View source for Key West

{{Short description|Island and city in Florida, United States}}
{{About|the island and city in Florida|other uses|Key West (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Cayo Hueso|the neighborhood in Havana, Cuba|Cayo Hueso, Havana|the hamlet in Encrucijada, Cuba|Cayo Hueso (Encrucijada)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox islands
| name               = Key West
| native_name        = 
| sobriquet          = 
| image_name         = Southernmost point buoy, NE view.jpg
| image_size         = 250px
| image_alt          = Sign in Fort Zachary Taylor Beach
| image_caption      = Southernmost point buoy
| image_map          = Key west from iss.jpg
| image_map_size     = 250px
| image_map_caption  = An October 2002 [[NASA]] image of Key West from space
| coordinates        = {{Coord|24.565176|N|81.775794|W|region:US_type:isle|format=dms}}<ref name="GR1"/>
| location           = Atlantic Ocean
| archipelago        = [[Florida Keys]]
| total_islands      = 
| major_islands      = 
| area_sqmi          = 4.2
| rank               = 
| length_mi          = 4
| width_mi           = 1
| coastline_mi       = 
| elevation_ft       = 18
| highest_mount      = [[Solares Hill]], {{cvt|18|ft|m}} above sea level
| module             = {{Infobox settlement | embed=yes
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions  -->
 | name                    = Key West, Florida
   | settlement_type         = City
 | image_flag              = Flag of Key West, Florida.svg
   | image_seal              = Seal Of The City Of Key West, Florida.png
   | nicknames                = "[[The Conch Republic]]" <br>"Southernmost City in the Continental United States"
   | motto                   = ''One Human Family''
 | image_map               = Monroe County Florida Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Key West Highlighted.svg
   | map_caption             = Location in [[Monroe County, Florida|Monroe County]] and the state of Florida
   |pushpin_map              = Florida#USA
   |pushpin_label            = Key West
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   |pushpin_map_caption      = Location of Key West in Florida
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   | coordinates             = {{coord|24|33|18|N|81|46|55|W|display=inline,title}}
   | coordinates_footnotes   =<ref name=GR1/>
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   | subdivision_name        = United States
   | subdivision_type1       = State
   | subdivision_name1       = {{flag|Florida}}
   | subdivision_type2       = County
   | subdivision_name2       = [[Monroe County, Florida|Monroe]]
   | established_title       = 
   | established_date        = 
   | founder                 = 
   | seat_type               = 
   | seat                    = 
   | government_footnotes    = 
   | government_type         = [[Council–manager government|Commission–Manager]]
   | leader_title            = [[Mayor of Key West|Mayor]]
   | leader_name             = [[Danise "Dee Dee" Henriquez]]
   | leader_title1           = [[City Council|Commissioners]]
   | leader_name1            = Monica Haskell, <br>Lissette Carey, <br>Samuel Kaufman, <br>Mary Lou Hoover, <br>Donald "Donnie" Lee, and <br>Aaron Castillo
   | leader_title2           = [[City Manager]]
   | leader_name2            = Brian Barroso
   | leader_title3           = [[City clerk]]
   | leader_name3            = Keri O'Brien
   | leader_title4           = [[City attorney]]
   | leader_name4            = Ronald J. Ramsingh
   | 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>
   | area_total_sq_mi        = 7.21
   | area_land_sq_mi         = 5.60
   | area_water_sq_mi        = 1.61
   | area_total_km2          = 18.67
   | area_land_km2           = 14.50
   | area_water_km2          = 4.17
   | elevation_footnotes     = 
   | elevation_ft            = 5
   | population_footnotes    =<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US1236550&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=P1. Race – Key West city, Florida: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=January 18, 2023}}</ref>
   | population_total        = 26444
   | population_as_of        = [[2020 United States census]]
   | pop_est_as_of           = 
   | pop_est_footnotes       = 
   | population_est          = 
   | population_density_sq_mi = 4722.99
   | population_density_km2  = 1823.44
   | timezone1               = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
   | utc_offset1             = −5
   | timezone1_DST           = [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]
   | utc_offset1_DST         = −4
   | postal_code_type        = [[ZIP Code]]s
   | postal_code             = 33040, 33041, 33045
   | area_codes              = [[Area codes 305, 786, and 645|305, 786, and 645]]
   | 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>
   | blank1_name             = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
   | blank1_info             = 0294048<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
   | iso_code                = 
   | website                 = {{URL|cityofkeywest-fl.gov}}
   }}
| settlement_type    = City
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
  | total_width            = 250
  | border                 = infobox
  | perrow                 = 1/2/2/2/1
  | caption_align          = center
   | image_flag              = Flag of Key West, Florida.svg
   | image_seal              = Seal Of The City Of Key West, Florida.png
   | nickname                = "[[The Conch Republic]]" <br>"Southernmost City in the Continental United States"
   | motto                   = ''One Human Family''
  |pushpin_map              = Florida#USA
   |pushpin_label            = Key West
   |pushpin_label_position   = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
   |pushpin_map_caption      = Location of Key West in Florida
   |pushpin_mapsize          = 
   | coordinates             = {{coord|24|33|18|N|81|46|55|W|display=inline}}
   | coordinates_footnotes   =<ref name=GR1/>
   | subdivision_type        = Country
   | subdivision_name        = United States
   | subdivision_type1       = State
   | subdivision_name1       = {{flag|Florida}}
   | subdivision_type2       = County
   | subdivision_name2       = [[Monroe County, Florida|Monroe]]
   | established_title       = 
   | established_date        = 
   | founder                 = 
   | seat_type               = 
   | seat                    = 
   | government_footnotes    = 
   | government_type         = [[Council–manager government|Commission–Manager]]
   | leader_title            = [[Mayor of Key West|Mayor]]
   | leader_name             = [[Danise "Dee Dee" Henriquez]]
   | leader_title1           = [[City Council|Commissioners]]
   | leader_name1            = Monica Haskell, <br>Lissette Carey, <br>Samuel Kaufman, <br>Mary Lou Hoover, <br>Donald "Donnie" Lee, and <br>Aaron Castillo
   | leader_title2           = [[City Manager]]
   | leader_name2            = Brian Barroso
   | leader_title3           = [[City Clerk]]
   | leader_name3            = Keri O'Brien
   | leader_title4           = [[City Attorney]]
   | leader_name4            = Ronald J. Ramsingh
   | unit_pref               = Imperial
   | area_footnotes          =<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022"/>
   | area_total_sq_mi        = 7.21
   | area_land_sq_mi         = 5.60
   | area_water_sq_mi        = 1.61
   | area_total_km2          = 18.67
   | area_land_km2           = 14.50
   | area_water_km2          = 4.17
   | elevation_footnotes     = 
   | elevation_ft            = 5
   | population_footnotes    =<ref name="Census 2020"/>
   | population_total        = 26444
   | population_as_of        = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
   | pop_est_as_of           = 
   | pop_est_footnotes       = 
   | population_est          = 
   | population_density_sq_mi = 4722.99
   | population_density_km2  = 1823.44
   | timezone1               = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
   | utc_offset1             = −5
   | timezone1_DST           = [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]
   | utc_offset1_DST         = −4
   | postal_code_type        = [[ZIP Code]]s
   | postal_code             = 33040, 33041, 33045
   | area_codes              = [[Area codes 305, 786, and 645|305, 786, and 645]]
   | blank_name              = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
   | blank_info              = 12-36550<ref name="GR2"/>
   | blank1_name             = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
   | blank1_info             = 0294048<ref name="GR3"/>
   | iso_code                = 
   | website                 = {{URL|cityofkeywest-fl.gov}}
   }}
| locator_map        = 
| locator_map_size   = 
}}
'''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 [[Sigsbee Park|Dredgers Key]], [[Fleming Key]], [[Sunset Key]], and the northern part of [[Stock Island, Florida|Stock Island]], it constitutes the '''City of Key West'''.

