Stock Island is an island in the lower

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago 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 a ...

immediately east of

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of 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 con ...

(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 which it is connected by causeway with

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort ...

(the

Overseas Highway The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Ra ...

). The part north of U.S. 1 is part of the City of Key West, while the southern part is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Monroe County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population of the CDP was 4,410 at the 2000 census. Stock Island was supposedly named for herds of livestock formerly kept there. Alternatively, some local historians suggest that it may be named for an early settler.

Geography

Stock Island is located at (24.570075, -81.737376). U.S. 1 (or the

) crosses the key near mile markers 4–6, immediately east of Key West. The northern side of stock island is home to the Key West Golf Course, Monroe County Detention Center, and the main campus of

Florida Keys Community College The College of the Florida Keys (CFK) is a public college in Key West, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. Its main campus is on Stock Island, adjacent to the only living coral reef in North America. CFK also operates two additiona ...

. The southern side of the island is home to numerous

mobile homes A mobile home (also known as a house trailer, park home, trailer, or trailer home) is a prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or on a trailer). ...

and

marinas A marina (from Spanish language, Spanish , Portuguese language, Portuguese and Italian language, Italian : "related to the sea") is a Dock (maritime), dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a ...

. It was the former home of the Islander Drive-In Theater, which was popularized by

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

's hit song " Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit".

References

{{authority control Islands of Monroe County, Florida Islands of the Florida Keys Islands of Florida