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The Sunset Celebration Harry S. Truman Little White House Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum Tennessee Williams Theatre performing arts center Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society museum Dry Tortugas Visitors Information Audubon House and Tropical Gardens Key West travel guide from Wikitravel Gay and Lesbian Community Center Florida Keys from the United States] Coordinates: 24.559166° N -81.784031° E Maps and aerial photos Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps Topographic map from TopoZone Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA Satellite image from Google Maps or Windows Live Local
Edit Florida Keys Biscayne keys Soldier's Key, Ragged Keys, Boca Chita Key, Sands Key, Elliott Key, Adams Key, Old Rhodes Key Upper keys Key Largo, Islamorada, Tavernier, Plantation Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Lower Matecumbe Key Middle keys Craig Key, Fiesta Key, Long Key, Layton, Conch Key, Duck Key, Grassy Key, Deer Key, Key Vaca, Marathon, Key Colony Beach, Boot Key, Lower keys Bahia Honda, West Summerland Key, No Name Key, Big Pine Key, Torch Key, Little Torch Key, Ramrod Key, Summerland Key, Cudjoe Key, Sugarloaf Key, Saddlebunch Keys, Big Coppitt Key, Boca Chica Key, Key Haven, Stock Island, Key West Outlying islands Dry Tortugas, Marquesas Keys Areas Florida Bay, Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, National Key Deer Sanctuary, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, Key West National Wildlife Refuge Other topics Monroe County, Overseas Highway, Overseas Railway, Card Sound Bridge, Seven Mile Bridge, Bahia Honda Bridge, Conch Republic, Theater of the Sea, Hurricane Georges, Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Key Deer, Ocean Reef Club Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West%2C_Florida" Categories: Cities in Florida | Florida Keys | Gay villages | Micropolitan areas of Florida | Monroe County, Florida
Key West International Airport (IATA: EYW, ICAO: KEYW) is an airport located in Key West, Florida. [edit] Airlines American Airlines American Eagle (Miami) Cape Air (Marathon, Naples) Continental Airlines Continental Connection operated by Cape Air (Fort Myers) Continental Connection operated by Gulfstream International Airlines (Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Tampa) Delta Air Lines Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Atlanta) Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Orlando and Tampa) US Airways US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines (Fort Lauderdale) [edit] External links Florida Keys by Air Page Resources for this airport: AirNav airport information for KEYW Detailed EYW airport information or live EYW flight tracker NOAA/NWS current and historical weather observations FAA current EYW delay information Aeronautical Chart of KEYW Maps and aerial photos WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia Street map from MapQuest or Google Local Topographic map from TopoZone Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West_International_Airport"
The Real World: Key West is the seventeenth season of MTV's popular reality television series The Real World, which focuses on seven diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as camera follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. This season was shot in the Key Haven neighborhood of Key West, Florida in late summer and fall 2005, at a 6,000 square ft. mansion at 32 Driftwood Drive[1] on Raccoon Key, and debuted February 28, 2006. It is the second season of the The Real World to be filmed in southern Florida (The Real World: Miami was filmed 10 years prior in 1996); and the fourth season to be filmed in the southern United States (Miami in 1996, The Real World: New Orleans in 2000 and The Real World: Austin in 2005.) Conflicts incurred by the production included an unsuccessful lawsuit by tourism mogul Ed Swift III, a neighbor to the Driftwood Drive house, who sought to stop filming at the location, as well as the most active hurricane season in the region's history. After MTV threatened to cancel The Real World: Key West in light of the lawsuit, a judge threw out the lawsuit and allowed Bunim-Murray Productions to continue filming the season, with some minor production restrictions put in place. The dangers faced by the production and the housemates during Hurricane Wilma will be the focus of an upcoming episode. Some of the music for this season will be provided by Denis Taaffe. [edit] Assignment Every season of the The Real World, beginning with its fifth season, has included the assignment of a season-long group job or task to the housemates. The Key West housemates were assigned to assist in starting a Mystic Tan franchise. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_Key_West"
