Atlantic Ocean side giving the illusion of separate islands. Although frequently referred to simply and with technical accuracy as "Sugarloaf Key", this island ...
(MM 19-20)
*
Cudjoe Key (MM 21-23)
*
Knockemdown Key
Knockemdown Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys approximately east of Key West. It is northwest of Summerland Key, between Cudjoe Key and Big Torch Key. It is currently owned by retired Milwaukee Brewers Pitcher Dave Voit.
tidal stati ...
*
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 ...
(MM 24-25)
*
Ramrod Key
Ramrod Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys. Originally named Roberts Island, Ramrod Key was renamed for a ship named Ramrod, which was wrecked on a reef south of there in the early nineteenth century.
Description
Until the construction o ...
(MM 27)
*
Middle Torch Key,
Big Torch Key (off to the north at MM 27¾)
*
Little Torch Key
Little Torch Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys.
U.S. Route 1 (also known as the Overseas Highway), crosses the key at about mile markers 28–29. It is immediately preceded to the northeast by Big Pine Key, and is followed by Middle To ...
(MM 28½)
*
Big Pine Key
Big or BIG may refer to:
* Big, of great size or degree
Film and television
* ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks
* ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show
* ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...
(MM 30-32)
*
No Name Key
*
Scout Key
Scout Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys. It was previously known as West Summerland Key until 2010. U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 34–35, between Spanish Harbor Key and Big Pine Key.
Etymo ...
(MM 34-35), formerly known as West Summerland Key
*
Bahia Honda Key (MM 37-38)
*
Ohio Key (MM 38¾), also known as Sunshine Key
*
Missouri Key
Missouri Key is a small island in the lower Florida Keys.
U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile marker 39.5, between Ohio Key and Little Duck Key.
The island was named during Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad
...
(MM 39¼)
*
Little Duck Key (MM 39¾)
The
Seven Mile Bridge (MM 40-46¾) separates the Lower Keys from the Middle Keys.
*
Pigeon Key (off to the north near MM 45; access is at MM 46¾)
*
Knights Key
Knights Key is an island in the middle Florida Keys, located entirely within the borders of the city of Marathon, Florida.
Geography
U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key near mile marker 47, at the western end of Key Vaca and eastern ...
(MM 47)
*
Vaca Key
Key Vaca is an island in the middle Florida Keys, located entirely within the borders of the city of Marathon, Florida.
Geography
Key Vaca is located in between Fat Deer Key and Knight's Key. Vaca Key was also connected via bridge to Boot Key u ...
(MM 48-53)
*
Boot Key (off to the south at MM 48; bridge closed)
*
Fat Deer Key
Fat Deer Key is an island in the middle Florida Keys.
U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key near mile markers 53.5-56, between Long Point Key and Key Vaca.
It is entirely within the cities of Marathon, Florida and Key Colony Beach, ...
(MM 53¼-55)
*
Shelter Key
Key Colony Beach is a municipality in the middle of the Florida Keys, Monroe County, Florida, United States. The population was 797 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 814.
Geography
Key Colo ...
(off to the south at MM 53¾)
*
Long Point Key
Long Point Key is an island in the middle Florida Keys.
U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) traverses the key between Crawl Key and Fat Deer Key, which is part of a long stretch of road known as the Grassy Key Causeway.
It is entirely within th ...
(MM 56)
*
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 ci ...
(MM 56½)
*
Grassy Key (MM 58-60)
(Knights, Vaca, Boot, Long Point, Crawl, and Grassy Keys, as well as most of Fat Deer Key, are incorporated in the city of
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
. The remaining portion of Fat Deer Key and most of Shelter Key are part of
Key Colony Beach.)
*
Duck Key (MM 61)
*
Conch Key (MM 62-63)
The
Long Key Bridge
The Long Key Bridge, officially known as the Dante B. Fascell Bridge, is a bridge in the Florida Keys connecting Long Key and Conch Key, Florida, Conch Key, roughly halfway between Miami and Key West. At a length of nearly two and a half miles, ...
(MM 63¼-65¼) separates the Middle Keys from the Upper Keys.
*
Long Key (MM 66-70), formerly known as Rattlesnake Key
*
Fiesta Key
Fiesta Key is an island in the Florida Keys, connected via causeway to U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) at mile marker 70, between Long Key and Craig Key
Craig Key is an island city in the middle Florida Keys.
U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) ...
(off to the north at MM 70)
*
Craig Key (MM 72)
*
Lower Matecumbe Key (MM 74-77)
*
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 Ke ...
*
Indian Key
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South A ...
*
Indian Key Fill
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
(MM 79)
*
Tea Table
Tea Table 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 79.
All of the key is within the Villages of Islamorada as of November 4, 1997, when it was incorporated.
The island lies ...
(MM 79½)
*
Upper Matecumbe Key (MM 80-83)
*
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 it at approximately mile markers 84–85.5, between Plantation Key and Upper Matecumbe Key. All of the key is with ...
