~~ Key West ~~

Key West is a tiny little island only 4 miles long and 2 miles wide, located at the end of the string of islands known as the Straits of Florida or more commonly known as the Florida Keys. Did you know that the Florida Keys consist of about 1,700 islands?? The Keys start at the southwest tip of Florida, about 15 miles south of Miami at Biscayne National Park, and extend to Key West, and on to uninhabited Dry Tortugas.


Early history says that the Keys were originally inhabited by Calusa and Tequesta Native Americans. The Keys were later found and charted by Juan Ponce de Leon. The word "Key" is from the Spanish word Cayo meaning small island.

For many years, Key West was once the largest town in Florida and actually grew prosperous from shipwrecks! The isolated outpost was well located for trade with Cuba, the Bahamas, and was on the main trade route from New Orleans. Improved navigation led to fewer shipwrecks, and Key West went into a decline in the late nineteenth century.

Some other notable tidbits of the Keys: Seven Mile Bridge, Cuban Revolution, Key Limes, Duval Street, Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Overseas Railway, Conch Republic, Key Deer, Everglades National Park, Southernmost Tip Buoy, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.


Creations I've made recently that remind me of the Florida Keys and Key West

Caribbean Floral Lampwork Glass Earrings

Key West Lampwork Glass Earrings