Local Knowledge
Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West, a U.S. island city, is part of the Florida Keys archipelago. It's also Florida's southernmost point, lying roughly 90 miles north of Cuba.
Famed for its pastel-hued, conch-style houses, it’s a cruise-ship stop also accessible from the mainland via the Overseas Highway. It’s known more for its coral reefs – destinations for diving and snorkeling – than for its beaches.
Marquesas Keys
Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
The Marquesas Keys form an uninhabited island group about 20 miles (32 km) west of Key West, 4 miles (6 km) in diameter, and largely covered by mangrove forest.
They are an unincorporated area of Monroe County, Florida and belong to the Lower Keys Census County Division.
They are protected as part of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The Marquesas were used for target practice by the military as recently as 1980.
Coral Reef
Sand Key Light
Sand Key Light is a lighthouse 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) southwest of Key West, Florida, between Sand Key Channel and Rock Key Channel, two of the channels into Key West, on a reef intermittently covered by sand.
At times the key has been substantial enough to have trees, and in 1900 nine to twelve thousand terns nested on the island. At other times the island has been washed away completely.