Long Key is an island in the middle

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

. Long Key was called Cayo Víbora (Rattlesnake Key) by early Spanish explorers, a reference to the shape of the island, which resembles a snake with its jaws open, rather than to its denizens. The city of

Layton Layton or The Laytons may refer to: Places United States * Layton, Florida, a city * Layton, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Layton Township, Pottawattamie County, Iowa * Layton, New Jersey, an unincorporated community * Layton, Pennsyl ...

is located on Long Key. The state park (3.9 km²) was dedicated October 1, 1969.

U.S. 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, ...

(or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 65.5--71, between Fiesta Key and Conch Key. It is the home of

Long Key State Park Long Key State Park is a Florida State Park located on Long Key, one of the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is at mile marker 67.5 on U.S. 1, 67400 Overseas Highway. History Prehistoric coral reefs grew here over t ...

, a favorite of campers and nature lovers, the camp sites are on the beach but the proximity of US1 makes it noisy. It is smaller and less developed than the neighboring incorporated village of Islamorada to the northeast and city of

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

to the southwest. Long Key

History

It was visited by

C.W. Pierce CW may stand for: Science and technology * centiwatt (cW), one hundredth of a watt * Cω, a programming language * CW complex, a type of topological space * Carrier wave, in radio communications * CodeWarrior, an integrated development environme ...

in his boat, Bonton (1885). He stopped at the lower end of the key where there was a house with a

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

and replenished his water supply. The key was a depot site during the railroad years, and it was also the site of the well known

Long Key Fishing Camp Long Key Fishing Camp was established on Long Key in Florida in 1908 by Henry M. Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway Company for the use of tourists to enjoy what was described as "some of the best fishing in the world." It initially served as ho ...

Education

It is in the Monroe County School District. It is zoned to Plantation Key Elementary School (K-8) in Plantation Key.
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References

External links

Long Key State Park site
{{authority control Islands of the Florida Keys Islands of Monroe County, Florida Beaches of Monroe County, Florida Beaches of Florida Islands of Florida