8 Things You Didn't Know About Key West

You’d be hard-pressed to find a person that doesn’t love fun facts. They’re little tidbits of information that aren’t hard to remember and they’ve got the word “fun” in them, how bad can they be?

Every place has some fun facts that make up the history, and Key West is no different. There are plenty of things even the most frequent visitor is yet to learn about the beautiful vacation destination.

Let’s get started!

1. Key West is Shipwreck Central 

We don’t mean that you should avoid any boats while you’re vacationing down in Key West, but instead, we’re referring to the number of shipwrecks that occurred during the 19th century.

You see, Key West was once one of the nation’s most prosperous cities that gained a lot of its wealth through recovering treasure from ships who ended up in Davy Jones’ Locker. 

While the chances of you stumbling upon a secret gold chest are essentially zero, you can still snorkel to nine shipwrecks in the area that make up the Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail.

Just watch out for any pirate ghosts that may not take too kindly to you snorkeling around their ship!

2. The Origin of Key Lime Pie

If Key West was a country, its most impactful export would be Key lime pie. Every southerner knows just how delicious key lime pie is.

But, did you know this delicious dessert was originally a dessert for sailors?

Although the pie has evolved over the years, it’s thought the original ingredients were what sailors happened to have at sea. They certainly never thought it would morph into the delicacy it is today.

3. Key West Played a Role in the Civil War

Any history buffs out there may know that the Civil War started in Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and (sort of) ended at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. Those who aren’t history buffs know that the Civil War was essentially North vs. South.

With Key West being just about as south as you can get, you’d think they were a large part of the Confederacy? 

Interestingly enough, Key West did not join Florida and other states in seceding from the Union. They stayed loyal to the Union throughout the war and holed up at Fort Zachary Taylor until the end.

4. Key West and the Lincoln Assassination

While still on the topic of the Civil War, let’s talk about the 16th president Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 15th at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C.

During his escape, Booth injured his leg and was assisted by Dr. Samuel Mudd. Mudd was later charged with helping Booth and exiled to where? Fort Jefferson, which sits 70 miles west of Key West.

While many would be happy to live in exile on the beach, we doubt Mudd enjoyed his time.

5. Key West has an Unlikely Neighbor

With Key West being the southernmost point in Florida, it takes a good bit of traveling just to make it here. If you’ve come by car, then you might be planning a few other stops along the way for your trip.

You might think about stopping over in Miami but why not stop in Cuba instead?

Many may be surprised to learn that Key West is closer to Cuba than Miami. Who knew?

Of course, unless you’ve got a James Bond-esque car, you may have a tough time reaching the island!

6. Key West has Had Two Fires

While the city of Chicago often gets all the fire attention for their fire in 1871, Key West was also ravaged by fire twice! The first in 1859 and the second in 1886 raged through the city and burned the majority of wooden structures.

Perhaps the more interesting story was how the fire of 1859 was stopped. A local man grabbed a keg of gunpowder and blew up his house so the fire wouldn’t have anywhere else to spread. Surprisingly, it worked.

7. Is Duval Street the Longest Street in the World?

If you were told to guess where the world’s longest street is, where might you guess? New York? Maybe in California? Somewhere in India or China?

Those would all be wrong as the world’s longest street is Duval Street right here in Key West. Kind of.

The street is roughly 1.25 miles long and runs from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, thus prompting the clever title of “longest street in the world”. 

The actual longest street in the world is Yonge Street, which is 35 miles long, 28 times longer than Duval Street.

8. Key West is for all Warm Weather Fans

While it’s often said that San Diego has the world’s most perfect climate, yet Key West has the highest average temperature year-round.

Key West averages a warm 77 degrees throughout the entire year, meaning that if you’re a fan of the sun and short sleeves, this is the place for you.

That doesn’t mean it can’t get cold, like when it reached 41 degrees in 1981.

But why not come see all of these things for yourself? Contact us and we’ll help you have the perfect vacation.