Sugarloaf Key is a single island 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 ...

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 contains two distinct island communities, known as

Lower Sugarloaf Key Lower Sugarloaf Key is the lower arm of an island known as Sugarloaf Key in the lower Florida Keys about east of Key West. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at about mile markers 16.5–17.5. Due to the routing of U.S. Route 1 ...

and

Upper Sugarloaf Key Upper Sugarloaf Key is located in the Florida Keys. It located between MM20.5-MM19 and bridge number 28/29 at Bow Channel/Park Key. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 19–20.5. Upper Sugarloaf Key is lo ...

History

The name Sugarloaf, is variously attributed as arising from either an Indian mound on the east side of Upper Sugarloaf Key, north of the present highway was said to look like an old-fashioned loaf of sugar or from the variety of pineapple called "sugarloaf" that was once grown in the area. These pineapples are rarely in commercial use any longer since they are soft and do not travel well. The unincorporated community of

Pirates Cove Pirates Cove is an embayment in Marin County, California, United States, between Muir Beach and Tennessee Cove. A trail leads from the terminus of the California Coastal Trail The California Coastal Trail, or CCT, is an environmental pro ...

on the island was the location of one of the stations of the Overseas Railroad.

Geography

The island is somewhat "U"-shaped, 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 ...

separating the island into Upper Sugarloaf Key and Lower Sugarloaf Key. So called, upper and lower, simply referencing the relative nature of their geographic positions, not as distinct islands. Lower Sugarloaf Key is about from

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 ...

, between Park Key and

Saddlebunch Keys The Saddlebunch Keys are a series of mangrove islands about east of Key West, Florida. The keys are scattered between Lower Sugarloaf Key and Shark Key. U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. R ...

and Upper Sugarloaf Key is about east of

, between Park Key and

Cudjoe Key Cudjoe, Codjoe or Captain Cudjoe (c. 1660s – 1764),Michael Sivapragasam''After the Treaties: A Social, Economic and Demographic History of Maroon Society in Jamaica, 1739–1842'' PhD Dissertation, African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica library ...

. Though Lower Sugarloaf Key has a greater density of population it is smaller in area than Upper Sugarloaf Key.

Ecology

Plant species native to the island include

buttonwood Buttonwood or Buttonwoods may refer to: * "Buttonwood", a finance column in ''The Economist'' * Buttonwood Agreement, 1792 effort to organize securities trading that created the predecessor of the New York Stock Exchange Plants * ''Conocarpus'' ...

poisonwood ''Metopium'' or poisonwood is a genus of flowering plants in the sumac family, Anacardiaceae. They are dioecious trees with poisonous sap that can induce contact dermatitis. Taxonomy Species , ''Plants of the World online'' has 4 accepted spec ...

, sea grape and

thatch palm Thatch palm is a common name for several different species of palm trees that are used for thatching, and may refer to: *''Coccothrinax'', many species native to the Caribbean *''Howea'', two species native to Lord Howe Island, Australia *''Thrin ...

. Of fauna,

ibis The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word f ...

es are found on the island, and

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

parrotfish Parrotfishes are a group of about 90 fish species regarded as a Family (biology), family (Scaridae), or a subfamily (Scarinae) of the wrasses. With about 95 species, this group's largest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific. They are found ...

, snapper,

barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...

and

octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttle ...

can be seen in the local waters.

Community

Lower Sugarloaf Key has family owned Sugarloaf Lodge and restaurant, an airport, Sugarloaf Volunteer Fire Station, and

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 ...

. Upper Sugarloaf Key has two public schools, a church, restaurant, commercial offices, public campground and the

Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge The Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in a region known as the 'Backcountry', which reaches from north of Marathon to north of Key West. It is along the north side of ...

. Covering , Sugarloaf Key has the southernmost

KOA KOA (short for Kampgrounds of America) is an American franchise of privately owned campgrounds. Having more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, it is the world's largest system of privately owned campgrounds. It was founded in ...

campground in North America.

Transportation

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 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 Upper Sugarloaf Key at approximately mile markers 19–20.5 and Lower Sugarloaf Key at approximate mile markers 16.5–17.5. Sugarloaf Key is already part of the Overseas Highway and will soon join other islands of the Florida Keys as part of the

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail is a paved rail trail—a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian facility—being constructed between Key Largo and Key West in the Florida Keys. , of the trail has been constructed. History and route Using ...

connecting mainland Florida to Key West via bicycle path(s).

References

Notes Bibliography *

External links

* {{authority control Islands of the Florida Keys Islands of Monroe County, Florida Islands of Florida