Key West dates to 1828, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #3 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
19 places in town are on the National Register, among them 4 National Historic Landmarks and two historic districts with 2,686 buildings between them. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1840.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Key West’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Key West is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #3 of 638 in Florida. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Key West’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 Key West’s 1,050 sits above most of its state (99% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 2,700 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1828.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Key West’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 4 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
At various times before the 19th century, people who were related or subject to the Calusa and the Tequesta inhabited Key West. The last Native American residents of Key West were Calusa refugees who were taken to Cuba when Florida was transferred from Spain to Great Britain in 1763.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Key West. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Key West sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Key West.
Every building
Key West, building by building, 1889–1912
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1828, according to Wikidata. Key West’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1840 counted 688 people here.
How does Key West rank for history?
Key West is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #3 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.
What is on the National Register in Key West?
19 listings, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks: 12 buildings, among them the Ernest Hemingway House (a National Historic Landmark since 1968), 2 historic districts, the Key West Historic District and the US Naval Station, with 2,686 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 4 structures. 2,700 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Key West?
20% of Key West’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 the Library of Congress (17), the National Register of Historic Places (19), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
1862
1862
1938
1938
1938
1938
1938
1938
1938
1938
1938
