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85-779: The Overseas Highway is a 113-mile (181.9 km) highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West . Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad , the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway . Completed in 1912, the Overseas Railroad was heavily damaged and partially destroyed in the 1935 Labor Day hurricane . The Florida East Coast Railway

170-637: A Memorandum of understanding to create the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (FKOHT). The trail will be a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian facility that will traverse the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West. Upon completion, the FKOHT will include an integrated system of educational kiosks, roadside picnic areas, scenic overlooks, fishing piers, water access points, and bicycle and jogging paths. The development of

255-416: A 12 mile road was built just north of the Overseas Railroad through the community of Marathon . This road was known as Key Vaca Road and ferry terminals were built at each end at Grassy Key and Hog Key. The completion of Key Vaca Road allowed the ferry route to be split into two shorter routes. The drive from Key West to the mainland was reduced by an hour after the addition of Key Vaca Road. In 1933,

340-398: A Congressional investigation. Just west of Lower Matecumbe Key at Mile Marker 73 on the current highway, eight concrete bridge piers and a small dredged island are all that remains of the veterans' work. The dredged island is now known as Veteran's Key and the piers remain as a tribute to the veterans with a memorial plaque on Craig Key . After the hurricane, the Florida East Coast Railway

425-653: A distance. "Key" is derived from the Spanish word cayo , meaning small island. For many years, Key West was the largest town in Florida, and it grew prosperous on wrecking revenues. The isolated outpost was well located for trade with Cuba and the Bahamas and was on the main trade route from New Orleans . Improved navigation led to fewer shipwrecks, and Key West went into a decline in the late nineteenth century. The Keys were long accessible only by water. This changed with

510-418: A dry season from November through April, that features little rainfall, sunny skies, and warm breezy conditions. The warm and sunny winter climate, with average highs around 75 °F (24 °C) and lows above 60 °F (16 °C), is the main tourist season in the Florida Keys. Key West is the driest city in Florida, and most of the Florida Keys can become quite dry at the height of the dry season. Some of

595-668: A focus of management activities in Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge . About 70 miles (110 km) west of Key West is Dry Tortugas National Park . The waters surrounding the Keys are part of a protected area known as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . The climate of the Florida Keys is tropical savanna ( Köppen climate classification : Aw). Other than some areas of coastal Miami (Miami Beach),

680-581: A four-lane divided highway. Here, the northbound lanes run along the route of the original highway and the southbound lanes along the route of the railroad, which is especially evident in area where the route splits into two one-way streets. The widening was the beginning of a much larger project to rebuild much of the Overseas Highway, which included replacing the aging repurposed railroad bridges with more modern bridges; some of which are able to accommodate more than two lanes of traffic. This included

765-474: A hidden designation until the 1945 Florida State Road renumbering , when the hidden designation became State Road 5). President Franklin D. Roosevelt toured the road in 1939. Portions of the road were tolled until April 15, 1954; toll booths were located on Big Pine Key and Lower Matecumbe Key . Pigeon Key , roughly the midway point of the Seven Mile Bridge, served as the headquarters for

850-499: A highway through the entire Keys. Hundreds of World War I veterans working on the roadway as part of a government relief program were housed in non-reinforced buildings in three construction camps in the Upper Keys. When the evacuation train failed to reach the camps before the storm, more than 200 veterans perished. Their deaths caused anger and charges of mismanagement that led to a Congressional investigation. The storm also ended

935-596: A legal injunction against the blockade failed in federal court in Miami , on April 23, 1982, Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow and the city council declared the independence of the city of Key West , calling it the " Conch Republic ". After one minute of secession, he (as "Prime Minister") surrendered to an officer of the Key West Naval Air Station (NAS) and requested US$ 1,000,000,000 in " foreign aid ". The stunt succeeded in generating great publicity for

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1020-407: A screenprint by American artist Ralston Crawford . Superboy features the bridge in the season 1 opening credits. Actor John Haymes Newton is shown flying around the bridge. An action scene involving a car and fighter jet was filmed on a portion of the old Seven Mile Bridge for the 1994 James Cameron film True Lies . No part of the bridge was destroyed during filming; an 80-foot model of

