Florida Keys History: How These Islands Were Settled and Named
The Florida Keys formed through coral reef growth and were shaped by successive waves of Native, Spanish, British, and American settlement with names rooted in Spanish and English terms.
- The Keys are coral islands extending southwest from mainland Florida, first inhabited by Calusa and Tequesta peoples.
- Spanish explorers named most islands using 'cayo' for small island, later anglicized to 'key'.
- Permanent settlement began with Bahamian wreckers and fishermen in the 1800s, followed by railroad and highway connections.
- Key West served as a major port for salvage, military, and trade due to its position near shipping lanes.
The Florida Keys are a string of low-lying coral and limestone islands curving about 120 miles from Biscayne Bay to the Dry Tortugas, originally formed by ancient reef growth and rising sea levels that left exposed landmasses.
Early Inhabitants and Spanish Naming
Native groups including the Calusa in the lower Keys and Tequesta in the upper Keys lived on the islands for thousands of years, relying on fishing, shellfish, and seasonal camps rather than large permanent villages. Spanish explorers in the 1500s, starting with Juan Ponce de León in 1513, charted the islands and applied the term 'cayo' meaning small island or islet; maps recorded names such as Cayo Hueso (Bone Key, later Key West), Cayo Largo (Long Key), and Cayo Vizcaíno.
British Period and Early American Settlement
After Britain gained Florida in 1763, surveyors anglicized many Spanish names while adding new ones based on features or owners; the islands remained sparsely populated until American control in 1821. Wrecking became the main industry as ships frequently grounded on the reefs, drawing Bahamian and New England settlers to Key West and Indian Key who built homes, warehouses, and salvage operations.
Nineteenth-Century Growth and Infrastructure
By the mid-1800s Key West had grown into Florida's largest city thanks to wrecking, sponging, cigar manufacturing, and naval presence. Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad reached Key West in 1912, linking the islands to the mainland until the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane destroyed much of it; the Overseas Highway opened in 1938 using many of the same bridges and viaducts.
Understanding the layered settlement and naming history explains why many Keys retain Spanish-derived names, why Key West developed a distinct Conch culture blending Bahamian, Cuban, and Anglo influences, and why the chain remains strategically important for navigation, defense, and tourism today.
