There appears to be possibly two theories on how Sugarloaf Key got it's name. The island has a marina-dive-bait shop, a convenience store/deli, a county sheriff station, three restaurants and an excellent veterinarian. Bow Channel which separates Cudjoe and Sugarloaf Keys was named after a lady pioneer, Lily Lawrence Bow, who resided on the western shore from 1904 to 1906. A third theory has a freed slave residing here taking the name Cudjoe for himself in reverence to a Jamaican rebel slave leader.Ĭudjoe Key is mostly inhabited on the southern shores below US 1, while much of the rest of the island is wetlands and pinewoods, with many cabbage palms, a somewhat rare plant in the Keys. Another talks of an early Key Wester with a speech impediment who referred to his cousin Joe, then living on the island, as 'Cud Joe'. One is simply that early settlers would come here to 'cut joe', the joewood trees that were so prevalent. This Key also has some interesting theories about it's name.

Located about 21 miles from Key West, Cudjoe Key is probably best known for 'Fat Albert', a military aerostat blimp tethered at the north end of the island since the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early sixties. These include: two large marine dealers, two dive shops, two bait/tackle shops, two convenience/gas stations, a post office, two banks, two beauty shops, two liquor stores, a major chain grocery store, boat rentals, kayak rentals, video rentals, florists, three building supply/hardware stores, dentists, doctors, gift stores, eleven restaurants and more. Most of Big Pine Key is pine lands and hardwood hammocks fringed by wetlands and transitional wetlands.Īlong US 1 you will find much more diverse commercial activities and businesses. The developed areas are scattered about the island with state and federal protected lands in between. Big Pine lies within both the Key Deer and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuges. Points of interest include The Blue Hole which contains fresh water turtles, fish and alligators, and the Nature Trail which meanders through federal refuge lands. It is also home to the famous little Key Deer. It is named for the extensive stands of Southern Slash Pines that are found here and on nearby No Name Key and Little Pine Key. Located about 30 miles from Key West, Big Pine Key is the largest of the Lower Keys, while being second largest only to Key Largo.

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