1105-529: A storm surge more than 17.5 feet (5.3 m) above sea level that washed over the islands. More than 400 people were killed, though some estimates place the number of deaths at more than 600. The Labor Day hurricane was one of only four hurricanes to make landfall at Category 5 strength on the U.S. coast since reliable weather records began (about 1850). The other storms were Hurricane Camille (1969), Hurricane Andrew (1992), and Hurricane Michael (2018). In 1935, new bridges were under construction to connect

1190-749: A submerged oolitic deposit. The bars lithified into Miami Limestone, and with changes in sea level are presently exposed as the islands, while the channels between the bars now separate the islands. Just offshore of the Florida Keys along the edge of the Florida Straits is the Florida Reef (also known as the Florida Reef Tract), separated from the keys by the Hawk Channel . The Florida Reef extends 170 miles (270 km) from Fowey Rocks just east of Soldier Key to just south of

1275-432: Is 137.3 square miles (356 km ). At the 2010 census the population was 73,090, with an average density of 532.34 per square mile (205.54/km ), although much of the population is concentrated in a few areas of much higher density, such as the city of Key West, which has 32% of the Keys' total population. The 2014 Census population estimate was 77,136. The 2020 Census population estimate was 82,874. The city of Key West

1360-454: Is 35,862 ft (10,931 m) or 6.79 miles (10.93 km) long. The current bridge bypasses Pigeon Key , a small island that housed workers building Henry Flagler 's Florida East Coast Railway in the 1900s, that the original Seven Mile Bridge crossed. A 2.2-mile (3.5 km) section of the old bridge remains for access to the island, although it was closed to vehicular traffic on March 4, 2008. The aging structure has been deemed unsafe by

1445-483: Is an even number, indicates that it is located on the gulf side of the Overseas Highway (the term "gulf side" is used in the Middle and Lower Keys as the Overseas Highway runs east-west there; the term "bayside" is used in the Upper Keys where the Overseas Highway runs north-south. All of the Keys use the term "oceanside"): Exceptions to this rule do exist, however. There are occasional addresses ending in even numbers on

1530-532: Is home to Winter Star Party , a prominent annual amateur astronomy event in the United States, and one of the Top 10 star parties in the world according to BBC Sky at Night . It is an international gathering that attracts 500+ people each year who enjoy stargazing, astrophotography and Milky Way photography. Bahia Honda State Park is a well known dark skies location among locals offering unobstructed views of

1615-592: Is not one of the Florida Keys, but the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida. The main chain of Keys islands can be traveled by motor vehicles on the Overseas Highway , a 127-mile (204 km) section of U.S. 1 , which runs from Key West to Fort Kent, Maine in its entirety. The highway was built parallel to the original route of the Overseas Railway , which

1700-568: Is the county seat of Monroe County . The county consists of a section on the mainland which is almost entirely in Everglades National Park , and the Keys islands from Key Largo to Dry Tortugas National Park . The Keys were originally inhabited by the Calusa and Tequesta tribes and were charted by Juan Ponce de León in 1513. De León named the islands Los Martires ("The Martyrs"), as they looked like suffering men from

1785-591: The Bahia Honda Bridge , then reduces to two lanes as it traverses Bahia Honda Key , Ohio Key , Missouri Key , and Little Duck Key . After Little Duck Key, US 1 enters Knights Key , Boot Key , Key Vaca , and the town of Marathon via the Seven Mile Bridge , thus leaving the lower Keys. US 1 runs through Marathon as a four-lane road. After Key Vaca, the road becomes two-lane once more and runs through Fat Deer Key , where it forms

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1870-540: The Florida Department of Transportation . Costly repairs, estimated to be as much as $ 34 million, were expected to begin in July 2008. Monroe County was unable to secure a $ 17 million loan through the state infrastructure bank, delaying work for at least a year. On June 14, 2008, the old bridge section leading to Pigeon Key was closed to fishing as well. While still open to pedestrians—walking, biking and jogging—if