The island of Key West is about {{convert|4|mi|km|0|abbr=off|sp=us}} long and {{convert|1|mi|km|0}} wide, with a total land area of {{convert|4.2|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name="IslandStats">{{cite web|url=http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/1165259495219.htm |title=Key West City Information: Regional Setting |date=February 4, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224111941/http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/1165259495219.htm |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Within Florida, it is {{convert|130|mi|km}} southwest of Miami by air, about {{convert|165|mi|km}} by road.<ref name="chkdist" /> Key West is approximately {{convert|95|mi|km}} north of [[Cuba]] at their closest points, and {{convert|106|mi|km}} north-northeast of [[Havana]].<ref name="AcmeMapper">{{Cite web|url=https://mapper.acme.com/?ll=24.54410,-81.80486&z=12&t=M&marker0=24.54410,-81.80486,Key%20West |title=ACME Mapper |publisher=ACME Labs |quote=Zoom out, drag map until the center pointer is on the Cuban coast, zoom in and adjust position, then click the 'Markers' button at bottom right of map. Units can be changed via the 'Options' button.}}</ref><ref name="NHS">{{cite web|url=https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gccalc.shtml |title=Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculator |publisher=[[National Hurricane Center]] |quote=Coordinates used for Key West (the Whitehead Spit): 24.54410 (N), 81.80486 (W), and for Cuba (a [[headland]] just west of [[Santa Cruz del Norte]]): 23.18375 (N), 82.0003 (W).}}</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=July 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".

Key West is the southernmost city in the [[contiguous United States]] and the westernmost island connected by highway in the [[Florida Keys]]. [[Duval Street]], its main street, 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. Key West is the southern terminus of [[U.S. Route 1]]{{snd}}the longest north–south road in the United States, as well as [[Florida State Road A1A|State Road A1A]], the [[East Coast Greenway]] and, before 1935, the [[Florida East Coast Railway]]. Key West is a port of call for passenger [[cruise ship]]s.<ref name="NYT122412">{{cite news |title=Key West Looks at Identity as It Plots Tourism Future |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/us/25cruise.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 25, 2012 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 24, 2012 |first=Lizette |last=Alvarez}}</ref> The [[Key West International Airport]] provides airline service. [[Naval Air Station Key West]] is an important year-round training site for [[naval aviation]] due to the tropical weather, which is also the reason Key West was chosen as the site of President [[Harry S. Truman]]'s [[Harry S. Truman Little White House|Winter White House]]. The central business district is located along Duval Street and includes much of the northwestern corner of the island.

==History==
{{main|History of Key West}}

===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>

''[[:es:Cayo Hueso|Cayo Hueso]]'' ({{IPA|es|ˈkaʝo ˈweso}}) is the original Spanish name for the island of Key West. It literally means "bone cay", ''[[cay]]'' referring to a low island or reef. It is said that the island was littered with the remains (bones) of prior native inhabitants, who used the isle as a communal graveyard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fcit.usf.edu/Florida/docs/k/keys03.htm|title=Exploring Florida Documents: Key West: General History and Sketches|access-date=July 16, 2018}}</ref> This island was the westernmost Key with a reliable supply of water.<ref>Windhorn, Stan & Langley, Wright 1973. ''Yesterday's Key West''</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>

===Ownership claims===
In 1815, the [[List of colonial heads of Cuba|Spanish governor of Cuba]] in Havana [[deed]]ed the island of Key West to Juan Pablo Salas, an officer of the [[Spanish Navy|Royal Spanish Navy Artillery]] posted in [[Saint Augustine, Florida]]. After Florida was transferred to the United States in 1821, Salas was so eager to sell the island that he sold it twice&nbsp;– first for a sloop valued at $575 to a General [[John Geddes (politician)|John Geddes]], a former governor of [[South Carolina]], and then to a U.S. businessman John W. Simonton, during a meeting in a Havana café on January 19, 1822, for the equivalent of $2,000 in pesos in 1821. Geddes tried in vain to secure his rights to the property before Simonton who, with the aid of some influential friends in Washington, was able to gain clear title to the island. Simonton had wide-ranging business interests in [[Mobile, Alabama]]. He bought the island because a friend, John Whitehead, had drawn his attention to the opportunities presented by the island's strategic location. John Whitehead had been stranded in Key West after a [[shipwreck]] in 1819 and he had been impressed by the potential offered by the deep harbor of the island. The island was indeed considered the "[[Gibraltar]] of the West" because of its strategic location on the {{convert|90|mi|km|-1|adj=on}}–wide deep shipping lane, the [[Straits of Florida]], between the Atlantic Ocean and the [[Gulf of Mexico]].

On March 25, 1822, Lt. Commander [[Matthew C. Perry]] sailed the schooner {{USS|Shark|1821|6}} to Key West and planted the U.S. flag, claiming the Keys as United States property.<ref name="keyshistory">{{cite web|author=Jerry Wilkinson |url=http://www.keyshistory.org/keywest.html |title=History of Key West |publisher=Florida Keys History Museum |access-date=August 29, 2012}}</ref> No protests were made over the American claim on Key West, so the Florida Keys became the ''de facto'' property of the United States.

After claiming the Florida Keys for the United States, Perry renamed ''Cayo Hueso'' (Key West) to Thompson's Island for [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[Smith Thompson]], and the harbor Port Rodgers in honor of [[War of 1812]] hero and President of the Navy Supervisors Board [[John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)|John Rodgers]]. In 1823, [[Commodore (United States)|Commodore]] [[David Porter (naval officer)|David Porter]] of the [[United States Navy]] [[West Indies]] Anti-[[Pirate]] Squadron took charge of Key West, which he ruled as military dictator under [[martial law]]. The United States Navy gave Porter the mission of countering piracy and the slave trade in the Key West area.

[[File:key west 1856.jpg|thumb|center|upright=4|A panoramic view of Key West, {{Circa|1856}}]]

===First developers===
Soon after his purchase, John Simonton subdivided the island into plots and sold three undivided quarters of each plot to:
* John Mountain and U.S. Consul John Warner, who quickly resold their quarter to Pardon C. Greene, who took up residence on the island. Greene is the only one of the four "founding fathers" to establish himself permanently on the island, where he became quite prominent as head of P.C. Greene and Company. He was a member of the city council<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/docs/k/keys10.htm |title=Exploring Florida Documents: Key West: The Municipality |publisher=Florida Center for Instructional Technology |access-date=August 29, 2012}}</ref> and also served briefly as mayor. He died in 1838 at the age of 57.
* John Whitehead, his friend who had advised him to buy Key West.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title = Key West: The Old and the New|last = Browne|first = Jefferson B.|publisher = The Record Company Printers and Publishers|year = 1912|location = St. Augustine, FL|pages = 7|chapter = Chapter 1: General History and Random Sketches|chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/keywestoldnew00brow}}</ref> John Whitehead lived in Key West for only eight years. He became a partner in the firm of P.C. Greene and Company from 1824 to 1827. A lifelong bachelor, he left the island for good in 1832. He came back only once, during the [[Civil War (United States)|Civil War]] in 1861, and died the next year.
* John Fleeming (nowadays spelled Fleming).<ref name=":1" /> John W.C. Fleeming was English-born and was active in mercantile business in Mobile, Alabama, where he befriended John Simonton. Fleeming spent only a few months in Key West in 1822 and left for Massachusetts, where he married. He returned to Key West in 1832 with the intention of developing salt manufacturing on the island but died the same year at the age of 51.
[[File:Harper's_weekly_(1867)_(14803045913)_The_Cuban_Cable_(cropped).jpg|thumb|250x250px|An 1867 sketch titled of [[Fort Zachary Taylor]], originally published in ''[[Harper's Weekly]]''. ]] [[File:Key_West_Florida_Sponge_Wagon_1930s.jpg|thumb|A horse cart loaded with [[sponge]]s in Key West]]

Simonton spent the winter in Key West and the summer in Washington, where he lobbied hard for the development of the island and 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. He died in 1854.

The names of the four "founding fathers"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fabulous-florida-keys.com/history-of-key-west-florida.html|title=Loading|access-date=June 7, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20101024204020/http://www.fabulous-florida-keys.com/history-of-key-west-florida.html|archive-date=October 24, 2010|url-status=usurped}}</ref> of modern Key West were given to main arteries of the island when it was first platted in 1829 by William Adee Whitehead, John Whitehead's younger brother. That first plat and the names used remained mostly intact and are still in use today. Duval Street, the island's main street, is named after Florida's first territorial governor, [[William Pope Duval]], who served between 1822 and 1834 as the longest-serving governor in Florida's U.S. history.

William Whitehead became chief editorial writer for the ''Enquirer'', a local newspaper, in 1834. He preserved copies of his newspaper as well as copies from the ''Key West Gazette'', its predecessor. He later sent those copies to the Monroe County clerk for preservation, which gives us a view of life in Key West in the early days (1820–1840).

