Sugarloaf Key is a single 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 ...

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 contains two distinct island communities, known as

Lower Sugarloaf Key Lower Sugarloaf Key is the lower arm of an island known as Sugarloaf Key in the lower Florida Keys about east of Key West. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at about mile markers 16.5–17.5. Due to the routing of U.S. Route ...

and

Upper Sugarloaf Key Upper Sugarloaf Key is located in the Florida Keys. It located between MM20.5-MM19 and bridge number 28/29 at Bow Channel/Park Key. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 19–20.5. Upper Sugarloaf Key is ...

History

The name Sugarloaf, is variously attributed as arising from either an Indian mound on the east side of Upper Sugarloaf Key, north of the present highway was said to look like an old-fashioned loaf of sugar or from the variety of pineapple called "sugarloaf" that was once grown in the area. These pineapples are rarely in commercial use any longer since they are soft and do not travel well. The unincorporated community of

Pirates Cove Pirate Cove, Pirates Cove, Pirate's Cove, Pirates' Cove, or ''variation'', may refer to: * a cove used as a base by pirates Places United States * Pirates Cove, a bay and a clothing-optional beach in San Luis Obispo County, California * Pirates C ...

on the island was the location of one of the stations of the

Overseas Railroad 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 line ...

Geography

The island is somewhat U-shaped, with Upper Sugarloaf Sound and Park Key separating the island into Upper Sugarloaf Key and Lower Sugarloaf Key. So called, upper and lower, simply referencing the relative nature of their geographic positions, not as distinct islands. Lower Sugarloaf Key is about from

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 ...

, between Park Key and

Saddlebunch Keys The Saddlebunch Keys are a series of mangrove islands about east of Key West, Florida. The keys are scattered between Lower Sugarloaf Key and Shark Key. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. ...

and Upper Sugarloaf Key is about east of

, between Park Key and

Cudjoe Key Cudjoe, Codjoe or Captain Cudjoe (c. 1659 – 1744),Michael Sivapragasam''After the Treaties: A Social, Economic and Demographic History of Maroon Society in Jamaica, 1739–1842'' PhD Dissertation, African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica libra ...

. Though Lower Sugarloaf Key has a greater density of population, it is smaller in area than Upper Sugarloaf Key.

Ecology

Plant species native to the island include

buttonwood Buttonwood or Buttonwoods may refer to: * "Buttonwood", a finance column in ''The Economist'' * Buttonwood Agreement, 1792 effort to organize securities trading that created the predecessor of the New York Stock Exchange Plants Buttonwood or bu ...

, poisonwood,

sea grape Sea grape or seagrape may refer to: Plants and algae * ''Coccoloba uvifera'', a flowering plant native to tropical America, including Florida, the Caribbean and nearby islands * Seaweeds in the genus ''Caulerpa'', especially: ** '' C. lentillifera' ...

and

thatch palm Thatch palm is a common name for several different species of palm trees that are used for thatching, and may refer to: *'' Coccothrinax'', many species native to the Caribbean *'' Howea'', two species native to Lord Howe Island, Australia *'' Thri ...

. Of fauna,

ibis The ibis () (collective plural ibises; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word f ...

es are found on the island, and

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

parrotfish Parrotfish (named for their mouths, which resemble a parrot's beak) are a clade of fish placed in the tribe Scarini of the wrasse family (Labridae). Traditionally treated as their own family (Scaridae), genetic studies have found them to be dee ...

, snapper,

barracuda A barracuda is a large, predatory, ray-finned, saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. It is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldw ...

and

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

can be seen in the local waters.

Community

Lower Sugarloaf Key has family owned Sugarloaf Lodge and restaurant, an airport, Sugarloaf Volunteer Fire Station, and

Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower, also known as the Perky Bat Tower, is a historic site in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located a mile northwest of U.S. Route 1 on Lower Sugarloaf Key at mile marker 17. On May 13, 1982, it was added t ...

. Upper Sugarloaf Key has two public schools, a church, restaurant, commercial offices, public campground and the

Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge The Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in a region known as the 'Backcountry', which reaches from north of Marathon to north of Key West. Overview the refuge is lo ...

. Covering , Sugarloaf Key has the southernmost

KOA KOA (short for Kampgrounds of America) is an American franchise of privately owned campgrounds. Having more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, it is the world's largest system of privately owned campgrounds. It was founded ...

campground in North America.

Transportation

U.S. 1 (or 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 ...

) crosses Upper Sugarloaf Key at approximately mile markers 19–20.5 and Lower Sugarloaf Key at approximate mile markers 16.5–17.5. Sugarloaf Key is already part of the Overseas Highway and will soon join other islands of the Florida Keys as part of the

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail is a paved rail trail—a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian facility—being constructed between Key Largo and Key West in the Florida Keys. , of the trail has been constructed. History and route Usin ...

connecting mainland Florida to Key West via bicycle path(s).

References

Notes Bibliography *

External links

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