1955-508: The Naval Air Station on Boca Chica Key to the mainland for national security purposes. The 1920s-era lower keys segment was less than ideal with its winding road and rickety wooden bridges. This resulted in completing the rest of the highway throughout the keys on the former railroad right of way, which the state owned and was a more direct route with smoother curves that would allow for higher speeds. Also included in this project

2040-668: The Seven Mile Bridge , the Bahia Honda Bridge and the Long Key Bridge (although these three original bridges are no longer open to vehicular traffic, they became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and are currently used for fishing and pedestrian traffic). The more modern bridges were completed in the early 1980s. In recent years, Pigeon Key was used by the University of Miami as an oceanography laboratory, but current efforts to restore

2125-547: The United States Border Patrol established a roadblock and inspection points on US Highway 1 , stopping all northbound traffic returning to the mainland at Florida City , to search vehicles for illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants. The Key West City Council repeatedly complained about the roadblocks, which were a major inconvenience for travellers, and hurt the Keys' important tourism industry. After various unsuccessful complaints and attempts to get

2210-417: The "Overseas Road and Toll District." The toll for automobiles was $ 1 , plus 25 cents per passenger. When completed in 1938, the Overseas Highway only ran along the old railroad route in the middle keys; the original highway segments were still in use in the upper and lower keys. As the United States entered into World War II , the U.S. Navy sought improvements to the highway to improve their access from

2295-674: The 1980s, when new highway bridges were built alongside. Many of the original railroad and highway bridges remain today as pedestrian fishing piers. The Florida Keys has public bus transportation. Despite this reconstruction, U.S. 1 was not widened on a large scale, and today most of the route consists of just two lanes. Due to their tropical climate, the Florida Keys attract several hundred thousand tourists annually. While some visitors arrive via Key West International Airport and Florida Keys Marathon Airport in Marathon , cruise ship or ferry from Miami , Fort Myers , or Marco Island, Florida,

2380-618: The 23-year run of the Overseas Railway; the damaged tracks were never rebuilt, and the Overseas Highway ( U.S. Highway 1 ) replaced the railroad as the main transportation route from Miami to Key West. One of the longest bridges when it was built, the Seven Mile Bridge connects Knight's Key (part of the city of Marathon in the Middle Keys) to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. The piling-supported concrete bridge

2465-501: The Florida Keys are the only areas in the continental United States to never report freezing temperatures since settlement. The record low in Key West is 41 °F (5 °C) (in both 1886 and 1981), and low temperatures below 48 °F (9 °C) are rare. Most of the Florida Keys fall into USDA zone 11a to 11b; Key West is zone 12a. There are two main "seasons" in the Florida Keys, a hot and wet season from June through October, and

2550-408: The Florida Keys portion of Monroe County along the Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway No. 1). Numbering commences at "0" in Key West, and increases towards the east until Islamorada where the direction changes to the northeast following the Overseas Highway to Key Largo at "106." Outside of the city of Key West and the city of Marathon , street addresses along the Overseas Highway in the Keys correspond to

2635-548: The Keys' plight, and the inspection station roadblock was removed. The idea of the Conch Republic has provided a new source of revenue for the Keys by way of tourist keepsake sales, and the Conch Republic has participated in later protests. The northern and central sections of the Florida Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient coral reef , the Key Largo Limestone . The northernmost island arising from

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2720-541: The Lower Keys in 1998, before making landfall in Mississippi . In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina , Rita and Wilma affected the Keys (although none made a direct hit), causing widespread damage and flooding. The most severe hurricane to hit the area was the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 , a Category 5 hurricane. Tropical cyclones present special dangers and challenges to the entire Keys. Because no area of