In the 1830s, Key West was the richest city per capita in the United States.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6LjWg4xHKVUC&q=richest+city+per+capita&pg=PA157 |title=Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State |date=1939 |access-date=December 2, 2018 |place=New York |author=Federal Writers' Project |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=199 |isbn=9781603540094}}</ref>

In 1846, the city suffered severely from the [[1846 Havana hurricane]].

In 1852, the first Catholic Church, St. Mary's Star-Of-The-Sea, was built. The year 1864 became a landmark for the church in South Florida when five [[Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary]] arrived from Montreal, Canada, and established the first Catholic school in South Florida. At the time it was called Convent of Mary Immaculate. The school is still operating today and is now known as Mary Immaculate Star of the Sea School.

===American Civil War and late 19th century===
During the [[American Civil War]], while Florida seceded and joined the [[Confederate States of America]], Key West remained in U.S. Union hands because of the naval base. Most locals were sympathetic to the Confederacy, however, and many flew Confederate flags over their homes.<ref name="ReferenceA">A Chronological History of Key West A Tropical Island City, Stephen Nichols, 3rd ed.</ref> However, Key West was also home to a large free black population. This population grew during the war as more enslaved black people fled from their enslavers and came under the relative safety of the Union garrison there.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Solomon |first1=Irvin D. |last2=Erhart |first2=Grace |date=1999 |title=Race and Civil War in South Florida |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30147583 |journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly |volume=77 |issue=3 |pages=320–341 |jstor=30147583 |issn=0015-4113}}</ref> [[Fort Zachary Taylor]], constructed from 1845 to 1866, was an important Key West outpost during the Civil War. Construction began in 1861 on two other forts, East and West Martello Towers, which served as side armories and batteries for the larger fort. When completed, they were connected to Fort Taylor by railroad tracks for movement of munitions.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Early in 1864, 900 men from the 2nd United States Colored Troops (USCT) arrived in Key West as replacements for the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Many of these men would see action in southern Florida and the 2nd USCT would become "one of the most active" black regiments in Florida.<ref>Solomon & Erhart (1999), 336</ref> [[Dry Tortugas National Park|Fort Jefferson]], located about {{convert|68|mi|km}} from Key West on Garden Key in the [[Dry Tortugas]], served after the Civil War as the prison for [[Samuel Mudd|Samuel A. Mudd]], convicted of [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] for setting the broken leg of [[John Wilkes Booth]], the assassin of President [[Abraham Lincoln]].

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"/>

During the [[Ten Years' War]] (an unsuccessful Cuban war for independence in the 1860s and 1870s), many [[Cubans]] sought refuge in Key West. Several cigar factories relocated to the city from Cuba, and Key West quickly became a major producer of cigars. The [[Great Fire of Key West]], on April 1, 1886, started at a coffee shop next to the [[San Carlos Institute]] and spread out of control, destroyed 18 cigar factories and 614 houses and government warehouses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marker Details – Key West Historic Markers Project |url=http://www.keywesthistoricmarkertour.org/marker/442 |access-date=November 25, 2018}}</ref> Some factory owners chose not to rebuild and instead moved their operations to the new community of [[Ybor City]] in [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], leading to a slow decline in the cigar industry in Key West. Still, Key West remained the largest and wealthiest city in Florida at the end of the 1880s.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

{{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.

===20th century===
In October 1909, Key West was severely impacted by the [[1909 Florida Keys hurricane]]. Additional damage occurred the following year as a result of the [[1910 Cuba hurricane]]. At the time, the city remained relatively isolated until 1912, when it was connected to the Florida mainland through the [[Overseas Railroad]], an extension of [[Henry Flagler|Henry M. Flagler]]'s [[Florida East Coast Railway]]. As part of the project, Flagler constructed a landfill at [[Trumbo Point]] for railway operations. In 1919, the Florida Keys experienced another destructive storm, causing significant damage in the area. On December 25, 1921, local resident [[Lynching of Manuel Cabeza|Manuel Cabeza was lynched]] by members of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] for living with a Black woman.{{sfn|Newton|2016|p=64}} In 1926, [[Pan Am|Pan American Airlines]] was founded in Key West, initially to transport passengers to [[Havana|Havana, Cuba]]. The following year, the airline began a contract with the [[United States Postal Service]] to carry mail between Cuba and the United States, operating the ''Key West, Florida – Havana Mail Route''.

In 1935, the [[1935 Labor Day hurricane|Labor Day Hurricane]] destroyed much of the Overseas Railway and caused substantial loss of life, including approximately 400 [[World War I]] veterans who had been working on federal infrastructure projects in the Middle Keys. The Florida East Coast Railway was unable to fund repairs, and the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]] later rebuilt the route as an automobile highway. Completed in 1938, this road was constructed atop sections of the former railway and became part of [[U.S. Route 1]], known as the [[Overseas Highway]]. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] visited the road in 1939. During [[World War II]], over 14,000 ships passed through the island's harbor. The local population increased significantly at times due to the presence of military personnel, laborers, and tourists.<ref>Gibson, A. H. (2012). American Gibraltar: Key West during World War II. The Florida Historical Quarterly, 90(4), 393–425. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23264714, pp. 396</ref> Beginning in 1946, President [[Harry S. Truman]] established a working vacation residence in Key West, known as the [[Harry S. Truman Little White House]], where he spent a total of 175 days during his presidency.
[[File:Irma_2017-09-10_1315Z.jpg|thumb|Hurricane Irma crosses over Key West in 2017]]
In 1948, Key West was affected by two hurricanes in quick succession—the [[September 1948 Florida hurricane]] and the [[1948 Miami hurricane]]. Prior to the [[Cuban Revolution]] of 1959, transportation between Key West and Havana included regular ferry and air services. During the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy frequently referenced Key West's proximity to Cuba in public speeches, and he visited the island shortly after the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]].

In 1982, the city briefly declared symbolic independence as the "[[Conch Republic]]" in response to a [[United States Border Patrol]] blockade at the junction of U.S. Route 1 and the mainland in [[Florida City, Florida|Florida City]]. The resulting traffic delays significantly disrupted tourism. The protest, while symbolic, remains a part of local culture, and the Conch Republic Independence Celebration is held annually on April 23.

In 1998, [[Hurricane Georges]] damaged the city.

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

==Geography==
{{Geographic location
 | Centre    = Key West
 | North     = [[Gulf of Mexico]], [[Fleming Key]], [[Sigsbee Park]]
 | Northeast = [[Stock Island, Florida|North Stock Island]], [[Key Haven]]
 | East      = [[Stock Island, Florida|Stock Island]], [[Cow Key]]
 | Southeast = Atlantic Ocean
 | South     = Atlantic Ocean
 | Southwest = [[Gulf of Mexico]], Sand Key
 | West      = [[Gulf of Mexico]], [[Marquesas Keys]]
 | Northwest = [[Sunset Key]], [[Wisteria Island]]
}}

Key West is an island located at {{Coord|24.565176|N|81.775794|W|type:city_dim:100000_region:US|display=inline|format=dms}}<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |date=n.d. |access-date=February 16, 2020 |title=2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files – Places National |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623122411/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=June 23, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> in the [[Straits of Florida]]. The island is about {{convert|4|mi|km|0}} long and {{convert|1|mi|km|0}} wide, with a total land area of {{convert|4.2|sqmi|km2 acre|1}}.<ref name=IslandStats/> The average elevation above sea level is about {{convert|8|ft|m|1}} and the maximum elevation is about {{convert|18|ft|m|1}}, within a {{convert|1|acre|ha|0|adj=on|abbr=off}} area known as [[Solares Hill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/staff.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060916191118/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/staff.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 16, 2006 |title= About NWS Key West |website=National Weather Service Forecast Office – WFO Key West, Florida |access-date=July 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=16831 |website=Peakbagger.com |title=Solares Hill |access-date=July 16, 2018}}</ref>

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]].

Key West and most of the rest of the Florida Keys are on the dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. The two bodies have different currents, with the calmer and warmer Gulf of Mexico being characterized by great clumps of [[seagrass]]. The shallow passage known as [[Hawk Channel]] lies directly south of the island and is conducive to the exchange of Gulf waters to the Atlantic via tidal currents.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ogden |first=John C. |title=Everglades: The Ecosystem and Its Restoration |date=1994 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |publication-date=1994 |pages=125 |language=en}}</ref> The area where the two bodies merge between Key West and Cuba is called the Straits of Florida. The warmest ocean waters anywhere on the United States mainland are found in the Florida Keys in winter, with sea surface temperatures averaging in the {{convert|75|-|77|F|C}} range in December through February.

