Stop 2 - Key West, FL
Overview
I chose this location for a couple of reasons. Foremost, I have never been and wanted to see a unique place. Second, I love the beach so going to a place that has a beach life vibe was important. There is so much history as well, I thought this would have a great balance of a location to spend time in.
Number of Nights Stayed: 4 nights Lodging Location: I stayed at the Inn at Key West. Historic Place Visited: I visited the Hemmingway House. One Museum Visited: For this stop, I chose to visit the US Coast Guard Cutter Ingham Maritime Museum Fun Place Visited: Dry Tortugas National Park One other "random" thing to do. Why?: For this experience, I chose to rent a jet ski and hit the ocean for the day. I just wanted a chance to relax and start the vacation right, in a way that I didnt have to do anything but have fun! Unique Place to Eat ONE Meal. What is special about this place? What would you order?: Featured on the TV show Diners Dive ins and Dives, this seemed like a truly unique place to eat and experience beach life in Key West. I'd go for breakfast with the roosters and order the Blue Heaven Benedicts. MILES TRAVELED SO FAR FROM STARTING POINT: 1,025 miles HOURS TRAVELED IN CAR SO FAR: About 17 hours |
Government
Local Government
Mayor and associated political party: The Mayor of Key West is Craig Yates (R). Current community project or interesting policy: One interesting project by the city surrounds the Smathers Beach Area and updating all of the public restrooms. One unique, crazy or notable law: One law in Key West is that it is an established Bird Sanctuary. See Sec. 10-14. Voter turnout in 2016 Presidential election: Out of a total of 54,749 registered voters, 43,355 votes were cast. 50.97% voted for Donald Trump, 44.14% voted for Hillary Clinton. Roughly 3% voted for an independent candidate. Overview of Local School District: Enrollment - 8,415 Schools - 19 total schools Free and Reduced Lunch Status - 51% of students receive a free or reduced price lunch. What can you infer about the city based on the seal? After looking at the seal for the City of Key West, it is apparent that the community values the sea based on the conch Shell at the Center. Maritime connections are certainly apparent as well with the ships anchor chain and decorative rope around the outside of the seal. State Government Governor and associated political party: The Governor of Florida is Rick Scott (R) Current state project or interesting policy: One unique, crazy or notable law: It is good to know that Florida has banned the selling of Children. See Section 847.0145: Selling of buying of minors; Penalties.- Voter turnout in 2016 Presidential election: Of the over 8 million votes cast in the State of Florida, 49.1% voted for Donald Trump while 47.8% voted for Hillary Clinton. Under 3% voted for an independent candidate. Number of voting districts in state: There are 40 total voting districts in the State of Florida. Link to the state Social Studies standards |
Culture
Demographic breakdown of local area:
White - 67.8%
Black - 11%
Hispanic - 17.7%
Other - 3.5%
Represented religions in the region:
Places to worship. How many of each?:
There are a multitude of places to worship in the area. From Baptist Churches to Buddhist Temples, there seems to be a little for everyone looking to worship in there own way. The 3 largest that are represented are Catholic, Baptist and Non-Denominational.
Interesting music or art festival:
One interesting festival that I found was the Pigeon Key Art Festival which is February 4th and 5th each year. Its a large art show with vendors showing off art from the local region
Fun Place Visited:
Dry Tortugas National Park. I chose this place because of two main reasons. The first, is a secluded fort on an island in the Gulf of Mexico. The second, I'd get a boat ride on the ocean out of the deal!
ANALYSIS: What museum did you visit and how does this museum represent the region both culturally and historically?
The museum I chose to visit was the Cutter USS Ingham Maritime Museum. To me, visiting a maritime museum in Key West perfectly fits the essence of what it means to be in Key West, it's all about the sea. The museum not only houses artifacts from the Coast Guard, but pays special attention to veterans of World War II and the Vietnam War. Key West maintains a storied past when it comes to the sea, so in my view, the Cutter was the unquestionable museum to visit.
The cutter served for over 50 years in the in US Coast Guard, beginning life in a Philadelphia ship yard in January of 1934. The ship served in a "neutrality navy" in the United States prior to World War 2 protecting the shores of the Atlantic coast. Just prior to Pearl Harbor, the ship was transferred to Seattle where it began a tour of protecting the western Pacific coast of the United States. She served predominately as a weather spotter for the main Pacific fleet until returning to Boston to continue the same job in the Northern Atlantic. It was here she served in that capacity until the conclusion of World War 2.
She also served in the Vietnam War as a patrol vessel and acted as a support vessel for ground forces. Her medical staff also conducted "Good Samaritan" missions to assist local Vietnamese villages with medical support. The USS Ingham also operated in the waters around Cuba and escorted refugee vessels to the United States during the Cuban Revolution. She was retired in 1988 where she came to become a Maritime Museum educating the public of her important service as a Coast Guard Vessel.
White - 67.8%
Black - 11%
Hispanic - 17.7%
Other - 3.5%
Represented religions in the region:
Places to worship. How many of each?:
There are a multitude of places to worship in the area. From Baptist Churches to Buddhist Temples, there seems to be a little for everyone looking to worship in there own way. The 3 largest that are represented are Catholic, Baptist and Non-Denominational.
