Biohazard Cleanup Near Old Town Key West, FL

Key West is the county seat of Monroe County and the southernmost city in the continental United States, lying about 90 miles from Cuba.

Key West's name is an anglicized version of its Spanish name, Cayo Hueso, which means "Bone Island."

Key West was first visited by Ponce de León in 1521; businessman John W. Simonton bought the island in 1822, and US Navy Lieutenant Matthew C. Perry planted the American flag there on March 25, 1822.

Key West was incorporated in 1828, the same year it was designated an official US Port of Entry, a status that fed its shipwreck-salvage economy.

Key West's "wrecking" industry — salvaging cargo from ships wrecked on the nearby reefs — made it the wealthiest city per capita in the United States by the 1830s.

Key West remained in Union hands throughout the Civil War, guarded by Fort Zachary Taylor, even though Florida had seceded.

Key West was isolated from the mainland until 1912, when Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad finally reached the island.

Key West had a population of 26,444 at the 2020 Census, with about 10,775 households averaging 2.28 people each and a median home value of $852,400 — only about 49.2 percent of homes are owner-occupied.

Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote at 907 Whitehead Street in Key West through the 1930s, and descendants of his six-toed cats still roam the grounds of the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum.

President Harry S. Truman used the Little White House in Key West as his winter retreat, and the house is now a museum in the Truman Annex.