The Key West Botanical Forest and Garden 11 acres (4.5 hectares) is a frost-free arboretum and botanical garden containing a fine collection of trees, shrubs, and palms, including several "champion tree" specimens. It is located at 5210 College Road, Key West, Florida, USA. It is open daily, and admission is free. The Garden includes seven trees that are either champions or challengers, and one with an honorable mention. (Champions are determined by a point system based on height, circumference of the trunk, crown spread, and physical condition. The best tree in a species is designated Champion; the second best is Challenger. Naming of a National Champion is made by the American Forest publication; Florida champions are named by the Florida Division of Forestry.) Locust-berry (Byrsonima lucida) - National Champion Wild Dilly (Manilkara bahamensis) - National Champion Barringtonia (Barringtonia asiatica) - Florida Champion Cuban Lignum Vitae (Guiacum officinale) - Florida Champion Arjan Almond (Terminilis arjuna) - Florida Challenger Black Olive (Bucida buceras) - Florida Challenger Pongam (Pongamia pinnata) - Florida Challenger Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia) - Honorable Mention Other native and imported trees and shrubs in the Garden include: Poisonwood (Metopium toxiferum), Sea Grape (Coccoloba uvifera), Black Ironwood (Krugiodendron ferreum), Spanish Stopper (Eugenia foetida), Pigeon Plum (Coccoloba diversifolia), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), Milk Bark (Drypetes diversifolia), Cinnamon Bark (Canella winterana), Gumbo Limbo (Bursera simaruba), Woman's Tongue (Albizia lebbeck), Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum sanctum), Blolly (Guapira discolor), Purge Nut Thicket (Ximenia americana), Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix Canariensis), Senegal Date Palm (Phoenix reclinata), Florida Thatch Palm (Thrinax radiata), Ficus (Ficus citrifolia), Marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides), Silver Palm (Cocthrinax argentata), Red Stopper (Eugenia rhombea), Key Thatch Palm (Thrinax morrisii), Jamaica Dogwood (Piscidia piscipula), Wild Tamarind (Lysiloma bahamensis), Bay Cedar (Suriana maritima), Wild Coffee or Coffee Colubrina (Colubrina arborescens), Cinnecord (Acacia choriophylla), Pond Apple (Annona glabra), Limber Caper (Capparis flexuosa), Satin Leaf (Chrysophyllum oliviforme), Paradise Tree (Simarouba glauca), Coral Bean (Erythrina herbacea), Sabal Palm (Sabal palmetto), Buccaneer Palm (Pseudophoenix sargentii), Wild Lime (Zanthoxylum fagura), Joewood (Jacquinia keyenis), Lancewood (Nectandra coriacea), Green Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus), Washington Palm (Washingtonia robusta), Varnish Leaf (Dodonaea viscosa).
The Florida Keys are an archipelago, a string of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and defining one edge of Florida Bay. At the nearest point, the southern tip of Key West is just 90 miles (145 km) from Cuba. The Florida Keys are between about 23.5 and 25.5 degrees North latitude, in the subtropics. The city of Key West is the county seat of Monroe County, which consists of a section on the mainland that is almost entirely in Everglades National Park, and the Keys islands from Key Largo to the Dry Tortugas. Contents [hide] 1 Origins 2 Major islands 2.1 Upper keys 2.2 Middle keys 2.3 Lower keys 2.4 Outlying islands 3 Transportation 4 History 4.1 Overseas Railway 4.2 Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 4.3 Seven Mile Bridge 4.4 Conch Republic 5 Environment 5.1 Tropical cyclones 6 Culture and recreation 7 References 8 External links
[edit] Origins The Keys were formed near the edge of the Florida PlateauThe Florida Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient coral reef, with very little sand. The northernmost island arising from the ancient reef formation is Elliott Key, in Biscayne National Park. North of Elliott Key are several small transitional keys, composed of sand built up around small areas of exposed ancient reef. Further north, Key Biscayne and places north are barrier islands, built up of sand.