It’s a bit difficult to make an introduction about Key West without revealing at first some of the curiosities included in the article.
Therefore, before we move on to the 20 things you didn’t know about Key West, you should know that the island-city of Florida is a perfect place for a Caribbean-style mini vacation.
It will conquer you with the streets full of tall palm trees and little, pastel houses, delicious desserts, beautiful beaches, and unforgettable sunsets.
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What I use every time I travel:
- To book hotels: Booking.com
- To book tours: GetYourGuide.com
20 Things you didn’t know about Key West
1-5 | 20 Things you didn’t know about Key West
1. There is a Key West-specific dessert. It’s the Key Lime Pie, and it’s basically a delicious lemon pie.
Some of the places where you can enjoy this delicious dessert in Key West are Matt’s Stock Island Kitchen & Bar, Blue Heaven, and The Stoned Crab.
2. The city is full of chickens and roosters roaming the streets. You will get used to these little inhabitants.
They bring a splash of color and joy to the island. About 1,500 chickens and roosters call the streets of Key West home.
House in Key West, Florida
3. Key West is a small town with a population of about 25,000. However, this number doubles if we take into account the tourists. About 5 million tourists visit Key West annually.
4. Key West has the third largest coral reef in the world, after Belize and Australia.
5. To get from mainland Florida to Key West, you will need to cross 42 bridges. The longest of them is called Seven Miles Bridge and has a length of 7 miles / 11 km.
Beach in Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
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6. Key West has its own architectural style: conch architectural style. Basically, it’s the Victorian Style with some tropical influence.
This style was implemented by immigrants from the Bahamas.
7. Key West has an area of only 18,67 square kilometers.
aerial view of Key West
8. Although it’s small, Key West has an international airport. It’s called Key West International Airport, and not every plane can take off from here because the runway measures only 5076 feet (1.5 km).
9. Key West was the richest city in the United States in the mid-19th century, thanks to the treasures found on the shipwrecks.
10. Key West is the southernmost city in the continental United States and is home to the southernmost hotel and southernmost home.
The southernmost hotel in Key West
The southernmost house in Key West
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11. In Key West are the most bartenders in the US per capita. Specifically, 13 bartenders per 1000 locals.
12. The temperature has never dropped below 5 degrees Celsius / 41 degrees Fahrenheit in Key West.
13. President Harry S. Truman had a winter residence in Key West, known as the Little White House.
The president was a big fan of Key West and visited the city whenever he had the chance. Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States from 1945 to 1953.
The Harry S. Truman Little White House
14. It is closer to Cuba than it is to Miami. From Key West to Cuba is a distance of 90 miles, while from Key West to Miami, the distance is more than double, 160 miles.
15. Key West is a beautiful sunset destination.
The city’s tradition is to admire the sunsets from Mallory Square. But you can also see the sunset from the beaches of Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park.
Gorgeous sunset in Key West
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16. The inhabitants of the island who were born here are called conchs (conch means shell).
17. In Key West, you will be able to play with polydactyl cats, thanks to the writer Ernest Hemingway.
He brought a cat with 6 fingers on each paw to Key West. The cat had kittens, and now the novelist’s house turned into a museum is full of cute polydactyl cats.
Pastel houses in Key West
18. Most of the sand on the beaches of Key West was brought from the Caribbean.
19. Key West was initially known as Bone Island. That’s because many scattered bones have been discovered here. Therefore, the Spanish colonists named the island Cayo Hueso, translated in Bone Island.
20. There is a pub in Key West with a ceiling and all the walls covered in dollar bills.
It’s called Willie T’s Restaurant & Bar. So, the bar has become one of the most Instagrammable places in Key West.
Willie T’s Restaurant & Bar in Key West
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