Key West Map Art

Key West is a coral island at the southern end of the Florida Keys, in the Straits of Florida. It is the southernmost city in the contiguous United States and the westernmost island of the Keys that you can drive to, about 130 miles southwest of Miami and roughly 95 miles north of Cuba. The island is only about 4 miles long and 1 mile wide, and the city also takes in Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key and the north part of Stock Island. Juan Ponce de León sailed around the Keys in 1513. After Florida passed to the United States in 1819, Key West grew into a major maritime center, and its location on the straits and its wrecking trade made it one of the richest towns in the country in the 19th century. Duval Street runs right across the island from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.