Long Key
Long Key is an island in the middle Florida Keys.
U.S. Route 1 (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, a favorite of campers and nature lovers despite the lack of a beach and the proximity of noisy US 1. It is smaller and less developed than the neighboring incorporated village of Islamorada to the northwest and city of Marathon to the southeast.
The city of Layton is located on Long Key.
Long Key was called Cayo Vivora (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.
It was visited by C.W. Pierce in his boat, Bonton (1885). He stopped at the lower end of the key where there was a house with a cistern and replenished his water supply. This key was a depot site during the railroad years, and was also the site of the well known Long Key Fishing Camp.
The 965 acre state park (3.9 km²) was dedicated October 1, 1969.
