Haven’t returned to Key West since the mid-70s. America’s southernmost city is rich in history. Some historians claim that Cuban Caribbean natives may have visited the Florida Keys before Columbus discovered the Western Hemisphere. Less than four miles cover the entire key, including the airport.
A spot in Key West Florida that’s marked as the Southernmost point in North America. Southernmost Point is exactly 90 miles north of Cuba. During the 1930s Key West became a tobacco processing center after many Cuban tobacco growers migrated here. Tourism is big in Key West and several cruise ships make frequent stops here. Some long-time residents worry that too many cruise ships will damage the environment.
Railroad line was extended from Miami all the way to the end of the Florida Keys. The passenger railroad was tragically wiped out by a 1920s hurricane and not rebuilt. The Overseas Highway was built after the railroad closed, letting people drive to Key West. The Overseas Highway became an extension of US Highway One.
So close to Cuba has always affected the Florida Keys, which attracted early aviation pioneers. In 1913 a newspaper offered a prize to whoever could fly an airplane between the Keys and Cuba and a pilot won. Starting in 1922 a seaplane began passenger service to Havana. In 1927 Pan American Airways began flying the first landplane to Havana, expanding service from there to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Along the Florida Keys there’s a long history of piracy and smugglers, tales of buried pirate treasure go way back. More recently Cuban rum made it’s way here during the Civil War and Prohibition. Famous author Ernest Hemingway lived here, and his former home is now a museum open to visitors. Hemingway also lived in Havana for a few years.