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.

Key West is closer to [[Havana]] (about {{convert|106|mi|km|disp=or|sp=us}} by air or sea)<ref name=AcmeMapper/> than it is to Miami ({{convert|130|mi|km|disp=or|sp=us}} by air or {{convert|165|mi|km|disp=or|sp=us}} by road).<ref name=chkdist>{{Cite web|url=https://check-distance.com/route/miami-fl/key-west-fl|title=Distance from Miami, FL to Key West, FL|language=en|access-date=February 14, 2019}}</ref> Key West is the usual endpoint for [[Marathon swimming|marathon swims]] from Cuba, including [[Diana Nyad]]'s 2013 swim<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/115501-first-person-to-swim-from-cuba-to-florida-without-a-shark-cage-or-fins |title=First person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage or fins |work=[[Guinness World Records]] |access-date=March 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = Diana Nyad defends Cuba-to-Florida swim as skeptics question use of gear|url = https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/sep/11/diana-nyad-defends-swim-from-skeptics|newspaper = The Guardian|date = September 11, 2013|access-date = January 28, 2016|issn = 0261-3077|language = en-GB|agency = Associated Press}}</ref> and [[Susie Maroney]]'s 1997 swim from within a shark cage.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |date=September 1, 2013 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/01/world/americas/diana-nyad-cuba-florida-swim/index.html |title=Diana Nyad's Cuba to Florida swim breaks one record |work=Cable News Network |access-date=March 23, 2018}}</ref>

===Notable places===
====Old Town====
{{stack|[[File:Key West 2008 (2338775214) b.jpg|thumb|St. Paul's Episcopal Church]]}}
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.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Many of the structures in Old Town date from 1886 to 1912. The basic features that distinguish the local architecture include wood-frame construction of one- to two-and-a-half-story structures set on foundation piers about {{convert|3|ft|m|0|spell=on|abbr=off|sp=us}} above the ground. Exterior characteristics of the buildings are peaked metal roofs, horizontal wood siding, [[gingerbread trim]], pastel shades of paint, side-hinged louvered shutters, covered porches (or balconies, galleries, or verandas) along the fronts of the structures, and wood lattice screens covering the area elevated by the piers.{{citation needed|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 = January 5, 2016|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 = January 5, 2016|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=January 5, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212060214/http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/history.html |archive-date=December 12, 2015 }}</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 = January 5, 2016}}</ref> and the [[West Martello Tower]],<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tower History|url = http://www.keywestgardenclub.com/Tower_History.html|access-date = January 5, 2016|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 = January 5, 2016}}</ref>

Two of the most notable buildings in [[Old Town (Key West)|Old Town]], occupied by prominent 20th-century residents, are the [[Ernest Hemingway House]], where the writer lived from 1931 to 1939, and the [[Harry S. Truman Little White House]], where the president spent 175 days of his time in office.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Museum History {{!}} Truman Little White House|url = http://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/history-little-white-house-museum.htm|access-date = January 5, 2016}}</ref> Additionally, the residences of some historical Key West families are recognized on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as important landmarks of history and culture, including the [[Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House|Porter House]] on [[Caroline Street (Key West)|Caroline Street]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/73000588 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House |work=Npgallery.nps.gov |author=[[National Park Service]] |date=June 4, 1973 |accessdate=June 22, 2018 }}</ref> and the [[Eduardo H. Gato House|Gato House]] on Virginia Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/73000586 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for Eduardo H. Gato House |work=Npgallery.nps.gov |author=[[National Park Service]] |date=April 11, 1973 |accessdate=June 22, 2018 }}</ref>

Several historical residences of the Curry family remain extant, including the Benjamin Curry House, built by the brother of Florida's first millionaire, William Curry,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.keywesthistoricmarkertour.org/marker/449 |title=Marker Details – Key West Historic Markers Project |access-date=March 6, 2024}}</ref> as well as the [[Southernmost House]] and the [[Fogarty Mansion (Fogarty House)|Fogarty Mansion]], built by the children of William Curry—his daughter Florida and son Charles, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.keywesthistoricmarkertour.org/marker/38 |title=Marker Details – Key West Historic Markers Project |access-date=March 6, 2024}}</ref>

{{stack|[[File:Keywestcemetery.jpg|thumb|[[Key West Cemetery]] near [[Solares Hill]], the highest point of land on the island.]]}}
In addition to architecture, [[Old Town (Key West)|Old Town]] includes the [[Key West Cemetery]], founded in 1847,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.keywesttravelguide.com/key-west-cemetery/ |title=Key West Cemetery |work=Keywesttravelguide.com |author=Key West Travel Guide, LLC |accessdate=March 23, 2018 }}</ref> containing above-ground tombs, notable epitaphs, and a plot where some of the dead from the 1898 explosion of {{USS|Maine|ACR-1|6}} are buried.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.keywesttravelguide.com/key-west-cemetery-map-self-guided-tour/ |title=Key West Cemetery Map & Self-Guided Tour |work=Keywesttravelguide.com |author=Key West Travel Guide, LLC |accessdate=March 23, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=US Army Quartermaster |year=1913 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IikSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA511 |title=US Army Quartermaster Report of 1912 |page=511 |publisher=US War Department |access-date=March 23, 2018 }}</ref>

====Casa Marina====
The Casa Marina area takes its name from the Casa Marina Hotel, opened in 1921,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Resorts – Waldorf Astoria Casa Marina Hotel – FL|url = http://www.casamarinaresort.com|access-date = January 5, 2016}}</ref> the neighborhood's most conspicuous landmark. The Reynolds Street Pier, Higgs Beach,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Monroe County, FL – Official Website – Higgs Beach|url = http://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/index.aspx?NID=235|access-date = January 5, 2016}}</ref> the [[West Martello Tower]], the White Street Pier, and Rest Beach line the waterfront.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

====Southernmost point in the United States====
{{See also|List of extreme points of the United States}}
[[File:Southernmost point key west.jpg|thumb|Southernmost point monument in Key West]]
One of the most popular attractions on the island is a concrete replica of a [[buoy]] at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets that claims to be the [[Southernmost point buoy|southernmost point]] in the [[contiguous United States]]. The point was originally marked with a basic sign. The city of Key West erected the current monument in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vacasa.com/usa/Florida/Key-West/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202160106/http://www.vacationrentalskeywest.com/keywesthistory.htm|url-status=dead|title=Key West Vacation Rentals, House Rentals {{pipe}} Professionally Cleaned|archivedate=December 2, 2008}}</ref> The monument was repainted after damage by [[Hurricane Irma]] in 2017, and is the most often photographed tourist site in the Florida Keys.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wlrn.org/post/southernmost-point-buoy-key-west-shines-again|title=Southernmost Point Buoy In Key West Shines Again|last=O'Brien|first=Bridget|access-date=December 2, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

Although the monument is labeled "Southernmost point continental U.S.A.", the actual southernmost point of Key West is Whitehead Spit, which is on the [[Truman Annex]] property just west of the buoy. The spit has no marker since it is on [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] land that cannot be entered by civilian tourists. The private property directly to the east of the buoy, and the beach areas of Truman Annex and [[Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park]], also lie farther south than the buoy. The southernmost point of the contiguous United States is [[Ballast Key]], a privately owned island just south and west of Key West. The southernmost location that the public can visit is the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor park.

