The southernmost city in the continental United States, Key West features a unique mixture of cultural influences. The colorful history of the four by two-mile island is filled with tales of poverty and prosperity, death and re-birth. The early economic ventures in Key West involved "wrecking," where locals salvaged the goods of ships run
aground in the shallow waters and sponge fishing.
The architecture is mainly Caribbean with many houses built out of coral-rock or salvaged ship-boards; others came directly from the Bahamas. They were dismantled and shipped, then re-assembled here. The food is Afro-Caribbean and Spanish and there is a certain tropical, laid-back feel to the town.
Key West is known for the sunsets that draw tourists from all over the U.S. and beyond. Several famous writers have called the island home including Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost and Tennessee Williams. Key West continues to attract artists today and its Bohemian and tolerant atmosphere characterizes it.
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