- From 1828 to 1850 Key West was the richest city per capita in the United States.
- In 1934 Key West was the poorest city in Florida. President Roosevelt, under the WPA program, had the Key West Aquarium built which is still in use today. (www.keywestaquarium.com)
- In 1889 Key West was the largest city in Florida.
- In 1899 Key West had street cars.
- There are more bars per capita in Key West than anywhere else in the country.
- There are more churches per capita in Key West than anywhere else in the country.
- There are more than 800 Keys. Approximately 30 are inhabited by people, the rest are animal sanctuaries.
- There is nothing anywhere like Fantasy Fest, an annual Key West celebration held in October. The Pretenders in Paradise Costume Contest is held on the beach at Pier House. (www.fantasyfest.net)
- April 22, 1982 Key West seceded from the United States and declared itself the Conch Republic. The Pelican became the official Republic Bird and the Hibiscus the official Republic Flower. The Conch Republic applied for foreign aid from the United States. (www.conchrepublic.com)
- U.S. Highway 1 runs the length of the United States from Fort Kent, Maine to Key West, a distance of 2,209 miles.
- Key West is the only frost-free city in the Continental United States.
- Lobsters in Key West are actually saltwater Crawfish.
- On October 28, 1927, the first international flight was from Key West to Havana Cuba. The flight was made by Pan American Airlines, and their original ticket office can still be seen at the corner of Whitehead and Caroline Streets. It is now a restaurant called Kelly's, named for the owner, Kelly McGillis, who starred in Top Gun and Witness. (www.kellyskeywest.com)
- The highest elevation in Key West is Solares Hill, 18 feet above sea level.
- The population of Key West is approximately 25,000.
- During the Civil War Key West, although the southernmost city in the country, was Yankee territory. Key West was the only place where you had to go north to fight for the South.
- There are about 40 cats living at the Hemingway House, all descended from Ernest Hemingway's cat. Most have six or seven toes on their front paws. All of them are named for movie stars.
- There are 42 bridges connecting Key West to the mainland.
- The hottest temperature ever recorded in Key West was 97°, in 1880.
- The coldest temperature ever recorded in Key West was 41°, in 1981.
- The average daily temperature in Key West is 77°.
- Key West was originally called Cayo Hueso which means island of bones, allegedly for all of the Indian bones that were found on the island. The name, Key West is an Americanization of Cayo Hueso.
- Key West is not the westernmost Key. There are more than 40 miles of Keys to the west before you get to the Dry Tortugas. (www.drytortugas.com)
- The third largest coral reef in the world is seven miles off the coast of Key West. It runs 160 miles, from Key Biscayne to the Dry Tortugas.
- The last hurricane to directly hit Key West was in 1919.
- In the 1930's, self-proclaimed Count Von Cosel lived with a dead woman in his bed for seven years. When this became public knowledge, the woman became an instant tourist attraction.
- Jimmy Buffet's first gig in Key West is reputed to have been the Chart Room Bar at the Pier House Resort.
- People born in Key West are called Conchs.
- Conch is pronounced “Conk”, not “Consh”.
- In 1985, after 16 years of searching and operating out of Key West, Mel Fisher discovered the sunken Spanish galleon Atocha and a treasure worth more than $450 million. The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum is still in Key West. (www.melfisher.org)
- The water is safe to drink. It is piped in from the mainland.
- There are no natural beaches in Key West. All the sand is brought in on barges from the Bahamas.
- Cell phones do work in Key West.
- Key West is 1.5 miles wide and 4 miles long.
- Key West is the southernmost city in the Continental United States; 160 miles south of Miami but only 90 miles north of Cuba.
- There is an African Slave cemetery at Higgs Beach where 295 men, women and children are buried.
- The island is entirely surrounded by water.
- Even on the clearest day you cannot see Cuba from Key West.
- The sun sets on one side of the island once a day.
- The nearest Wal-Mart is in Florida City, 126.5 miles north of Key West.
- Most buildings are required to have tin roofs.
- The entire island is a bird sanctuary.
- There are more than 3,000 structures in Key West on the National Historic Register.
- Graves in the cemetery are above ground and abound with unusual and amusing epitaphs. (www.keywest.com)
- The Schooner Warf Bar has a happy hour at 9:00 am.
- Key Lime Pie is yellow.
- There are 3 Civil War forts on the island of Key West. (www.forttaylor.org)
- Cuban cigars are not sold in Key West. You will, however, find Cubans in Key West who roll cigars.
- Major Motion Pictures filmed in Key West: Operation Petticoat, The Rose Tattoo, Reap the Wild Wind, PT 109, Beneath the 12 Mile Reef, License to Kill, Running Scared
- Famous People who have lived in Key West: Earnest Hemingway, Harry Truman, Jimmy Buffett, Winslow Homer, James Audubon, Tennessee Williams, Kelly McGillis, Mel Fisher, Ralph Lauren
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