2805-553: The Lower Keys may be uninhabitable for months. U.S. Highway 1 , the " Overseas Highway ", runs over most of the inhabited islands of the Florida Keys. The islands are listed in order from southwest to north. Mile markers are listed for keys that the Overseas Highway runs across or near: The Seven Mile Bridge (MM 40-46¾) separates the Lower Keys from the Middle Keys: (Knights, Vaca, Boot, Long Point, Crawl, and Grassy Keys, as well as most of Fat Deer Key, are incorporated in

2890-609: The Marquesas Keys. It is the third-largest barrier reef system in the world. The climate and environment of the Florida Keys are closer to that of the Caribbean than the rest of Florida, though unlike the Caribbean's volcanic islands, the Keys were built by plants and animals. The Upper Keys islands are composed of sandy-type accumulations of limestone grains produced by plants and marine organisms. The Lower Keys are

2975-559: The Miami Limestone that is the current surface bedrock of the lower Florida peninsula and the lower keys from Big Pine Key to Key West. To the west of Key West the ancient reef is covered by recent calcareous sand. While the islands of the upper and middle keys, consisting of Key Largo Limestone, form a long narrow arc, the islands of the lower keys are perpendicular to the line of that arc. This configuration arose from an ancient tidal-bar system, in which tidal channels cut through

3060-438: The Overseas Highway drops down to a two-lane road. It then crosses East Rockland Key , Big Coppitt Key (and its congruous district ), Saddlebunch Keys , Sugarloaf Key , Park Key , Cudjoe Key (and its congruous district ), Summerland Key , Ramrod Key , Middle Torch Key , Little Torch Key , Big Pine Key (and its congruous district ), Scout Key , and Spanish Harbor Key . The highway expands to four lanes as it crosses

3145-557: The Overseas Railroad heading into Key West. Most of the State Road 4A bridges in the Lower Keys were of wooden construction and had been in use since the early 1920s. By the early 1930s, it was clear that the ferries were insufficient for the travel needs of the keys, and Monroe County and the State Road Department began making plans to connect the two portions of State Road 4A to make a continuous highway. In 1931,

3230-418: The Overseas Railroad in the upper keys but in the lower keys, it followed a much different path than the railroad and current highway. The ferry landing on No Name Key was located at the end of what is now Watson Boulevard, which carried State Road 4A across No Name Key and Big Pine Key before it crossed to Little Torch Key. On Little Torch Key, it turned south and rejoined the railroad. It would continue along

3315-597: The U.S. mainland. Many exotic animals such as the American Alligator , American Crocodile and Key Deer inhabit the tropical islands of the Florida Keys. The Overseas Highway begins at a T intersection between US 1 and SR A1A , from which it heads east. After crossing to Stock Island and forming the boundary between the eponymous district and incorporated Key West, US 1 proceeds through unincorporated Monroe County on Boca Chica Key , past Naval Air Station Key West , and Rockland Key , where

3400-616: The ancient reef formation is Elliott Key , in Biscayne National Park . North of Elliott Key are several small transitional keys, composed of sand built up around small areas of exposed ancient reef. Further north, Key Biscayne and places north are barrier islands , built up of sand. The islands in the southwestern part of the chain, from Big Pine Key to the Marquesas Keys , are exposed areas of Miami Limestone . The Florida Keys have taken their present form as

3485-520: The area's protected waters. A ferry takes riders between Key West and Fort Myers , as well as Marco Island due north on the mainland, along the western edge of Florida Bay. Middle and Lower Florida Keys are among a few remaining South Florida dark skies locations accessible by car, thanks to their position along the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore with southern skies unobstructed by light pollution associated with urban development. Scout Key

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3570-441: The breaks created during the 1980s and 1990s fishing pier conversion will be reconnected. Where the original roadway no longer exists, the trail will be temporarily cantilevered on the side of the current US 1 highway bridge, until new 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) trail bridge sections can be built. The new sections will be built to match the historical character of the original bridges. One of animated television's Wacky Races

3655-556: The bridge built off Sugarloaf Key was blown up instead. Mileposts are taken from US 1, which begins approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south at an intersection with Whitehead and Fleming streets in Key West .The entire route is in Monroe County . Florida Keys More than 95% of the land area lies in Monroe County , but a small portion extends northeast into Miami-Dade County , such as Totten Key . The total land area