[1] The Florida Keys have taken their present form as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or ice ages. Beginning some 130,000 years ago the Sangamon interglacial raised sea levels to approximately 25 feet (7.5 m.) above the current level. All of southern Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reef formed along the edge of the submerged Florida plateau, stretching south and then west from the present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas. This reef formed the Key Largo limestone that is exposed on the surface from Soldier Key (midway between Key Biscayne and Elliott Key) to Big Pine Key. The types of coral that formed Key Largo limestone can be identified on the exposed surface of these keys. Starting about 100,000 years ago the Wisconsin glaciation began lowering sea levels, exposing the coral reef and surrounding marine sediments. By 15,000 years ago the sea level had dropped to 300 to 350 feet below the contemporary level. The exposed reefs and sediments were heavily eroded. Acidic water, which can result from decaying vegetation, dissolves limestone. Some of the dissolved limestone redeposited as a denser cap rock, which can be seen as outcrops overlying the Key Largo and Miami limestones throughout the Keys. The limestone that eroded from the reef formed oolites in the shallow sea behind the reef, and together with the skeletal remains of bryozoans, formed the Miami limestone that is the current surface bedrock of the lower Florida peninsula and the lower keys from Big Pine Key to Key West. To the west of Key West the ancient reef is covered by recent calcareous sand. [edit] Major islands U.S. Highway 1, the "Overseas Highway" runs over the inhabited islands of the Florida Keys. The islands are listed in order from north and east to south and west. [edit] Upper keys Keys in Biscayne National Park (accessible only by boat) Transitional keys Soldier Key Ragged Keys Boca Chita Key Sands Key True Florida keys, exposed ancient coral reefs Elliott Key Adams Key Reid Key Rubicon Keys Totten Key Old Rhodes Key Key Largo Plantation Key Windley Key Upper Matecumbe Key Lower Matecumbe Key (Plantation Key through Lower Matecumbe Key are incorporated as Islamorada, Village of Islands. The "towns" of Key Largo and Tavernier are not incorporated.) [edit] Middle keys Craig Key Fiesta Key Long Key (formerly known as Rattlesnake Key) Conch Key Duck Key Grassy Key Deer Key Key Vaca Boot Key (Key Vaca and Boot Key are incorporated in the city of Marathon.) [edit] Lower keys Bahia Honda West Summerland Key No Name Key Big Pine Key Torch Key Ramrod Key Summerland Key Knockemdown Key Cudjoe Key Sugarloaf Key Saddlebunch Keys Big Coppitt Key Boca Chica Key Haven Key West [edit] Outlying islands These are accessible by boat. among others the Marquesas Keys the Dry Tortugas (not shown on map) [edit] Transportation Most islands are connected by the Overseas Highway. There has been a railway, but in 1935 its operation was discontinued. See also the history section. [edit] History [edit] Overseas Railway The Keys were long accessible only by water. This changed with the completion Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway in the early 1910s. Flagler, a major developer of Florida's Atlantic coast, extended his Florida East Coast Railway down to Key West with an ambitious series of over-sea railroad trestles. [edit] Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 Main article: Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 One of the worst hurricanes to strike the U.S. made landfall near Islamorada in the Upper Keys on Labor Day, Monday Sept. 2. Winds were estimated to have gusted to 200 mph, raising a storm surge more than 17 feet above sea level that washed over the islands. More than 400 people were killed, though some estimates say that more than 600 died in the terrible storm. The Labor Day Hurricane is one of only three hurricanes to make landfall at Category 5 strength on the U.S. Coast since reliable weather records began (about 1850). The other storms were Camille (1969) and Andrew (1992). In 1935, new bridges were under construction to connect a highway through the entire Keys. Hundreds of World War I veterans working on the roadway as part of a government relief program were housed in unreinforced buildings in three construction camps in the Upper Keys. When the evacuation train failed to reach the camps before the storm, more than 200 veterans perished. Their deaths caused anger and charges of mismanagement that led to a congressional investigation. The storm also ended the 23-year run of the Overseas Railway; the damaged tracks were never rebuilt, and the Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1) replaced the railroad as the main transportation route from Miami to Key West. [edit] Seven Mile Bridge One of the longest bridges when it was built, the Seven Mile Bridge connects Vaca Key (where the town of Marathon, Florida is located in the Middle Keys) to Bahia Honda (pronounced ba-EE-uh OWN-dah in Spanish and BAY-uh HON-duh locally) in the Lower Keys. True to its name, the piling-supported concrete bridge is seven miles (about 11km) long. The current