(MM 85)
*
Plantation Key (MM 86-90)
(Lower Matecumbe through Plantation Keys are incorporated as
Islamorada
Islamorada (also sometimes Islas Morada) is an incorporated village in Monroe County, Florida. It is located directly between Miami and Key West on five islands— Tea Table Key, Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key and Pla ...
, Village of Islands. The "towns" of
Key Largo,
North Key Largo and
Tavernier, all on the island of Key Largo, are not incorporated.)
*
Key Largo (MM 91-107)
All keys north of
Broad Creek are in
Biscayne National Park and
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
. The following are "true" Florida Keys (exposed ancient coral reefs):
*
Old Rhodes Key
Old Rhodes Key is an island north of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park. It is in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
It is located just north of Broad Creek in the lower part of Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteri ...
*
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.
History
It was probably named for General Joseph Totten wh ...
*
Reid Key
Reid Key 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 east of the southern tip of El ...
*
Rubicon Keys
The Rubicon Keys are two small islands north of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park. They are in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
They are located in southern Biscayne Bay, just north of Old Rhodes Key and Totten Key, and just east of t ...
*
Adams Key
*
Elliott Key
The following are "transitional keys", made of exposed ancient reef surrounded by sand.
*
Sands Key
*
Boca Chita Key
*
Ragged Keys
*
Soldier Key
Key Biscayne is not one of the Florida Keys, but the southernmost of the
barrier island
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a ...
s along the Atlantic coast of Florida.
Transportation
The main chain of Keys islands can be traveled by motor vehicles on the
Overseas Highway, a section of
U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...
, 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
The Overseas Railroad (also known as Florida Overseas Railroad, the Overseas Extension, and Flagler's Folly) was an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, a city located beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. Work on the l ...
, 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, where a car ferry connected with another roadway section through the Lower Keys. Following the hurricane, some of the original railway bridges were converted to carry the highway roadbeds. These bridges were used until the 1980s, when new highway bridges were built alongside. Many of the original railroad and highway bridges remain today as pedestrian fishing piers.
Public transportation
The Florida Keys has public bus transportation.
Road hazards
Despite this reconstruction, U.S. 1 was not widened on a large scale, and today most of the route consists of just two lanes. Due to 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
The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is a public airport located along the Overseas Highway (US1) in Marathon, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The airport covers and has one runway.
History
The 8000-foot airstrip in Marath ...
in
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
, cruise ship or ferry from
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
,
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 the highest
per capita rate of fatal
automobile accidents in the state of Florida.
Culture and recreation
The major industries are fishing and tourism, including
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...
, with many visitors
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...
in the area's protected waters. A ferry takes riders between Key West and
Fort Myers, as well as
Marco Island due north on the mainland, along the western edge of Florida Bay.
Dark skies recreation
Middle and Lower Florida Keys are among a few remaining South Florida dark skies locations accessible by car, thanks to their position along the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore with southern skies unobstructed by
light pollution
Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day or night. Light po ...
associated with urban development.
Scout Key
Scout Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys. It was previously known as West Summerland Key until 2010. U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 34–35, between Spanish Harbor Key and Big Pine Key.
Etymo ...
is home to
Winter Star Party
The Winter Star Party, aka WSP, is an annual convention of amateur astronomers where the primary activity is nighttime astronomical observation. This February event is run at Camp Wesumkee located on Scout Key in the Lower Florida Keys. It is ho ...
, a prominent annual amateur astronomy event in the United States, and one of the Top 10 star parties in the world according to
BBC Sky at Night
''BBC Sky at Night magazine'' is a British monthly magazine about astronomy aimed at amateur astronomers and published by Immediate Media Company. Its title is taken from the television programme produced by the BBC, ''The Sky at Night''. The ...
. It is an international gathering that attracts 500+ people each year who enjoy stargazing, astrophotography and Milky Way photography.
Bahia Honda State Park is a well known dark skies location among locals offering unobstructed views of the southern night sky year-round. It also hosts amateur astronomy gatherings.
in Florida Keys Astronomy Club , Events
/ref>
See also
* Adam's Bridge
Adam's Bridge, '; ta, ஆதாம் பாலம் ' also known as Rama's Bridge or ''Rama Setu'', '; ta, ராமர் பாலம் '; sa, रामसेतु ' is a chain of natural limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, ...
Notes
References
Other references
* Jeff, Ripple (1995). ''The Florida Keys: the Natural Wonders of an Island Paradise'', Photographs by Bill Keogh, Stillwater, Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
: Voyageur Press. .
Jason Project The Story of Water Movement and Land Formation
– accessed January 28, 2006.
Florida Keys Fish
External links
A Gazetteer of the Florida Keys
My Florida Access
*
City of Key West
City of Marathon
National Park Service: Dry Tortugas
NOAA Marine Sanctuary
Florida Keys Watershed - Florida DEP
Media
Key West Citizen
{{Authority control
Outstanding Florida Waters
Regions of Florida
South Florida
Archipelagoes of the United States