3740-453: The bridge were closed altogether, only a ferry subsidized by FDOT and managed by the county would transport visitors to the island. After the destruction of the Keys railway by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 , the railroad bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge, were converted to automobile roadways. This roadway, U.S. Highway 1, became the Overseas Highway that runs from Key Largo south to Key West. Today this highway allows travel through

3825-651: The buildings on the island have resulted in the establishment of a railroad museum there. The newer Seven Mile Bridge does not have direct access to Pigeon Key; people going there must bike or walk on 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of the Old Seven Mile Bridge from its eastern end on Knight's Key , take a shuttle bus, or take a boat to reach the island. In 2001, the Monroe County Commission , the Florida Department of Environmental Protection 's Office of Greenways and Trails, and FDOT entered into

3910-584: The case of the Bahia Honda Rail Bridge , which was a truss bridge, the concrete road surface was built on top of the trusses. The conversion of the railroad bridges to automobile use was accomplished by Cleary Brothers Construction Co. of West Palm Beach. The full highway from the mainland to Key West was officially opened for traffic on March 29, 1938 and upon completion, the route became the southernmost segment of U.S. Route 1 , which previously terminated in Miami (State Road 4A would remain as

3995-805: The city of Marathon . The remaining portion of Fat Deer Key and most of Shelter Key are part of Key Colony Beach .): The Long Key Bridge (MM 63¼-65¼) separates the Middle Keys from the Upper Keys: (Lower Matecumbe through Plantation Keys are incorporated as Islamorada , Village of Islands. The "towns" of Key Largo , North Key Largo and Tavernier , all on the island of Key Largo, are not incorporated.): All keys north of Broad Creek are in Biscayne National Park and Miami-Dade County . The following are "true" Florida Keys (exposed ancient coral reefs): The following are "transitional keys", made of exposed ancient reef surrounded by sand: Key Biscayne

4080-525: The completion of Henry Flagler 's Overseas Railway in the early 1910s. Flagler, a major developer of Florida's Atlantic coast, extended his Florida East Coast Railway down to Key West with an ambitious series of oversea railroad trestles. Three hurricanes disrupted the project in 1906 , 1909 , and 1910 . The strongest hurricane to strike the U.S. made landfall near Islamorada in the Upper Keys on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 1935. Winds were estimated to have gusted to 200 mph (320 km/h), raising

4165-431: The highway on the old rail bed from Lower Matecumbe Key to Big Pine Key . This would effectively connect the two segments of State Road 4A, with present-day Key Deer Boulevard connecting the new highway on Big Pine Key to the original highway on the lower keys. The railroad's bridges, which withstood the hurricane and were in good condition, were retrofitted with new two-lane wide concrete surfaces for automobile use. In

4250-566: The house. Nonetheless, Monroe County, as reported in the Federal Register, has estimated that there are between 8,000 and 12,000 illegal enclosures inhabited by people. Because of the threat from storm surge, evacuations are routinely ordered when the National Weather Service issues a hurricane watch or warning, and are sometimes ordered for a tropical storm warning. Evacuation of the Keys depends on causeways and

4335-408: The houses on the Keys and another 65% suffered major damage. Most residents had evacuated before the storm hit the area. On September 12, parts of the Keys were still inaccessible by causeway and some areas were closed to the public. Governor Rick Scott reported devastation; most areas were without power or water. The damage was the worst in the Lower Keys, though less severe in Key West; parts of

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4420-405: The islands is more than 20 feet (6.1 m) above sea level (and many are only a few feet elevation), and water surrounds the islands, nearly every neighborhood is subject to flooding as well as hurricane winds. In response, many homes in the Keys are built on concrete stilts with the first floor being not legally habitable and enclosed by breakaway walls that are not strongly attached to the rest of

4505-701: The islands of the Keys. The Keys are also home to unique animal species, including the American crocodile , Key deer (protected by the National Key Deer Refuge ), and the Key Largo woodrat . The Keys are part of the northernmost range of the American crocodile, which is found throughout the Neotropics . The Key Largo Woodrat is found only in the northern part of its namesake island and is

