Key West ...
key lime everything!
The most popular airline routes in the Winter are between Northeastern cities and Florida. Most everyone that lives with a lengthy cold Winter wants a break for sunshine and the ability to wear a t-shirt for a while again. But what is a viable destination in a state whose charm and history has been largely eradicated by “progress” and rabid development? Disney World and other theme parks or concrete high-rise resort hotels with crowded beaches are simply not for everyone. If you are looking for Florida sunshine in an area that retains some truth to its’ roots while still meeting the needs of current travelers, Key West might be an answer.
Key West is a small island located at the southernmost point in the United States. Of course there is a tourist marker near the actual “Southern-Most” spot to serve as a photo location. Key West has been attracting tourists long enough to know the silly things people are drawn to. There are certainly other tourist gimmicks and gadgets such as the theme park style "trains" that tour people around the island but this is done just as they have for many years. There is also a large business in renting bicycles, motor scooters and often rather funny electric golf carts. But the real advantage to the southern most location of Key West is not the distinction for the tourist marker but rather that the weather in “The Keys” tends to be a bit warmer and less inclined to rain during the winter months than the rest of the Florida Peninsula.
The original natural state of Key West was not exactly a tropical paradise. There were no pristine beaches (they have basically been created to resemble those in Miami) and swaying coconut palms but rather the island had a low rocky seashore, was completely lacking fresh water and had barely a hint of topography with maybe about 16 feet above sea level to the highest ground. But it did have an excellent deep harbor and was in a good location to service ships in transit between the gulf coast and Cuba. The island was purchased by an entrepreneur named John Whitehead and a partner John Simonton for two thousand dollars. It had been owned by a Spaniard who was given the island in 1815 by the Spanish crown for helping to put down a rebellion in Spanish-held Florida. The sale was in 1821 just after the fledgling United States acquired Florida and the Keys from Spain.
The early development of Florida’s tourism back in the late 1800’s was largely due to the efforts of Henry Flaggler, a retired Standard Oil tycoon turned railroad and hotel magnet. After developing rail service as far south as Palm Beach and building several famous hotels like The Breakers and the Royal Poinciana to cater to exclusive travelers, a few years of unusual cold weather prompted him to keep moving the rail line even farther south. Ultimately he connected the Florida Keys with the tremendous undertaking of constructing miles of elevated track to span the water between the Keys. Following the seven year project, Flaggler rode the first train into Key West in 1912, only a year before his death. The old rail bridges were first converted to roadways and then replaced with the current system of bridges but have been left as interesting relics in some areas and as walking and fishing piers in others. In at least one location, to reach the small island of Pigeon Key, one end of the original bridge is still in use.
Many of the old small private houses and the larger guest houses remain in Key West and formed the core of what we found most pleasing for a short winter break. Wandering through the small streets spotted with tropical foliage in short sleeves was very relaxing compared to the 6 lane boulevards and gated private “communities” of coastal Florida. There was certainly some evidence of storm damage to the larger trees in Key West but they were not as badly damaged by the severe hurricanes of 2005 as might have been possible based upon news coverage.
In some ways, Key West resembles southern Louisiana and New Orleans in particular. There are many wooden houses, some long and narrow single story houses of the “shotgun style” and quite a large number of historic homes with overhanging front porches running the full width of the second story. With Spanish Moss hanging from the trees it is easy to picture the deep south. But of course, to be technical, this really is the deepest south and the tree will be a tropical specie rather than a Live Oak.
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