Lower Sugarloaf Key is the lower arm of an island known as
Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key is a single island in the lower Florida Keys that forms a loop on the Atlantic Ocean side giving the illusion of separate islands. Although frequently referred to simply and with technical accuracy as "Sugarloaf Key", this island c ...
in the lower
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 ...
about east of
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
.
U.S. 1 (or the
Overseas Highway
The Overseas Highway is a 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 Railwa ...
) crosses the key at about mile markers 16.5–17.5. Due to the routing of U.S. Route 1, it appears that Upper Sugarloaf Key and Lower Sugarloaf Key are separate islands, but they are actually one large "U"-shaped island.
As its name implies, Lower Sugarloaf Key is the lower arm of
Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key is a single island in the lower Florida Keys that forms a loop on the Atlantic Ocean side giving the illusion of separate islands. Although frequently referred to simply and with technical accuracy as "Sugarloaf Key", this island c ...
, with the upper arm being
Upper Sugarloaf Key. The island makes a loop on the Atlantic side with Upper Sugarloaf Sound and
Park Key
Park Key is an uninhabited island in the lower Florida Keys about east of Key West. It is 1500 Meters long, and between 75 and 260 Meters wide (190 meters on the average). It measures in area.
The island was made from fill, so that the railroa ...
in the center. Although smaller in area, than
Upper Sugarloaf Key, it is more densely populated and is also called
Sugarloaf Shores.
It has Sugarloaf Lodge and restaurant, an airport and a volunteer fire department.
Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower
The
Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower
The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower, also known as the Perky Bat Tower, is a historic site in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located a mile northwest of U.S. Route 1 on Lower Sugarloaf Key at mile marker 17. On May 13, 1982, it was added to ...
was built in 1929 and is listed as a historic site.
The tower was put there by a man named Perky to control the mosquito problem in the Lower Keys, but when the bats were put in, they flew away, never to return. Mr. Perky intended to found a city named after himself, but the city did not succeed due to the local mosquitoes.
File:Sugarloaf Key FL Bat Tower04.jpg, The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower
The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower, also known as the Perky Bat Tower, is a historic site in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located a mile northwest of U.S. Route 1 on Lower Sugarloaf Key at mile marker 17. On May 13, 1982, it was added to ...
References
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Unincorporated communities in Monroe County, Florida
Suburbs of Key West
Sugarloaf Key
Unincorporated communities in Florida