Monroe County is the southernmost county of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 82,874. Its county seat is Key West. Monroe County includes the islands of the Florida Keys and comprises the Key West-Key Largo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Over 99.9% of the county's population lives on the Florida Keys. The mainland, which is part of the Everglades, comprises 87% of the county's land area and is virtually uninhabited with only 17 people recorded in the 2020 census.
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it constitutes the City of Key West.
The Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, also known simply as Fort Taylor, is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark centered on a Civil War-era fort located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida.
Crystal River State Archaeological Site is a 61-acre (250,000 m2) Florida State Park located on the Crystal River and within the Crystal River Preserve State Park. The park is located two miles (3 km) northwest of the city of Crystal River, on Museum Point off U.S. 19/98.
The Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida was the winter White House for President Harry S. Truman for 175 days during 11 visits. The house is located in the Truman Annex neighborhood of Old Town, Key West.
Truman Annex is both a neighborhood and military installation in Key West, Florida, United States. It is the part of the island that is west of Whitehead Street, with the exception of Bahama Village. The winter White House for President Harry S. Truman was located there, from its days as part of the former Naval Station Key West. The Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida was the winter White House for President Truman for 175 days during 11 visits.
The Key West National Wildlife Refuge is a 189,497 acre (766.867 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Monroe County, Florida, between Key West, Florida and the Dry Tortugas. Only 2,019 acres (8.171 km2) of land are above sea level, on several keys within the refuge. These keys are unpopulated and are also designated as Wilderness within the Florida Keys Wilderness. The refuge was established to provide a preserve and breeding ground for native birds and other wildlife as well as to provide habitat and protection for endangered and threatened fish, wildlife, plants and migratory birds.
The Key West Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Key West, Florida. It encompasses approximately 4,000 acres (16 km2), bounded by White, Angela, Windsor, Passover, Thomas and Whitehead Streets, and the Gulf of Mexico. It contains 187 historic buildings and one structure.
The Key West Citizen is a daily newspaper published in Key West, Florida. The newspaper is the result of the amalgamations of several related publications in the early years of the 20th century, becoming the Key West Citizen on April 29, 1905, when the first weekly edition rolled off the presses at 534 Front St. announcing the coming of Flagler's Overseas Railroad to Key West.
The Fort East Martello Museum & Gardens, is a historic site located at 3501 South Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, Florida, United States. On June 19, 1972, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is the best-preserved example of the Martello style of military architecture in the country.
Western Union is a historic schooner located in Key West, Florida, United States. She is berthed at the Key West Bight at 202 William Street. Western Union is the last surviving authentic working tall ship built in Florida. On May 16, 1984, Western Union was added to the US National Register of Historic Places. She is also the official flagship of the State of Florida and the flagship of the city of Key West.
The Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House is a historic home in Key West, Florida. It is located at 429 Caroline Street. On June 4, 1973, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The George Adderley House is a historic home in the City of Marathon, Florida, United States. It is located at 5550 Overseas Highway. On September 10, 1992, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The house is the oldest house in the Keys outside of Key West and the only surviving tabby house in the Keys.
The Custom House and Old Post Office is a historic site located at 281 Front Street, Key West, Florida, United States. On September 20, 1973, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Key West Heritage House Museum and Robert Frost Cottage, also known as the Jessie Porter's Heritage House Museum and Robert Frost Cottage, was a museum located at 410 Caroline Street, Key West, Florida. The Key West Heritage House, purchased by Jessie Porter in 1934 and opened as a museum in 1995, closed on April 17, 2010.
Crane Point Museum and Nature Center is a nonprofit natural history museum and nature center located in the City of Marathon on Key Vaca, in the heart of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States.
Pigeon Key is a small island containing the historic district of Pigeon Key, Florida. The 5-acre (2.0-hectare) island is home to 8 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, some of which remain from its earliest incarnation as a work camp for the Florida East Coast Railway. Today these buildings serve a variety of purposes, ranging from housing for educational groups to administrative offices for the non-profit Pigeon Key Foundation. The former Assistant Bridge Tender's House has been converted into a small museum featuring artifacts and images from Pigeon Key's colorful past. It is located off the old Seven Mile Bridge, at approximately mile marker 45, west of Knight's Key, and just east of Moser Channel, which is the deepest section of the 7-mile (11 km) span.
The Key West Bight, now known as the Key West Historic Seaport, is the site of a 200-year-old global maritime trade base in Key West, Florida, USA. A bend in the shoreline on the northwest side of the island created a bight, a wide bay and naturally protected harbor. Today, the Historic Seaport is the location of restaurants, bars, boutiques, art galleries, museums, hotels, boats, and watersports excursions.
Thousands of years before European discovery, the island of Key West was largely occupied by the Calusa and Tequesta Native American tribes. Brief settlements by transient Seminoles in the late 18th century introduced temporary trade in the region; early fishing and wrecking revenues became notable amongst passing Natives in the region. The island's first documented discovery by Europeans occurred in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de León while attempting to reach Florida's Gulf Coast. The island soon adopted the Spanish name, Cayo Hueso, literally meaning "bone cay", referring the scattered bones believed to be left behind from warring natives. Although ownership was claimed by the Spanish explorers, no permanent settlement had been established, and possession of the island was briefly asserted by the British in 1763.