4590-628: The lights on it are flashing. US 1 swings to the northwest, forms the southern boundary of North Key Largo, and becomes a two-lane divided road after the intersection. After crossing the Jewfish Creek Bridge (where it enters unincorporated Monroe County again) and traveling along Cross Key, US 1 crosses Manatee Creek, along with the Miami-Dade County boundary, and reaches the mainland. The Florida Department of Transportation ("FDOT") maintains mile marker signs in

4675-579: The limestone, where soil accumulates and trees root. The Florida Keys have distinctive plant and animals species, some found nowhere else in the United States, as the Keys define the northern extent of their ranges. The climate also allows many imported plants to thrive. Some exotic species which arrived as landscape plants now invade and threaten natural areas. The native flora of the Keys is diverse, including members of both temperate families, such as red maple ( Acer rubrum ), slash pine ( Pinus elliottii var. densa ) and oaks ( Quercus spp.), growing at

4760-506: The lower keys where the original road ran further south, many of the wooden bridges were left in service allowing some segments of the road to become side roads. However, the original bridges that connected Stock Island and Boca Chica Key , and Geiger Key to the Saddlebunch Keys were removed. Portions of the original highway are now Boca Chica Road and Geiger Road on Boca Chica and Geiger Keys. County Road 939A runs along

4845-468: The mid 1920s. Officially opening for traffic on January 25, 1928, the original highway existed in two segments at its greatest extent. One segment ran from the mainland via Card Sound Road to Key Largo and extended as far as Lower Matecumbe Key , while a segment in the lower keys existed from No Name Key to Key West . An automobile ferry service connected the 41-mile gap between Lower Matecumbe and No Name Keys. State Road 4A mostly ran alongside of

4930-618: The mile markers. For example, the Tropical Research Laboratory of Mote Marine Laboratory has a physical address of 24244 Overseas Highway. The first two digits indicate that the Laboratory is located at Mile Marker 24 (corresponding to an address on Summerland Key ). The next two digits indicate that it is about a quarter of a mile east of the Mile Marker 24 sign (MM 24.24), while the last digit, because it

5015-408: The more exposed vegetation in the keys is scrub , stunted due to the intense sun, quick draining sandy soil, and arid winter climate. The Keys are occasionally threatened by tropical storms and hurricanes , leading to evacuations to the mainland. Hurricane Georges , after destroying much of the housing and infrastructure on many of the Caribbean islands , caused damage and extensive flooding in

5100-433: The north side of the railroad to Upper Sugarloaf Key, where it turned south and ran along the southern shoreline of Lower Sugarloaf Key , the Saddlebunch Keys , Geiger Key , and Boca Chica Key . On Boca Chica Key , it followed the shoreline south of Naval Air Station Key West 's airstrip to Boca Chica Beach before crossing to Stock Island. On Stock Island, it followed Maloney Avenue and MacDonald Avenue where it rejoined

5185-561: The northern boundary of the city of Key Colony Beach . It then continues wholly in Marathon through Long Point Key , Crawl Key , and Grassy Key . The road then crosses to Little Conch Key and then Conch Key , both part of the Duck Key district . US 1 then crosses to and traverses Long Key , which is mostly unincorporated except for the city of Layton , which the highway passes through. The road then reaches Craig Key , and then

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5270-551: The oceanside and vice versa. While the Overseas Highway today runs along the former Overseas Railroad right of way, portions of the highway came into existence earlier in a different alignment while the railroad was still operating. The concept of an Overseas Highway began with the Miami Motor Club in 1921. The Florida land boom of the 1920s was underway and the club wanted to attract tourists to easily reached fishing areas, which could only be reached by boat or train at

5355-403: The original road on the Saddlebunch Keys and Sugarloaf Key , though some portions of the road are now hiking trails. Remnants of the wooden bridge at Tarpon Creek on Upper Sugarloaf Key still remain, which was destroyed by a fire in later years. The original highway through Key Largo and Tavernier would once again become part of the Overseas Highway in the early 1970s when it was expanded to