The monument states "90 Miles to [[Cuba]]", although Key West and Cuba are actually about {{convert|95|smi|km nmi|abbr=off|sp=us}} apart at their closest points.<ref name=AcmeMapper/><ref name=NHS/> Note that the distance from the monument to [[Havana]] is, however, about {{convert|90|nmi|smi km|0|sp=us|abbr=off}}.<ref name=AcmeMapper/>

====Key West Library====
The first public library was officially established in 1853, which was housed in the then-Masonic Temple on Simonston Street, near where the federal courthouse is today. At the time, the first library president was James Lock, with the librarian being William Delaney. At the time, the library collected held 1,200 volumes for residents to access.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

In 1919, a hurricane destroyed the library. Key West residents moved the library to various locations across the island. The county took over and finally found a permanent location. The library's new location was found in 1959. It was built on Fleming Street, where it is still found today.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

====="Spoonbill"=====
In 1961, the Monroe County Library System sponsored a bookmobile, "Spoonbill", to service the entire Keys.<ref name="LitRolls">{{Cite web|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/115932306|title = Literature Rolls into Florida Keys| id={{ProQuest|115932306}} }}</ref> By 1962, "Spoonbill" was making stops in ten different Keys, over {{convert|100|mi|spell=in}}, from Key Largo in the North to Key West in the South.<ref name="LitRolls"/> Mrs. Barbara Banning was the driver-librarian, driving over {{convert|25000|mi}} in the first year and a half, circulating more than 28,000 titles.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

On Mondays, the "Spoonbill" would be loaded with books in Key West and Banning and her assistant, or volunteer, would drive up to Key Largo, Tavernier, and Islamorada, stopping for an hour in each location; Wednesdays the "Spoonbill" made stops in Marathon, Big Pine, Little Torch, and Summerland.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

On Thursdays, the "Spoonbill" would only travel {{convert|20|mi|spell=in}} from home base, making stops in Bay Point, Big Coppitt, and Gulf Rest. At Bay Point there was a popular children's story hour, servicing roughly three hundred school-age children and led by former kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Ernest Hense.<ref name="LitRolls"/>

=====Collection=====
The [[Key West Library]] has a collection of 70,000 items, including a letter from singer-songwriter [[Jimmy Buffett]]. Dated from October 22, 1984, the letter expresses gratitude for the library in giving inspiration for the songs he would eventually write, and for the [[air conditioning]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=O'Hara|first=Timothy|title=Key West Library All Set to Turn 60|work=Key West Citizen}}</ref> As of 2022, the Key West Library is a part of the [[Monroe County Public Library (Florida Keys)|Monroe County Public Library System]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys |url=https://keyslibraries.org/about/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403052204/https://keyslibraries.org/about/ |archive-date=April 3, 2023}}</ref>

===Notable residences===
====Little White House====
{{Main|Harry S. Truman Little White House}}
[[File:Key West FL HD Little White House04.jpg|thumb|The [[Harry S. Truman Little White House|Little White House]]]]
Several U.S. presidents have visited Key West with the first being [[Ulysses S. Grant]] in 1880, followed by [[Grover Cleveland]] in 1889, and [[William Howard Taft]] in 1912.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.wlrn.org/post/power-magnet-key-wests-long-history-presidential-visits|title=Power Magnet: Key West's Long History Of Presidential Visits|last=Klingener|first=Nancy|date=April 18, 2018|access-date=December 2, 2018|language=en}}</ref> Taft was the first president to use the first officer's quarters that would later be known as the Little White House.<ref name=tlwh>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/history-little-white-house-museum.htm|title=Truman Little White House {{!}} Key West Museum History|access-date=December 2, 2018}}</ref> [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] visited the Florida Keys many times, beginning in 1917.<ref name=":0" />

[[Harry S. Truman]] visited Key West for a total of 175 days on 11 visits during his presidency and visited five times after he left office. His first visit was in 1946.<ref name=tlwh2>{{Cite web |url=https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/former-president-truman-visits.htm |title=Truman Little White House {{!}} Truman Key West visits |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203055525/https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/former-president-truman-visits.htm |archive-date=December 3, 2018 |work=Truman Little White House. |access-date=December 2, 2018}}</ref> The [[Harry S. Truman Little White House|Little White House]] and [[Truman Annex]] take their names from his frequent and well-documented visits. The residence is also known as the Winter White House as Truman stayed there mostly in the winter months, and used it for official business such as the [[Truman Doctrine]].<ref name=tlwh3>{{Cite web |url=https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/florida-white-house-media.htm |title=Truman Little White House {{!}} Media center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927162913/https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/florida-white-house-media.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2018 |work=Truman Little White House |access-date=December 2, 2018}}</ref>

[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] stayed at the Little White House following a heart attack in 1955.<ref name=":0" /> [[John F. Kennedy]] visited Key West in March 1961, and in November 1962, a month after the resolution of the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]. [[Jimmy Carter]] visited the Little White House twice with his family after he had left office, in 1996 and 2007.<ref name=tlwh2/>

====Ernest Hemingway house====
{{Main|Ernest Hemingway House}} [[File:Hemingway House Key West FL1.jpg|thumb|The [[Ernest Hemingway House]]]]
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>

Hardware store owner Charles Thompson introduced him to deep-sea fishing. Among the group who went fishing was Joe Russell (also known as [[Sloppy Joe's|Sloppy Joe]]). Some scholars believe Russell was the model for Freddy in ''[[To Have and Have Not]]''.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://sloppyjoes.com/history/|title=Sloppy Joe's...Yesterday|date=June 27, 2012|access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> The group had nicknames for each other, and Hemingway wound up with "Papa".

Pauline's rich uncle Gus Pfeiffer bought the [[Ernest Hemingway House|907 Whitehead Street house]]<ref>{{Google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=907+Whitehead+Street,+Key+West,+Fl&ll=24.551105,-81.800466&spn=0.026076,0.05197&om=1 |title=907 Whitehead Street, Key West, Fl |access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> in 1931 as a wedding present. The Hemingways installed a swimming pool for $20,000 in 1937–38 (equivalent to about ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|20000|1938|{{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}). The unexpectedly high cost prompted Hemingway to put a [[penny]] in the wet cement of the patio, saying, "Here, take the last penny I've got!" The penny is at the north end of the pool.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hemingwayhome.com/his-life |title=Hemingway – The Legend |work=hemingwayhome.com |access-date=December 2, 2018}}</ref>

During his stay he wrote or worked on ''[[Death in the Afternoon]]'', ''[[For Whom the Bell Tolls]]'', ''[[The Snows of Kilimanjaro (story)|The Snows of Kilimanjaro]]'', and ''[[The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber]]''. He used Depression-era Key West as one of the locations in ''[[To Have and Have Not]]''—his only novel with scenes that occur in the United States.

[[File:Polydactylcat.jpg|thumb|A [[polydactyl cat]] with seven toes at Hemingway's house]]
The six- or seven-toed [[Polydactyl cat|polydactyl]] cats descended from Hemingway's original pet "Snowball" still live on the grounds and are cared for at the Hemingway House, despite complaints by the [[U.S. Department of Agriculture]] that they are not kept free from visitor contact. The Key West City Commission has exempted the house from a law prohibiting more than four domestic animals per household.

Pauline and Hemingway divorced in 1939; Hemingway only occasionally visited when returning from Havana until his suicide in 1961.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

====Tennessee Williams house====
[[Tennessee Williams]] first became a regular visitor to Key West in 1941 and is said to have written the first draft of ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (play)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]'' while staying in 1947 at the La Concha Hotel. He bought a permanent house in 1949 and listed Key West as his primary residence until his death in 1983. In contrast to Hemingway's grand house in Old Town, the Williams home at 1431 Duncan Street<ref>{{google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=1431+Duncan+Street,+Key+West,+Fl&ll=24.555906,-81.786261&spn=0.026075,0.05197&om=1 |title=1431 Duncan Street, Key West, Fl |access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> in the "unfashionable" New Town neighborhood is a very modest bungalow. The house is privately owned and not open to the public. The Academy Award-winning film version of his play ''[[The Rose Tattoo]]'' was shot on the island in 1956. The Tennessee Williams Theatre is located on the campus of Florida Keys Community College on Stock Island.<ref>{{Google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=5901+College+Road,+Key+West,+Fl&ll=24.577217,-81.746521&spn=0.02607,0.05197&om=1 |title=5901 College Road, Key West, Fl |access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref>

Though Hemingway and Williams lived in Key West at the same time, they reportedly met only once—at Hemingway's home in Cuba, [[Finca Vigía]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/jun/09/cuba.humanities|title=Our men in Havana|last=Dundy|first=Elaine|date=June 9, 2001|work=The Guardian|access-date=June 24, 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

===Port of Key West===
{{main|Port of Key West}}
[[File:Carnival Dream Key West 2022.jpg|alt=A cruise ship docked at Pier B in Key West|thumb|A cruise ship docked at Pier B in Key West]]
The first [[cruise ship]] to adopt the port was the ''[[Norwegian Cruise Line|Sunward]]'' in 1969. It docked at Pier B, which was owned at that time by the U.S. Navy.

