Lower Sugarloaf Key
Encyclopedia
Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key is a single island in the lower Florida Keys that forms a loop on the Atlantic Ocean side giving the illusion of separate islands. Although frequently referred to simply and with technical accuracy as "Sugarloaf Key", this island contains two distinct island communities, known as...
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...
about 13 miles east of 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....
.
U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 in Florida
U.S. Route 1 in Florida runs along the state's east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River into Georgia north of Boulogne, and south of Folkston. US 1 was designated through Florida when the U.S. Highway System was established in 1926.US 1 runs in the state of Florida, and...
(or 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 16.5–17.5. Due to the routing of U.S. Route 1, it appears that Upper Sugarloaf Key and Lower Sugarloaf Key are separate islands, but they are actually one large "U"-shaped island.
As its name implies, Lower Sugarloaf Key is the lower arm of Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key
Sugarloaf Key is a single island in the lower Florida Keys that forms a loop on the Atlantic Ocean side giving the illusion of separate islands. Although frequently referred to simply and with technical accuracy as "Sugarloaf Key", this island contains two distinct island communities, known as...
, with the upper arm being Upper Sugarloaf Key
Upper Sugarloaf Key
Upper Sugarloaf Key is located at ~24.7° N 81.5° W in the Florida Keys. It located between MM20.5-MM19 and bridge number 28/29 at Bow Channel/Park Key. . U.S. 1 crosses the key at approximately mile markers 19--20.5....
. The island makes a loop on the Atlantic side with Upper Sugarloaf Sound and Park Key
Park Key
Park Key is an uninhabited island in the lower Florida Keys about 14 miles east of Key West. It is 1500 Meters long, and between 75 and 260 Meters wide . It measures 28,5 hectares in area....
in the center. Although smaller in area, than Upper Sugarloaf Key
Upper Sugarloaf Key
Upper Sugarloaf Key is located at ~24.7° N 81.5° W in the Florida Keys. It located between MM20.5-MM19 and bridge number 28/29 at Bow Channel/Park Key. . U.S. 1 crosses the key at approximately mile markers 19--20.5....
, it is more densely populated and is also called Sugarloaf Shores
Sugarloaf Shores, Florida
Sugarloaf Shores is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located in the lower Florida Keys on Lower Sugarloaf Key near mile marker 17 on US 1 ....
.
It has Sugarloaf Lodge and restaurant, an airport, a volunteer fire department, and a bat tower
Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower
The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower is a historic site in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located a mile northwest of U.S. 1 on Lower Sugarloaf Key at mile marker 17. On May 13, 1982, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places....
built in 1929 which is listed as a historic site. The tower was put there by a man named Perky to control the mosquito problem in the Lower Keys, but when the bats were put in, they flew away, never to return. Mr. Perky intended to found a city named after himself, but the city did not succeed due to the local mosquitoes.