When was Key West the richest city?

Thanks to the shallow reefs just offshore Old Town and the expansive territory of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, industries like wrecking, salvaging, salt manufacturing and turtling made Key West the richest city in the United States per capita during the mid-1800s.



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Most of us realize that St. Augustine is the oldest city in Florida and is considered by most historians to be the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the United States of America.

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The Florida Keys' seafaring history, shaped by pirates and wreckers and treasure hunters, still lives in magnificent vessels like the Schooner Wolf. In 1822, when Key West was a brand-new seafaring settlement, the U.S. government sent Commodore David Porter to banish pirates from area waters.

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Key West, Florida is a quirky, vibrant little island that feels worlds away, ??famed for its sunsets, turquoise waters, and wooden gingerbread houses painted in the pastel pinks and greens of the Caribbean.

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Casa Marina Key West Casa Marina is located on the southern edge of the island and has its own private beach—something few Key West hotels can claim. It also enjoys a rich history, hosting a roster of celebrities and politicians in its nearly 100 years.

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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.

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Wisteria Island, also known as Christmas Tree Island, is a federally owned, uninhabited island in the lower Florida Keys 645 yards (590 m) northwest of the northwestern corner of the main island and city of Key West, Florida, Monroe County, United States.

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