In 1984, the city opened a cruise terminal at [[Mallory Square]]. The decision was met with opponents who claimed that it would disrupt the tradition of watching the sunset at Mallory Square.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Nicholas |first=Stephen |title=A Chronological History of Key West: A Tropical Island City |publisher=Key West Images of the Past, Inc |year=1989 |asin=B00071OYLI}}</ref>

Today, the Port of Key West includes Key West Bight, Garrison Bight at City Marina, as well as three docks that could be used by cruise ships.<ref name=":02" />

==Climate==
[[File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Key West Area, FL(ThreadEx).svg|thumb|right|Climate chart for Key West]]
Key West has a [[tropical savanna climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''[[Tropical savanna climate|Aw]]'', similar to many of the [[Caribbean]] [[islands]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.johnabbott.qc.ca/webpages/departments/geoscience/intro/Koppen/KoppenMap.htm|title=Koppen climate map|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706200651/http://www2.johnabbott.qc.ca/webpages/departments/geoscience/intro/Koppen/KoppenMap.htm|archive-date=July 6, 2011}}</ref> Like most localities near the edge of the tropics, Key West has a relatively short range in monthly mean temperatures between the coldest month (January) and the hottest month (July), with the annual range of monthly mean temperatures around {{convert|15|F-change|1}}. The lowest recorded temperature in Key West is {{convert|41|°F}} on January 12, 1886, and January 13, 1981. Key West is located in USDA plant [[hardiness zone]] 12a, with an annual mean minimum temperature of {{convert|50|°F}}.

Prevailing easterly [[trade winds]] and sea breezes suppress the usual summertime heating (while increasing the winter rainfall), with temperatures rarely reaching {{convert|95|°F|0}}. There are 56 days per year with {{convert|90|°F|0}} or greater highs,<ref name = NOAA /> with the average window for such readings June 8 through September 24, shorter than almost the entire [[Southeastern United States|southeastern U.S.]] Low temperatures often remain above {{convert|80|°F|0}}, however. The all-time record high temperature is {{convert|97|°F|0}} on July 19, 1880, and August 29, 1956.<ref name = NOAA/>

===Wet and dry seasons===
[[File:key road.jpeg|thumb|Palm trees along a street in the [[Truman Annex]]]]
Like most [[tropical climate]]s, Key West has a two-season wet and dry climate. The period from November through April is normally sunny and fairly dry, with only 25 percent of the annual rainfall occurring. May through October is normally the [[wet season]]. During the wet season some rain falls on most days, often as brief, but heavy tropical downpours, followed by intense sun. Early morning is the favored time for these showers, which is different from mainland Florida, where showers and thunderstorms usually occur in the afternoon.

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>{{Citation| last1 =Gutelius| first1 =Scott| last2 =Stone| first2 =Marshall |last3=Varner |first3=Marcus| title =True Secrets of Key West Revealed! | place=Key West| publisher =Eden Entertainment Limited| year =2003| isbn =978-0-9672819-4-0}}</ref>

===Hurricanes===
[[File:Flood102405.JPG|thumb|Flooding caused by [[Hurricane Wilma]] on [[Key Haven]], island suburb of the City of Key West on [[Raccoon Key]] (October 24, 2005)]]
Key West, like the rest of the Florida Keys, is vulnerable to [[hurricanes]]. The most recent hurricane to impact Key West was [[Hurricane Irma]], which made landfall in the Keys in the morning of September 10, 2017, as a Category 4 storm.

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.

In September 2005, [[NOAA]] opened its National Weather Service forecast office building on White Street. The building is designed to withstand a [[Saffir–Simpson scale|Category 5 hurricane]] and its storm surge.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

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.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

{{Key West weatherbox}}

{|style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:1.2em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|-
!Colspan=14|Climate data for Key West
|-
!Month
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
!style="border-left-width:medium"|Year
|-
!Average sea temperature °F (°C)
|style="background:#FFA000;color:#000000;"|71.2 <br />(21.8)
|style="background:#FFA000;color:#000000;"|71.2 <br />(21.8)
|style="background:#FF8B00;color:#000000;"|73.2 <br />(22.9)
|style="background:#FF5A00;color:#000000;"|77.7 <br />(25.4)
|style="background:#FF3A00;color:#FFFFFF;"|80.6 <br />(27.0)
|style="background:#FF1D00;color:#FFFFFF;"|83.3 <br />(28.5)
|style="background:#FF0500;color:#FFFFFF;"|85.5 <br />(29.7)
|style="background:#FA0000;color:#FFFFFF;"|86.9 <br />(30.5)
|style="background:#FF0500;color:#FFFFFF;"|85.5 <br />(29.7)
|style="background:#FF2300;color:#FFFFFF;"|82.8 <br />(28.2)
|style="background:#FF5200;color:#000000;"|78.4 <br />(25.8)
|style="background:#FF7D00;color:#000000;"|74.5 <br />(23.6)
|style="background:#FF4900;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|79.2 <br />(26.2)
|-
!Mean daily daylight hours
|style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;"|11.0
|style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;"|11.0
|style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;"|12.0
|style="background:#FFFF44;color:#000000;"|13.0
|style="background:#FFFF44;color:#000000;"|13.0
|style="background:#FFFF55;color:#000000;"|14.0
|style="background:#FFFF44;color:#000000;"|13.0
|style="background:#FFFF44;color:#000000;"|13.0
|style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;"|12.0
|style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;"|12.0
|style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;"|11.0
|style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;"|11.0
|style="background:#FFFF35;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|12.2
|-
!Average [[Ultraviolet index]]
|style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;"|6
|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;"|8
|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;"|10
|style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;"|11
|style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;"|11
|style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;"|11
|style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;"|11
|style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;"|11
|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;"|10
|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;"|9
|style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;"|7
|style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;"|6
|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|9.3
|-
!Colspan=14 style="background:#f8f9fa;font-weight:normal;font-size:95%;"|Source: Weather Atlas<ref name="Weather Atlas">{{cite web |url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/florida-usa/key-west-climate |title=Key West, Florida, USA – Monthly weather forecast and Climate data |publisher=Weather Atlas |access-date=February 4, 2019 }}</ref>
|}

{{Graph:Weather monthly history
| table=Ncei.noaa.gov/weather/Key West.tab
| title=Key West monthly weather statistics
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1840= 688
|1850= 2367
|1860= 2832
|1870= 5016
|1880= 9890
|1890= 18080
|1900= 17114
|1910= 19945
|1920= 18749
|1930= 12831
|1940= 12927
|1950= 26433
|1960= 33956
|1970= 29312
|1980= 24382
|1990= 24832
|2000= 25478
|2010= 24649
|2020= 26444
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 and 2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Key West racial composition''' <br>(Hispanics excluded from racial categories) <br>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')
!Race
!Pop 2010<ref>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Key West city, Florida|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Key+West+city;+Florida+&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Key West city, Florida|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Key+West+city;+Florida+&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|16,286
|16,160
|66.07%
|61.11%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] (NH)
|2,215
|2,562
|8.99%
|9.69%
|-
|Native American or [[Alaska Native]] (NH)
|84
|59
|0.34%
|0.22%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] (NH)
|386
|609
|1.57%
|2.30%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] or [[Native Hawaiian]] (NH)
|34
|35
|0.14%
|0.13%
|-
|[[Other races (U.S. Census)|Some other race]] (NH)
|44
|186
|0.18%
|0.70%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races/Multiracial]] (NH)
|372
|904
|1.51%
|3.42%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|5,228
|5,929
|21.21%
|22.42%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''24,649'''
|'''26,444'''
|
|
|-
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 26,444 people, 10,788 households, and 5,701 families residing in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|title=S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES – 2020: Key West city, Florida|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Key+West+city;+Florida+&tid=ACSST5Y2020.S1101|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

As of the [[2010 United States census]], there were 24,649 people, 9,388 households, and 4,813 families residing in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|title=S1101 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES – 2010: Key West city, Florida|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Key+West+city;+Florida+&tid=ACSST5Y2010.S1101|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

