The name Key West is actually a misnomer. Spanish settlers originally called Key West Cayo Hueso, which translates to bone island, referring to the bones of the Calusa Indians who had once lived in the Florida Keys. English speakers mistook Cayo Hueso, thinking it sounded like Key West and the name stuck.

A fascinating fun fact about Key West is that in 1982, the island "seceded" from the United States and declared itself the Conch Republic. This was not a violent revolution but a tongue-in-cheek protest against the U.S. Border Patrol, which had set up a roadblock on the only highway connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland to search for drugs and illegal immigrants, causing massive traffic jams and hurting tourism. The mayor of Key West, Dennis Wardlow, declared independence in the town square, "declared war" on the U.S. by symbolically breaking a loaf of stale Cuban bread over the head of a man in a Navy uniform, and then immediately surrendered and applied for $1 billion in "foreign aid." While the secession was never legally recognized by the federal government, the protest worked, and the roadblock was removed shortly after. Today, the Conch Republic lives on as a point of local pride; you can still buy "Conch Republic" passports, flags, and license plates, and the island celebrates its "Independence Day" every April with a week-long festival of parades and mock battles, embodying the eccentric, rebellious, and fun-loving spirit that makes Key West unique.