bridge bypasses Pigeon Key, a small island that an older bridge crossed (a section of the old bridge remains for access to the island). After the destruction of the Keys railway by the hurricane, the railroad bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge, were converted to automobile roadways. U.S. Highway 1 runs the length of the Keys and up the East Coast to Maine; the Keys section is also called the Overseas Highway. [edit] Conch Republic In 1982, the United States Border Patrol had established a roadblock and inspection points on US Highway 1, stopping all northbound traffic returning to the mainland at Florida City, to search vehicles for illegal drugs and illegal immigrants. The Key West City Council repeatedly complained about the roadblocks, which were a major inconvenience for people traveling from Key West, and hurt the Keys' important tourism industry. After various unsuccessful complaints and attempts to get a legal injunction against the blockade failed in federal court in Miami, on 23 April 1982 Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow and the city council declared the independence of the Keys, calling it the "Conch Republic". After one minute of secession, he (as "Prime Minister") surrendered to an officer of the Key West Naval Air Station (NAS), and requested one billion ($1,000,000,000) dollars in "foreign aid". The stunt succeeded in generating great publicity for the Keys' plight, and the inspection station roadblock was removed. It also provided a new source of revenue for the Keys, and the Conch Republic has participated in later protests. [edit] Environment The Keys are in the subtropics between 24 and 25 degrees north latitude. The climate and environment are closer to that of the Caribbean than the rest of Florida, though unlike the Caribbean's volcanic islands, the Keys were built by plants and animals. The Upper Keys islands are remnants of large coral reefs, which became fossilized and exposed as sea level declined. The Lower Keys are composed of sandy-type accumulations of limestone grains produced by plants and marine organisms. The natural habitats of the Keys are upland forests, inland wetlands and shoreline zones. Soil ranges from sand to marl to rich, decomposed leaf litter. In some places, "caprock" (the eroded surface of coral formations) covers the ground. Rain falling through leaf debris becomes acidic and dissolves holes in the limestone, where soil accumulates and tree roots find purchase. The climate is subtropical and the Keys are the only frost-free place in Florida. There are two main "seasons": hot, wet, and humid from about June through October, and somewhat drier and cooler weather from November through May. Many plants grow slowly or go dormant in the dry season. Some native trees are deciduous, and drop their leaves in the winter or with spring winds. The Keys have distinctive plant and animals species, some found nowhere else in America, as the Keys define the northern extent of their ranges. The climate also allows many imported plants to thrive. Nearly any houseplant known to commerce, and most landscape plants of the South, can thrive in the Keys climate. Some exotic species which arrived as landscape plants now invade and threaten natural areas. Some plants that seem to define the Keys are not native, including coconut palm, bougainvillea, hibiscus, and papaya. The well-known and very sour Key lime (or Mexican lime) is a naturalized species, apparently introduced from the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where it had been previously been introduced from Malaysia by explorers from Spain. The tree grows vigorously and has thorns, and produces golf-ball-size yellow fruit which is particularly acidic (even in highly alkaline coral sand soil) and uniquely fragrant. Naturally, Key lime pie was invented here as well. The Keys are also home to unique animal species, including the Key deer, protected by the National Key Deer Refuge, and the American crocodile. About 70 miles (110 km) west of Key West is Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the most isolated and therefore well-preserved in the world. The name derives from the fact that the small hump-shaped islands look like dry tortoise (tortuga in Spanish) shells from a distance. [edit] Tropical cyclones The Keys are regularly threatened by tropical storms and hurricanes, leading to evacuations to the mainland. Untouched for many years, a carefree attitude led many residents to view "mandatory" evacuations as "voluntary" and "voluntary" evacuation orders as nothing at all. The attitude proved dangerous when Hurricane Georges (pronounced zhorzh in French), after tearing up much of the Caribbean, caused damage and extensive