Key Colony Beach, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Key Colony Beach, Florida
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Aerial view of Key Colony Beach, October 1987
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Location in Monroe County and the state of Florida
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U.S. Census Bureau map showing city limits
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Monroe |
| Government | |
| • Type | Commission-Manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.65 sq mi (1.68 km2) |
| • Land | 0.44 sq mi (1.14 km2) |
| • Water | 0.21 sq mi (0.54 km2) |
| Elevation | 3 ft (1 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 790 |
| • Density | 1,795.45/sq mi (693.21/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
33051
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| Area code(s) | 305 |
| FIPS code | 12-36325 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0285076 |
| Website | Official website: http://www.keycolonybeach.net/ |
Key Colony Beach is a municipality in the middle of the Florida Keys, Monroe County, Florida, United States. The population was 797 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 814.
Geography
Key Colony Beach is located at 24°43′28″N 81°1′5″W / 24.72444°N 81.01806°W (24.724515, -81.017928). Most of the city is located on an island formerly known as Shelter Key; a small part of the city is on Fat Deer Key, where the Sadowski Causeway (also 131st St Ocean on the Marathon street grid), which is the only road entering the city, connects to U.S. 1 (the Overseas Highway).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2), of which 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (23.88%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 66 | — | |
| 1970 | 371 | 462.1% | |
| 1980 | 977 | 163.3% | |
| 1990 | 977 | 0.0% | |
| 2000 | 788 | −19.3% | |
| 2010 | 797 | 1.1% | |
| 2020 | 790 | −0.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 645 | 81.65% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 19 | 2.41% |
| Asian | 7 | 0.89% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.13% |
| Other/Mixed | 16 | 2.03% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 102 | 12.91% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 790 people, 320 households, and 181 families residing in the city.
History
Prior to the early 1950s, Shelter Key (on which most of Key Colony Beach is located) was a 97-acre (390,000 m2) low-lying island. Then, Phil Sadowski began dredging around the island, adding to its size and increasing its height to six feet above mean sea level, and later built developments on the island.
Around 1956-1957, residents of nearby Marathon began discussing incorporating the entire area. Sadowski was not keen on having his development swallowed up into Marathon, so he began the process of incorporating the island into its own city. The Florida Legislature passed legislation in June 1957 allowing incorporation, which local residents passed unanimously in September, thus creating today's Key Colony Beach.
Incorporation would become a blessing in 1960, when much of the city was destroyed by Hurricane Donna. As a separately incorporated city, Key Colony Beach received its own federal grant to rebuild; nearby Marathon (not yet incorporated) had to settle for a portion of the grant given to Monroe County. However, the storm (and subsequent takeover of Cuba by Fidel Castro) caused a depression of real estate prices, which would take several years to stabilize.
Geographical layout
Key Colony Beach is reached over the Sadowski Causeway, which connects Key Colony Beach to Marathon, on the east side of the city. It lies directly south of the City of Marathon, spanning a narrow cut.
Along the causeway are some charter fishing boats and a dockside restaurant called Sparky's Landing. At the base of the causeway, West Ocean Drive branches off first to the right and East Ocean Drive soon after branches to the left. On West Ocean Drive is the police station, along with the post office and town hall. In the same vicinity is a small park with a fountain and a gazebo. The entire ocean-facing side of West Ocean Drive is lined by various condominium complexes, while the side facing Marathon houses the Key Colony Inn and a par 3 golf course. Starting at the far end of East Ocean Drive, streets are numbered one to fifteen east to west, and run from south to north toward Shelter Bay. The most notable buildings along East Ocean Drive are the Key Colony Beach Motel and the Key Colony Beach Club. At the tip of West Ocean Drive is Sunset Park, the place closest to where a woman was fatally struck by a spotted eagle ray. Many news reports were recorded from this park overlooking the shallows where the Vaca Cut meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Notable people
- Charley Lau, baseball player and coach
See also
In Spanish: Key Colony Beach para niños
