Little Torch Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys

Florida Keys

The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...

.

U.S. Route 1 (also known as the Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. Completed in 1912, the Overseas Railroad was heavily damaged and partially...

), crosses the key at approximately mile markers 28—29. It is immediately preceded to the northeast by Big Pine Key, and is followed by Middle Torch Key

Middle Torch Key

Middle Torch Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys.It is located between Ramrod Key and Little Torch Key.The southernmost tip of the key is on U.S. 1 , at approximately mile marker 28....

 to the southwest.

A small island 24 miles from Key West, Little Torch Key is home primarily to locals, living and working from Big Pine Key to Key West

Key West

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....

. The island is also host to visitors who don't mind a commute to the popular destination of Key West. There are a few, but not many businesses on the island, including restaurants and lodging.

Like all of the keys in the Torch Keys, this key was probably named for the native torchwood

Burseraceae

Burseraceae is a moderate-sized family of 17-18 genera and about 540 species of flowering plants. The actual numbers differ according to the time period in which a given source is written describing this family. The Burseraceae is also known as the Torchwood family, the frankincense and myrrh...

 tree, Amyris elemifera

Amyris elemifera

Amyris elemifera, commonly known as Sea Torchwood, is a coastal evergreen shrub or small tree. It is found in central and southern Florida in the United States, The Bahamas, the Caribbean, and the Central American countries of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. The resinous wood has been...

L. The north end of the key is the site of a former settlement which was abandoned in 1938 when the highway was relocated.

Its most likely claim to fame is as a relatively frequent fishing destination for U.S. President Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

. A Reuters story on February 14, 2009, named a resort there as one of the "Top 10 most romantic retreats".