{{bar box
|title = Ancestry in Key West (2014–2018) <ref>U.S. Census Bureau (2014–2018). People Reporting Ancestry American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Retrieved from https://censusreporter.org</ref><ref>U.S. Census Bureau (2014–2018). Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Retrieved from https://censusreporter.org</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd |left1=Ancestral origin: |right1=Percent: |float=center
|bars =
{{bar percent|[[English American]] (including "American" ancestry)|dodgerblue|14}}
{{bar percent|[[Cuban American]]|lightblue|12.7}}
{{bar percent|[[German American]]|black|10.1}}
{{bar percent|Irish American|purple|7.9}}
{{bar percent|Italian American|darkred|6.2}}
{{bar percent|[[West Indian Americans]] (excluding [[Hispanic American|Hispanic]] groups)|lightgreen|5.7}}
{{bar percent|African American|yellow|4.8}}
{{bar percent|[[Mexican American]]|orange|4.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Central American]]|green|4}}
{{bar percent|[[Polish American]]|pink|3.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Scottish American]] (including [[Scots-Irish American|Scots-Irish]])|lightred|2.8}}
{{bar percent|[[Scandinavian Americans]] (including [[Icelandic American|Iceland]], [[Finnish American|Finland]], and [[Baltic Americans (disambiguation)|Baltic States]])|blue|2.8}}
{{bar percent|[[Puerto Rican American]]|white|2.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Ethnic groups in Europe|Central European]] (including [[Slavs|Slavic]], [[Slovak American|Slovakian]], [[Slovenian American|Slovenian]], [[Czech American|Czech]], etc.)|darkgreen|2.3}}}}
{{Clear}}

===2000 census===
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,478 people, 11,016 households, and 5,463 families residing in the city.  The population density is 1,653.3/km<sup>2</sup> (4,285.0/mi<sup>2</sup>). There are 13,306 housing units at an average density of 863.4/km<sup>2</sup> (2,237.9/mi<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the city was 84.94% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 9.28% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]], 0.39% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.29% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.05% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.86% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. 16.54% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.

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, 16.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.4% was from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 122.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.0 males.

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 ancestries most reported in 2000 were English (12.4%), German (12.2%), Irish (11.3%), Italian (6.8%), American (6.0%) and French (3.6%).

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>

As of 2000, 76.66% spoke only English at home, while Spanish was spoken by 17.32%, 1.06% spoke Italian, 1.02% spoke French, and German was spoken as a by 0.94% of the population. In total, speakers of other languages spoken besides English made up 25.33% of residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=12&county_id=&mode=place&zip=&place_id=36550&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r|title=Data Center Results|access-date=July 16, 2018}}</ref>

=== "Conchs" ===
{{main|Conch (people)}}
{{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 early residents of Key West were immigrants from the [[Bahamas]], known as [[Conch (people)|Conchs]] (pronounced "conks"'), who arrived in increasing numbers after 1830. Many were sons and daughters of Loyalists who fled to the nearest Crown soil during the [[American Revolution]].<ref>Windhorn, Stan & Langley, Wright ''Yesterday's Key West'' p.13</ref>  In the 20th century many residents of Key West started referring to themselves as ''Conchs'', and the term is now generally applied to all residents of Key West. Some residents use the term "Conch" (or, alternatively, "Saltwater Conch") to refer to a person born in Key West, while the term "Freshwater Conch" refers to a resident not born in Key West but who has lived in Key West for seven years or more.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_19990124/ai_n10499943 |title=The key to restoring conchs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311212707/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_19990124/ai_n10499943 |archive-date=March 11, 2007 |access-date=September 21, 2006}}</ref> The true original meaning of ''Conch'' applies only to someone with European ancestry who immigrated from the Bahamas, however. It is said that when a baby was born, the family would put a conch shell on a pole in front of their home.

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

===Cuban presence===
[[File:Cuban mix.jpg|thumb|A typical [[Cuban sandwich]] available in many cafés and restaurants in Key West]]
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 name="keyshistory"/> 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://amigospais-guaracabuya.org/oaghe007.php|title=DOS EXILIOS|website=amigospais-guaracabuya.org}}</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"/>

Key West received a large number of refugees during the [[Mariel Boatlift]]. Refugees continue to come ashore and, on at least one occasion, most notably in April 2003, flew hijacked Cuban Airlines planes into the city's airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.keysso.net/community_news/April_2003/April_2003.htm|title=April 2003|access-date=September 11, 2007|archive-date=September 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930231518/http://www.keysso.net/community_news/April_2003/April_2003.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
Key West is governed via a [[Mayor–council government|mayor-council]] system. The city council is known as the city commission. It consists of six members each elected from individual districts. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote.

===Mayors===
{{main|List of mayors of Key West}}
Mayors of Key West have reflected the city's cultural and ethnic heritage. It has had mayors of Cuban ancestry and others that were [[Coming out|openly gay]]. One mayor is famous for having water-skied to Cuba.<ref name="news.google.com">{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19780912&id=6cNaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6752,3027211|title=Key West mayor water skis to Cuba|date=September 12, 1978|work=St. Petersburg Times|page=11B}}</ref>

==Military presence==
[[File:Fortzacharytaylor.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park|Fort Zachary Taylor]] in Key West, active during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], contains the largest collection of Civil War [[cannon]]s ever discovered at a single location.|left]] [[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/|title=Naval Air Station Key West|website=Naval Air Station Key West|access-date=November 3, 2021}}</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=November 3, 2021}}</ref>

Key West has had a military presence since 1823, shortly after its purchase by Simonton in 1822. John W. Simonton lobbied the U.S. government to establish a naval base on Key West, both to take advantage of its strategic location and to bring law and order to the Key West town. On March 25, 1822, naval officer [[Matthew C. Perry]] sailed the [[USS Shark (1821)|schooner Shark]] to Key West and planted the U.S. flag claiming the Keys as United States property. In 1823, a naval base was established to protect shipping merchants in the lower keys from pirates that would eventually evolve through the Civil War, the Spanish American War, two world wars, and the Cold War as [[Naval Station Key West]], eventually home to the [[Fleet Sonar School]], Marine Barracks Key West, [[Submarine Squadron 4]], Submarine Squadron 12, Destroyer Squadron 12, and various diesel-powered submarines and surface ships. NAVSTA Key West was closed in 1974 as part of post-Vietnam War force reductions across the Department of Defense. A portion of the original NAVSTA Key West still remains under Navy control as Naval Air Station Key West-[[Truman Annex]] while a portion containing [[Fort Zachary Taylor]] was conveyed to the State of Florida as Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. The Truman Little White House has also been preserved as a museum based on its history as a part-time residence of President Harry S. Truman during his presidency. The remainder of the original base was conveyed to civilian control for redevelopment and now comprises The Key West Amphitheater, Truman Waterfront Park, residential redevelopment consisting of both homes and condominiums, and a portion of [[Mallory Square]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.keywesthistoricmarkertour.org/marker/465|title=KWHMT|website=www.keywesthistoricmarkertour.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/military-history|title=Military History of Key West|website=Truman Little White House}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00005067/00001/1j|title=UF Digital Collections|website=ufdc.ufl.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tendertale.com/ttd/ttd15/ttd15.html|title=Tender Tale - Sub Bases -> New Guinea / South West Pacific|website=www.tendertale.com}}</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.

