Half of Big Coppitt Key’s homes were built after 1988
More historic than 9% of U.S. towns · #357 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Big Coppitt Key was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Big Coppitt Key is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #357 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Big Coppitt Key’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Big Coppitt Key’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Big Coppitt Key’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Big Coppitt Key. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1921Sugar Loaf Key sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Big Coppitt Key.
The story so far
Big Coppitt Key, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Big Coppitt Key yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Big Coppitt Key is an island in Monroe County, Florida, United States, in the lower Florida Keys. The name is said to be a derivation of the old English word "coppice", meaning thicket. According to A.D. Bache, in the notes for his coast survey conducted in 1861, this key was the location of Happy Jack's plantation in 1855.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,458 to 2,869 (+17%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
El ChicoMarx Mobile Home ParkSeaside Resort Mobile Home Park
1cemetery inside Big Coppitt Key
Southern Keys
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Big Coppitt Key’s history
How does Big Coppitt Key rank for history?
Big Coppitt Key is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #357 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Big Coppitt Key?
0.6% of Big Coppitt Key’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1988.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