5440-627: The present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas. This reef formed the Key Largo Limestone that is exposed on the surface from Soldier Key (midway between Key Biscayne and Elliott Key) to the southeast portion of Big Pine Key and the Newfound Harbor Keys. The types of coral that formed Key Largo Limestone can be identified on the exposed surface of these keys. Minor fluctuations in sea level exposed parts of

5525-489: The reef, subjecting it to erosion. Acidic water, which can result from decaying vegetation, dissolves limestone. Some of the dissolved limestone redeposited as a denser cap rock , which can be seen as outcrops overlying the Key Largo and Miami limestones throughout the Keys. The limestone that eroded from the reef formed oolites in the shallow sea behind the reef, and together with the skeletal remains of bryozoans , formed

5610-416: The remnants of large coral reefs, which became fossilized and exposed when the sea level dropped. The natural habitats of the Keys are upland forests, inland wetlands and shoreline zones. Soil ranges from sand to marl to rich, decomposed leaf litter . In some places, "caprock" (the eroded surface of coral formations) covers the ground. Rain falling through leaf debris becomes acidic and dissolves holes in

5695-479: The result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or ice ages . Beginning some 130,000 years ago the Sangamonian Stage raised sea levels about 25 feet (7.6 m) feet above the current level. All of southern Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reef formed along the edge of the submerged Florida Platform , stretching south and then west from

5780-516: The road enters the community of Key Largo , which also features another pair of one-way roads. At the northern end of the Key Largo district, about two-thirds of the way along the island, US 1 intersects County Road 905 (CR 905), which offers an alternative route out of the Keys via North Key Largo and the Card Sound Bridge . Signage approaching the intersection directs northbound motorists to take this alternative route if

5865-584: The roadway and bridges as part of a government relief program. Construction on a bridge connecting Lower Matecumbe Key with Long Key was already underway when the Category 5 Labor Day Hurricane struck Islamorada on September 2, 1935. The hurricane caused widespread damage throughout the area and destroyed much of the Overseas Railroad in the upper keys. Of the over 400 fatalities from the hurricane, more than half were veterans and their families. Their deaths caused anger and charges of mismanagement that led to

5950-423: The southern end of their ranges, and tropical families, including mahogany ( Swietenia mahagoni ), gumbo limbo ( Bursera simaruba ), stoppers ( Eugenia spp.), Jamaican dogwood ( Piscidia piscipula ), and many others, which grow only in tropical climates. Several types of palms are native to the Florida Keys, including the Florida thatch palm ( Thrinax radiata ), which grows to its greatest size in Florida on

6035-460: The southern night sky year-round. It also hosts amateur astronomy gatherings. Upper Matecumbe Key Upper Matecumbe Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys . U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway ) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 79–83.5, between Windley Key and Lower Matecumbe Key . All of the key is within the Village of Islamorada as of November 4, 1997, when it

6120-725: The state legislature created the Overseas Road and Toll Bridge District to seek federal funding to extend and connect the roadways, though funding was scarce as the country was in the midst of the Great Depression . Funding would eventually come through the Federal Emergency Relief Administration , a program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's New Deal . Hundreds of disgruntled World War I veterans seeking early payment of wartime pensions were employed for construction on

6205-412: The time. The land boom also attracted real estate interests who sought vehicular access to the upper keys where there were thousands of acres of undeveloped land. The completion of the railroad further proved a highway through the keys was feasible. Construction on the original Overseas Highway, designated State Road 4A (an extension of a route running from Miami to Homestead ), lasted through most of

6290-481: The trail will provide a mechanism for the preservation and use of the historic Flagler Railroad Bridges, 23 of which still exist and are mostly intact. Several alternatives exist for trail alignment, including cutting down the 22-foot-wide (6.7 m), 1940s-era roadway to its original 12-foot (3.7 m) spandrel width, or using the 22-foot-wide (6.7 m) roadway as is, particularly in multi-use areas. In all cases, original bridgework will be repaired or rebuilt, and