Interesting music or art festival:
One interesting festival that I found was the Pigeon Key Art Festival which is February 4th and 5th each year. Its a large art show with vendors showing off art from the local region
Fun Place Visited:
Dry Tortugas National Park. I chose this place because of two main reasons. The first, is a secluded fort on an island in the Gulf of Mexico. The second, I'd get a boat ride on the ocean out of the deal!
ANALYSIS: What museum did you visit and how does this museum represent the region both culturally and historically?
The museum I chose to visit was the Cutter USS Ingham Maritime Museum. To me, visiting a maritime museum in Key West perfectly fits the essence of what it means to be in Key West, it's all about the sea. The museum not only houses artifacts from the Coast Guard, but pays special attention to veterans of World War II and the Vietnam War. Key West maintains a storied past when it comes to the sea, so in my view, the Cutter was the unquestionable museum to visit.
The cutter served for over 50 years in the in US Coast Guard, beginning life in a Philadelphia ship yard in January of 1934. The ship served in a "neutrality navy" in the United States prior to World War 2 protecting the shores of the Atlantic coast. Just prior to Pearl Harbor, the ship was transferred to Seattle where it began a tour of protecting the western Pacific coast of the United States. She served predominately as a weather spotter for the main Pacific fleet until returning to Boston to continue the same job in the Northern Atlantic. It was here she served in that capacity until the conclusion of World War 2.
She also served in the Vietnam War as a patrol vessel and acted as a support vessel for ground forces. Her medical staff also conducted "Good Samaritan" missions to assist local Vietnamese villages with medical support. The USS Ingham also operated in the waters around Cuba and escorted refugee vessels to the United States during the Cuban Revolution. She was retired in 1988 where she came to become a Maritime Museum educating the public of her important service as a Coast Guard Vessel.
Economics
Personal Financial Literacy
Food budget: $202.50 Lodging budget for all nights stayed: $880.00 Total budget for Adventure: $290.00 Gas budget since last stop: $34.11 Misc. budget expenses: $50.00 Total for Stay: 1,456.61 Local Economy Main industry in region: The main industry in Key West is Tourism and Travel. Largest employer in region: The largest employers in Key West are the Armed Services with 2190 total jobs. Average home value: The median home value in Key west is $621,000 Average household income: The median household income is $54,306 Unemployment rate for region: The unemployment rate in Key West, Florida, is 2.70%, with job growth of 2.66%. |
Geography
Mass Transit options and costs:
Aside from taxis and Uber, there is a mass transportation system in place in Key West comprised of buses. Fares range from 2.00 one way in Key west to 4.00 throughout all of the Keys. Where did you stay? What motivated you to choose this location?: I chose to stay at the "Inn at Key West". It seemed to have the best balance of central location and affordability for my budget. Average Temperature?: The Average yearly temperature in Key West Florida is 77.8 Degrees F. Average Rainfall?: The average precipitation for Key West Florida is 39.75 inches. ANALYSIS: Thinking both Historically and Geographically, why did this region develop where it did? The keys began as a United States territory in in 1763 as a response to the Spanish claim of the Florida panhandle. At this time, Key West began as a US Naval base and slowly built as a trading depot between Cuba, the United States and the rest of the Caribbean. Defenses of the region built up as to protect the financial investments of traders from pirates, which eventually began the building of permanent military installations. It was at this time that Key West became a cornerstone of the world's sponge industry, where fisherman would harvest coral sponges from the sea floor to trade and sell to international buyers. During the Civil War, Key West again became notable as the union used Key West as a base to blockade the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. The Union encampment and operations quickly turned Key West into Florida's largest city. Shortly after the Civil War, particularly after the Union left, Key West turned to another innovative technology, underwater telegraph lines, as a method to fuel the city's growth. This paralleled with a growing Cigar industry, Key West solidified itself into a mainstay of Floridian life. Today, the city is a hub for the tourism industry hosting cruise lines and vacationers alike. Fishing is still an industry that subsidizes the economy but the location of Key West makes it the perfect island getaway that anyone in the mainland United States can drive to today. |
History
Theme or Concept through TIME:
Tourism
Tourism
Quote:
“my family's going to eat as long as anybody eats. What they're trying to do is starve you Conchs out of here so they can burn down the shacks and put up apartments and make this a tourist town. That's what I hear. I hear they're buying up lots, and then after the poor people are starved out and gone somewhere else to starve some more they're going to come in and make it into a beauty spot for tourists.” -Ernest Hemmingway on Tourism
Excerpt taken from government site dedicated to understanding the impacts of different issues on the Keys region of Florida.
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Make a Bold Generalization or Inference
Overview of Local School District:
Enrollment - 8,415
Schools - 19 total schools
Free and Reduced Lunch Status - 51% of students receive a free or reduced price lunch.The data I chose are the following:
Average home value:
The median home value in Key west is $621,000
Average household income:
The median household income is $54,306
Based on the data shown from these three data points, I believe that most people who own homes are not permanent residents of Key West. A person with a median household income of $54,306 dollars likely would not be able to afford a house with a median value of $621,000. This is also supported by the school district data that shows a free and reduced lunch rate of 51%. Likely, most full time residents rent a home, work in the tourism or service industry and support part time residents and vacationers.