Key West

This article is about the island and city in Florida. For other uses, see Key West (disambiguation).

"Cayo Hueso" redirects here. For the neighborhood in Havana, Cuba, see Cayo Hueso, Havana. For the hamlet in Encrucijada, Cuba, see Cayo Hueso (Encrucijada).

Key West

Southernmost Point Buoy
Geography
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	24°33′55″N 81°46′33″W
Archipelago	Florida Keys
Area	4.2 sq mi (11 km2)
Length	4 mi (6 km)
Width	1 mi (2 km)
Highest elevation	18 ft (5.5 m)
Highest point	Solares Hill, 18 ft (5.5 m) above sea level
City
Satellite view of Key West Key West Lighthouse Old Post Office and Customshouse
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  "The Conch Republic" "Southernmost City in the Continental United States"
Motto:  One Human Family
Interactive map of Key West, Florida
Key West Location of Key West in Florida Key West Key West (the United States)
Coordinates: 24°33′18″N 81°46′55″W
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Monroe
Government
• Type	Commission–Manager
• Mayor	Danise "Dee Dee" Henriquez
• Commissioners	Monica Haskell, Lissette Carey, Samuel Kaufman, Mary Lou Hoover, Donald "Donnie" Lee, and Aaron Castillo
• City Manager	Brian Barroso
• City clerk	Keri O'Brien
• City attorney	Ronald J. Ramsingh
Area
• Total	7.21 sq mi (18.67 km2)
• Land	5.60 sq mi (14.50 km2)
• Water	1.61 sq mi (4.17 km2)
Elevation	5 ft (1.5 m)
Population  (2020 United States census)
• Total	26,444
• Density	4,722.7/sq mi (1,823.44/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	33040–33041, 33045
Area codes	305, 786, and 645
FIPS code	12-36550
GNIS feature ID	0294048
Website	cityofkeywest-fl.gov
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Key West (Spanish: Cayo Hueso [kaʝo ˈweso]) is a coral cay island in the Straits of Florida, at the southernmost end of the U.S. state of Florida and its outlying Florida Keys archipelago. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it constitutes the City of Key West.

For thousands of years, Key West and the surrounding islands were inhabited by various Native American tribes. The island's first recorded European contact occurred in 1513, when an expedition led by Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León circumnavigated the Florida Keys amid his voyage along the coast of Florida, though no permanent settlement was established. Over the following centuries, the island remained sparsely populated while passing between periods of Spanish and British control. Following the transfer of Florida to the United States in 1819, Key West rapidly developed into a major maritime center, with its strategic location along the Florida Straits and thriving wrecking industry helping make it one of the wealthiest communities in the United States during the 19th century.

Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous United States and the westernmost island in the Florida Keys connected by highway, located about 130 miles (210 km) southwest of Miami and roughly 95 miles (153 km) north of Cuba. The island measures approximately 4 miles (6 km) long and 1 mile (2 km) wide, with a total land area of about 4.2 square miles (11 km²), and the city itself spans roughly 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²). It serves as the county seat of Monroe County, which includes a majority of the Florida Keys and part of the Everglades, and had a population of 26,444 at the 2020 census, carrying the motto “One Human Family.”

Key West functions as a major transportation and tourism hub, serving as the southern terminus of U.S. Route 1 and hosting a passenger cruise port, an international airport, and Naval Air Station Key West. Its main commercial corridor is Duval Street, which runs from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. Key West lies within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and is located near several protected areas, including the Dry Tortugas National Park and the Key West National Wildlife Refuge; due to its proximity to the Great Florida Reef, the island serves as a notable center for recreational diving.