6375-629: The tropical islands of the Florida Keys and the viewing of exotic plants and animals found nowhere else on the US mainland and the largest coral reef chain in the United States. Following the Cuban Revolution , many Cubans emigrated to South Florida. Key West traditionally had strong links with its neighbor ninety miles south by water, and large numbers of Cubans settled there. The Keys still attract Cubans leaving their home country, and stories of "rafters" coming ashore are not uncommon. In 1982,

6460-556: The two-lane highway to the mainland. Time estimates for evacuating the entire Keys range from 12 to 24 hours. Evacuation estimates are significant in emergency planning, of course, but also because they are a factor in local and state regulations for controlling development. The building permit allocation was increased in 2005 when local governments reduced estimates for evacuation. On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Cudjoe Key. The storm destroyed an estimated 25% of

6545-461: The vast majority of tourists drive down from the mainland on U.S. 1. This influx of traffic, coupled with the two-lane nature of U.S. 1 through most of its length in the Keys, and the fact that no alternative road routes are available mean that Monroe County has the highest per capita rate of fatal automobile accidents in the state of Florida. The major industries are fishing and tourism, including ecotourism , with many visitors scuba diving in

6630-404: The village of Islamorada including Lower Matecumbe Key , Tea Table Key , Upper Matecumbe Key , and Windley Key . US 1 crosses a drawbridge onto Plantation Key , where it expands to four lanes and then leaves Islamorada as it crosses to Key Largo . Immediately the Overseas Highway enters Tavernier , where it temporarily splits into a pair of one-way roads through the community . Soon,

6715-405: Was The Overseas Hi-Way Race , which first aired on December 28, 1968, on CBS , covering the entire actual route from Key Largo to Key West. While Long Key was correctly portrayed, most of the other in-between keys were given fictional names, and Sombrero Key was actually five miles south of the highway in open water, according to the Florida Keys –East map. The Overseas Highway is depicted in

6800-482: Was closed to traffic and its remains were subsequently destroyed by a fire (the Card Sound route would be restored as a secondary route in 1969 with the opening of the current bridge). Today, some segments of the original highway remain as frontage roads for the current highway. In 1946, the State Road Department began removing some of the original highway's wooden bridges that paralleled the rebuilt highway. In

6885-404: Was financially unable to rebuild the damaged sections of the Overseas Railroad. Seizing a rare opportunity, the state purchased the railroad's entire right of way south of Florida City and its remaining infrastructure for a price of $ 640,000. After the purchase of the railroad right of way, the Overseas Road and Toll Bridge District abandoned its original highway plans and made new plans to build

6970-406: Was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections, so the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the state of Florida for $ 640,000. Since the 1950s, the Overseas Highway has been refurbished into a main coastal highway between the cities of Miami and Key West , offering travelers an exotic roadway through a tropical savanna environment and access to the largest area of coral reefs on

7055-424: Was incorporated. The island lies to the southwest of Windley Key and to the northeast of Lower Matecumbe Key . The history of the names of both this key and Lower Matecumbe Key are very confusing, as identical names have been used at different times to designate both keys. Upper Matecumbe Key is the original settlement site of Islamorada . There are several Indian mounds and habitation sites located here. It

7140-468: Was not rebuilt following the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 . Even before the hurricane, road sections and highway bridges allowed automobile traffic to travel from Miami to Lower Matecumbe Key, where a car ferry connected with another roadway section through the Lower Keys. Following the hurricane, some of the original railway bridges were converted to carry the highway roadbeds. These bridges were used until

7225-430: Was the construction of the highway from Florida City to Key Largo on the old railroad route via Jewfish Creek . The new alignments would shorten the route from Key West to the mainland by 17 miles. The new alignments were officially completed on May 16, 1944, with Florida Governor Spessard Holland presiding over ribbon-cutting ceremonies. After the completion of the realignments in 1944, the original Card Sound Bridge

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