Key West, Florida (pop. 26,444), is the southernmost city in the continental United States. It occupies a coral island about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of the mainland. It is a resort city, and also has a U.S. naval air station. Key West is located only about 90 miles (140 kilometers) north of Cuba.
Before the United States took possession of Florida in the early 1800’s, pirates and people who fished for a living inhabited the Key West area. Many people from the Florida mainland and the Bahamas went there after 1823, and made fortunes salvaging ships wrecked on the coral reefs. Key West became important in the 1870’s for cigar making, fisheries, and food processing. In 1912, a railroad, built on trestles over the water, connected Key West to the mainland. A hurricane destroyed part of the railroad north of Key West in 1935. The Overseas Highway replaced the railroad in 1938. The Overseas Highway was modernized in the 1980’s. Key West has a council-manager government.
