Did you know?
Key Largo is the old Spanish name meaning long island, and is one of the oldest place names on the North American continent, dating back to the early years of the sixteenth century.
The present community of Key Largo was known until 1959 as Rock Harbor. It came into being in the railroad days, when the pioneer families of cultivators and fishermen moved their homes from the shore to the vicinity of the newer modes of transportation.
Click above to view Key Largo video.
Welcome to Key Largo - The Diving Capital
As you drive south from Miami, the first area you encounter is Key Largo, the longest, largest and easternmost island of the Florida Keys chain. The Florida Keys are measured in terms of Mile Markers and Key Largo extends from MM 90 to MM 106. To the north lies Florida Bay and to the south are the Florida Straits and the Atlantic Ocean.
The first thing a tourist may notice is that there are no soft sand beaches. While mainland Florida has wide, sandy beaches, the Florida Keys has a living reef that extends its length, the only living reef in the continental United States.
A large portion of the upper part of Key Largo is unsettled and protected land, including the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, a 6800 acre hardwood hammock that is the primary breeding ground for the endangered American crocodile. This area is closed to the public.
Diving is big business in Key Largo and divers from all around the world are attracted to John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park , the first underwater park in the United States. Key Largo offers divers everything they need by the way of dive packages, scuba equipment and lessons, and great accommodations.
Of course, Key Largo has had its share of celebrity. Former President George Bush is a frequent visitor and fishing angler. John Huston, back in 1948, filmed several scenes of the movie Key Largo in the Caribbean Club at Rock Harbor (see Bogie and Bacall).