flooding in the Lower Keys in 1998, before making landfall in Mississippi. In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita affected the Keys, causing widespread damage and flooding. Tropical cyclones present special dangers and challenges to the entire Keys. Because no area of the islands is more than 20 feet above sea level (and many are only a few feet elevation), and water surrounds the islands, nearly every neighborhood is subject to devastating flooding as well as hurricane winds. Because of the threat from storm surge, evacuations are routinely ordered when the National Weather Service issues a hurricane watch or warning, and are sometimes ordered for a tropical storm warning. Evacuation of the Keys depends on causeways and the two-lane highway to the mainland. Time estimates for evacuating the entire Keys range from 12 to 24 hours. Evacuation estimates are significant in emergency planning, of course, but also because they are a factor in local and state regulations for controlling development. The building permit allocation was increased in 2005 when local governments reduced estimates for evacuation. In the active hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, the Keys were under mandatory evacuation orders several times. In August, 2004, Hurricane Charley passed about 70 miles west of Key West, bringing tropical storm winds to the lower keys. The lower keys were evacuated in preperation for Hurricane Ivan in September, 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in July, 2005, but neither hurricane came close enough to the Keys to do much damage. Hurricane Katrina, which went on to devastate parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, moved through south Florida in August, 2005 and tracked southwest past Key West, causing minor damage and flooding. Hurricane Rita, which went on to destroy parts of Louisiana and Texas, grew from a tropical storm to a Category 2 hurricane as it moved westward from the Bahamas, passing south of Key West and causing damage and surge flooding as far north as Key Largo. In October, 2005, Hurricane Wilma became the most devastating hurricane to hit the Keys in decades when it passed just northwest of Key West. The city was left under 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 metres) of water from the storm surge, and major flooding was reported throughout the Keys up to Key Largo. The waters surrounding the Keys are part of a protected area known as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. [edit] Culture and recreation The "hurricane bravado" is part of the Keys' laid-back atmosphere, as is the somewhat separatist "Conch Republic" attitude. Life is easygoing, with the major industries being tourism and fishing. Ecotourism is also part of this, with many visitors scuba diving in the area's protected waters. A new ferry now takes riders between Key West and Fort Myers, due north on the mainland, along the western edge of Florida Bay. Key West has long been noted as a gay vacation destination, and is home to the United States' first Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. [edit] References Jeff, Ripple (1995). The Florida Keys: the Natural Wonders of an Island Paradise, Photographs by Bill Keogh, Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 0-89658-262-0. Jason Project The Story of Water Movement and Land Formation - accessed January 28, 2006 [edit] External links A Gazetteer of the Florida Keys City of Key West History of the Conch Republic National Park Service: Dry Tortugas NOAA Marine Sanctuary
Edit Florida Keys Biscayne keys Soldier's Key, Ragged Keys, Boca Chita Key, Sands Key, Elliott Key, Adams Key, Old Rhodes Key Upper keys Key Largo, Islamorada, Tavernier, Plantation Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Lower Matecumbe Key Middle keys Craig Key, Fiesta Key, Long Key, Layton, Conch Key, Duck Key, Grassy Key, Deer Key, Key Vaca, Marathon, Key Colony Beach, Boot Key, Lower keys Bahia Honda, West Summerland Key, No Name Key, Big Pine Key, Torch Key, Little Torch Key, Ramrod Key, Summerland Key, Cudjoe Key, Sugarloaf Key, Saddlebunch Keys, Big Coppitt Key, Boca Chica Key, Key Haven, Stock Island, Key West Outlying islands Dry Tortugas, Marquesas Keys Areas Florida Bay, Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, National Key Deer Sanctuary, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, Key West National Wildlife Refuge Other topics Monroe County, Overseas Highway, Overseas Railway, Card Sound Bridge, Seven Mile Bridge, Bahia Honda Bridge, Conch Republic, Theater of the Sea, Hurricane Georges, Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Key Deer, Ocean Reef Club
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