===Naval Air Station Key West===
[[File:Steven W. Groves.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|{{USS|Stephen W. Groves|FFG-29}} as seen at sunset in Key West on July 22, 2007. This ship is typical of the frigates, destroyers, and smaller military vessels that call at the port. Larger ships, such as aircraft carriers, are prohibited because of their deep draft and the shallowness of the harbor.]]
At the beginning of [[World War II]] the Navy increased its presence from {{convert|50|to|3000|acre|ha|abbr=off}}, including all of [[Boca Chica Key]]'s {{convert|1700|acre|ha}} and the construction of [[Fleming Key]] from landfill. The Navy built the first water pipeline extending the length of the Keys, bringing fresh water from the mainland to supply its bases.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/papers/keys_geohydro/|title=SOFIA – Paper – Geology and Hydrogeology of the Florida Keys|first=Tracy J.|last=Enright|access-date=July 16, 2018|archive-date=September 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921101036/http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/papers/keys_geohydro/|url-status=dead}}</ref> At its peak 15,000 military personnel and 3,400 civilians were at the base. Included in the base are:
* '''[[Naval Air Station Key West]]''' – This is the main facility on Boca Chica. The air station's primary purpose is readiness training for carrier-based strike fighter, electronic attack and carrier airborne early warning squadrons of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and U.S. Pacific Fleet, primarily via the Fleet Fighter Aircrew Readiness Program (FFARP), honing the skills of [[Naval Aviator]]s and [[Naval Flight Officer]]s in air combat training prior to overseas deployment. An additional squadron permanently based at NAS Key West, Fighter Composite Squadron 111 ([[VFC-111]]), is composed of both active duty and Navy Reserve pilots who fly [[F-5 Tiger II]] aircraft as simulated enemy aggressors in Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) for Fleet aircrews, primarily using the offshore Key West Tactical Air Crew Training System (TACTS) Range. Permanent party officer and enlisted personnel assigned to NAS Key West are primarily housed at the Navy's Sigsbee Park housing area eight miles to the west or in private housing on the local economy. In 2006 there were 1,650 active duty personnel; 2,507 family members; 35 Reserve members; and 1,312 civilians listed at the base. In the 1990s the Navy worked out an agreement with the [[National Park Service]] to eliminate [[sonic booms]] in the vicinity of [[Fort Jefferson, Florida|Fort Jefferson]] in the [[Dry Tortugas]]. Many of the training missions are directed at the ''Marquesas "Patricia" Target'' {{convert|29|nmi|km}} due west of the base. The target is a grounded ship hulk {{convert|306|ft|m}} in length that is visible only at low tide. Bombs are not actually dropped on the target.
* '''Truman Annex''' – The area next to Fort Taylor became a submarine pen and was used for the Fleet Sonar School. President Harry S. Truman was to make the commandant's house his winter White House. The Fort Taylor Annex was later renamed the [[Truman Annex]]. This portion has largely been decommissioned, with [[Fort Zachary Taylor]] conveyed to the State of Florida as a state park and the remainder turned over to private developers and the city of Key West. There are still a few military and U.S. government offices and facilities there, including the new NOAA Hurricane Forecasting Center and the military headquarters for [[Joint Interagency Task Force South]], an element of [[U.S. Southern Command]]. The Navy still owns its piers.
* '''Trumbo Point Annex''' – The docking area on what had been the railroad yard for Flagler's Overseas Railroad is now used by the [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] as '''Coast Guard Sector Key West''' and '''Coast Guard Station Key West''', to include being the homeport for several Coast Guard cutters. It is also home to the Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ) for NAS Key West and contains additional married family military housing.

==Media==
{{Main|Media in Key West, Florida}}
{{See also|List of television stations in Key West|List of radio stations in Key West}}

Key West is part of the [[Template:Miami TV|Miami-Fort Lauderdale television market]]. It is served by rebroadcast transmitters in Key West and [[Marathon, Florida|Marathon]] that repeat the Miami-Fort Lauderdale stations. [[Comcast]] provides cable television service. [[DirecTV]] and [[Dish Network]] provide Miami-Fort Lauderdale local stations and national channels.

The Key West area has 11 FM radio stations, 4 FM translators, and 2&nbsp;am stations. WEOW 92.7 is the home of The Rude Girl & Molly Blue, a popular morning zoo duo; Bill Bravo is the afternoon host. SUN 99.5 has Hoebee and Miss Loretta in the p.m. drive. Island 106.9 FM is the only locally owned, independent FM station in Key West, featuring alternative rock music and community programs.

The ''[[Florida Keys Keynoter]]'' and the ''[[Key West Citizen]]'' are published locally and serve Key West and Monroe County. The ''Southernmost Flyer'', a weekly publication printed in conjunction with the ''Citizen'', is produced by the Public Affairs Department of [[Naval Air Station Key West]] and serves the local military community. Key West the Newspaper (known locally as The Blue Paper due to its colorful header) is a local weekly investigative newspaper, established in 1994 by Dennis Cooper, taken over in 2013 as a fully digital publication by Arnaud and Naja Girard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abyznewslinks.com/uniteflkw.htm|title=Key West FL Newspapers & News Media - ABYZ News Links|website=www.abyznewslinks.com}}</ref>

In October 2022, TheKeys411.com launched KeyWestPlus.com, or KeyWest+, on Roku. The channel spotlights local musicians, people of interest, and lifestyle topics in Key West and The Florida Keys.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

==Education==
[[Monroe County School District (Florida)|Monroe County School District]] operates public schools in Key West.

District-operated elementary schools serving the City of Key West include Poinciana Elementary School, which is located on the island of Key West, and Gerald Adams Elementary School, which is located on [[Stock Island, Florida|Stock Island]].<ref>{{Cite web |title = Monroe County School District – School Maps |url = http://keysschools.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=b88fa9458bf6f6a38584ca0a281bdee1&pageid=196397&85e9a5&85e9a5&sessionid=b88fa9458bf6f6a38584ca0a281bdee1 |access-date = October 14, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160121125857/http://keysschools.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=b88fa9458bf6f6a38584ca0a281bdee1&pageid=196397&85e9a5&85e9a5&sessionid=b88fa9458bf6f6a38584ca0a281bdee1 |archive-date = January 21, 2016 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> District-operated middle and high schools include Horace O'Bryant School, a former middle school that now operates as a [[K-8 school|K–8]] school, and the [[Key West High School]]. All of Key West is zoned to Horace O'Bryant School for grades 6–8 and to Key West High School for grades 9–12. Sigsbee Charter School is a K–8 school, sanctioned by the District and serving predominantly military dependent children as well as children from the community at large.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Sigsbee Charter School: About Us |url= http://www.sigsbee.org/|access-date=October 14, 2015}}</ref> Admission to Sigsbee Charter School is limited and the waiting list is managed by a lottery system.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Sigsbee Charter School: Registration Facts |website=Sigsbee Charter School |url=http://www.sigsbee.org/registration.php |access-date=September 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610064340/http://www.sigsbee.org/registration.php |archive-date=June 10, 2013}}</ref> Key West Montessori Charter School is a district-sanctioned charter school on Key West Island.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Key West Montessori Charter School: About Our School|url = http://keywestmontessori.com/about-our-school.htm|access-date = October 14, 2015|archive-date = September 29, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150929104706/http://keywestmontessori.com/about-our-school.htm|url-status = dead}}</ref>

The main campus of the [[College of the Florida Keys]] (formerly Florida Keys Community College) is located in Key West.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/florida-keys-community-college-CC02847|title=Florida Keys Community College|website=U.S. News & World Report|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627064304/http://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/florida-keys-community-college-CC02847|archive-date=June 27, 2014}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Key West, Florida}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Florida|Islands|United states|North America|Cities|Geography}}
* [[Conch Republic]]
* [[Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory]]
* [[Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden]]
* [[Neighborhoods in Key West, Florida]]
* [[Port of Key West]]
* [[The Studios of Key West]]
* [[Key West Cemetery]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
*{{cite book|last=Newton|first=Michael | title =A History of the Ku Klux Klan from 1866|date=April 14, 2016| publisher = [[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]| isbn= 9781476617190}} <small>- Total pages: 316</small>

==Further reading==
* Barnett, William C. "Inventing the Conch Republic: The Creation of Key West as an Escape from Modern America", ''Florida Historical Quarterly'' (Fall 2009) 88#2 pp.&nbsp;139–172. {{JSTOR|20700280}}.
* Boulard, Garry. {{"'}}State of Emergency': Key West in the Great Depression". ''Florida Historical Quarterly'' (Oct. 1988) Vol. 67, No. 2, pp.&nbsp;166–183. {{JSTOR|30147949}}.
* Levy, Philip. {{"'}}The Most Exotic of Our Cities': Race, Place, Writing, and George Allan England's Key West". ''Florida Historical Quarterly'' (Spring 2011), Vol. 89, No. 4: 469–499. {{JSTOR|23035914}}.
* Ogle, Maureen. ''Key West: History of an Island of Dreams'' (University Press of Florida, 2003). {{ISBN|9780813026152}}. {{OCLC|487590196}}.

==External links==
{{Sister project links |auto=yes |voy=Key West}}
* [https://www.cityofkeywest-fl.gov/ City of Key West]

{{Monroe County, Florida}}
{{Key West}}
{{Florida Keys}}
{{Florida county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Beaches of Florida]]
[[Category:Beaches of Monroe County, Florida]]
[[Category:Cities in Florida]]
[[Category:Cities in Monroe County, Florida]]
[[Category:County seats in Florida]]
[[Category:Islands of Monroe County, Florida]]
[[Category:Islands of Florida]]
[[Category:Islands of the Florida Keys]]
[[Category:Key West, Florida| ]]
[[Category:Micropolitan areas of Florida]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the Florida Gulf coast]]