KEY WEST

city, seat of Monroe county, southwestern Florida, the southernmost settlement within the continental limits of the United States. It lies about 100 miles (160 km) from the mainland on a sand and coral island about 4 miles (6.5 km) long and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide in the western Florida Keys. The name is an English corruption of Cayo Hueso (Bone Islet), the name given to it by Spanish explorers who found human bones there. The Spanish crown granted the island to a Spanish army officer, Juan Pablo Salas, who sold it to John Simonton of Mobile, Ala., in 1822. That year the island was occupied by U.S. forces under Matthew C. Perry, and a naval depot was soon established by David Porter as a base of operations against pirates. A fire destroyed much of the town in 1886. The Overseas Highway (opened 1938) connects the keys by 42 bridges, some several miles long, over vast expanses of water. There is a unique blend of Cuban, West Indian, Bahamian, and American atmosphere in the city of Key West. Tourism and fishing are major sources of income. Throughout its history the city has been a seat of naval activity, and nearby is a U.S. naval air station. It is a seat of Florida Keys Community College (1965), and the home of Ernest Hemingway and the residence of John James Audubon have been preserved. Inc. 1828. Pop. (1990) 24,832.