History of Key West, Florida

Key West, Florida, has stories to tell. In pre-Columbian times the Calusa peoples inhabited the Keys. Then Juan Ponce de Leon landed in 1521 and it became a Spanish colony and a small fishing town.
It would also become a place for wreckers, those who dive for treasure in shipwrecks. It is said that pirates, who stayed here, would cause the wrecks for that sole purpose. Over the years, developers bought and sold Key West, because of its strategic location in the Florida Straits. Their names are still around: Greene, Simonton, Whitehead, Fleeming, and Duval, as in Key West's main street, Duval street.
Constructed on Key West from 1845 to 1866, during the Civil War, Fort Zachary Taylor was an important outpost, which railroad tracks connected to East and West Towers, for movement of munitions. Though technically siding with the Unites States Union, many citizens of Key West were sympathetic to the Confederacy States of America.
While the salt and salvage industry had been in decline over the 19th century, the cigar industry grew. Also, many Cubans moved to Key West during Cuba's unsuccessful war for independence. By 1889, Key West was the wealthiest city in Florida. The U.S. Federal government created the highway you see today, after the hurricane of 1935 destroyed an overseas railroad, an extension of Henry M. Flager's Florida East Coast Railway.

Key West Has a Plenty of Vacation Attractions

Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Jimmy Carter have all hung their hats in Key West for a little a while. Kennedy stayed in November of 1962 for the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Part of what you hear about Key West is the fame of its writers: Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams both owned and lived here on and off their whole lives. While Tennessee Williams lived a much more quiet life, now his residence not open to the public, Hemingway has his legend shared with Key West. He apparently wrote a Farewell to Arms and modeled the characters in To Have and Have Not on Depression-era residents of Key West. One interesting story is, he had a swimming pool installed into his house. Upon paying for the expensive addition, he took out a penny and said, "Here, take the last penny I've got!". Today you can still see the penny in the concrete where he placed it. His six and seven-toed cats have a legacy of their own and run around the Hemingway grounds. And in case you didn't know, Key West is the original Margaritaville, where Jimmy Buffet tells you he is "wasting away" in his classic tune. Don't blame any woman, blame Key West.
After all the other industries began to decline, tourism was on the rise. In the 1980s, the gay and lesbian community virtually saved Key West, opening bars, clubs, bed and breakfasts, hotels, condos, and beaches. As of 2000 census, there are 25,478 people who live on Key West. The island is diverse and eclectic, ranging from White, Native American, Pacific Islander, to Latino. Key West, Florida, prides itself for having all walks of life, with its motto, "One Human Family".
Hurricanes are a deep concern during May through October; on the flip side, however, Key West has no records of frost or snow. Coldest temperature recorded was 41 degrees Fahrenheit in 1886 and 1981, and the hottest temperature recorded was 97 degrees Fahrenheit in 1880 and 1956. All this is due to proximity to the Gulf Stream. When you visit Key West, Florida, you'll probably be feeling the mild temperatures between 60 to 80 degrees depending on when you vacation.
The life and history of Key West can only live in Key West. So when you vacation, there are tours, houses, and museums: take the Conch Tour Train (Conch is another name for a resident of Key West) to learn just about the whole history of Key West; ride the Old Town Trolleys; ferry to the Dry Tortugas National Park; see the Heritage House Museum and Robert Frost Cottage (Study with great writers during the many workshops held there); tour the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum; stroll through the Trails of Margaritaville to see and hear the stories behind Jimmy Buffet's stay on Key West and famous songs; learn more about history of the gay and lesbian community on the Gay Trolley Tours; tour through the mini rainforest of palms, orchids, bromeliads, aroids, cycads, and ferns in the Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden; be scared or be thrilled by the Ghost and Legends Tour; scavenge hunt with your friends, family, business partners, or wedding party, to win prizes in this fun way to comb every inch of Key West; go solo or pair and travel this small island in style by renting a scooter; fly by biplane to wonder in the sky-views of the island and surrounding white beaches and turquoise waters; and crawl - bar crawl, that is, among all the night clubs and pubs and see what adventure you can find.