Key Largo, Florida

Key Largo is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Monroe County, Florida, United States, located on the island of Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. The population was 12,447 at the 2020 census, up from 10,433 in 2010. The name comes from the Spanish Cayo Largo, or "long key". It is both the first island and town of the Florida Keys to be reached from the Overseas Highway to Key West. It was also the location of one of the stations of the Overseas Railroad. Geography Key Largo shares the island of Key Largo with Tavernier to the southwest and North Key Largo to the northeast. U.S. Route 1, the Overseas Highway, runs the length of the community, leading north 57 miles (92 km) to Miami and southwest 97 miles (156 km) to Key West. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 15.2 square miles (39 km2), of which 12.0 square miles (31 km2) are land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), or 20.96%, are water. Key Largo is the location of the first undersea park in the United States, established in 1963, and called the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (located at Mile Marker 102). The park is primarily offshore and stretches 3 miles (5 km) into the Atlantic Ocean and is 25 miles (40 km) long. Adjacent to this is the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary covering 178 square nautical miles. Both areas were designed to protect marine life, including the extensive coral reefs in the area. Climate According to the Köppen climate classification, Key Largo has a tropical monsoon climate (Am). Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Key Largo had a population of 12,447. The median age was 51.1 years. 15.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.0 males age 18 and over. 97.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.9% lived in rural areas. There were 5,506 households in Key Largo, of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.9% were married-couple households, 21.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 8,903 housing units, of which 38.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 17.3%. Income and poverty The average income for a household in the CDP was $42,577, and the median income for a family was $50,755. Males had a median income of $33,588 versus $25,468 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,441. About 5.9% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. Education The Monroe County School District operates the Key Largo School. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami formerly operated the Saint Justin Martyr, Academy of Marine Science (PK-9) school in Key Largo. Notable people Dick Rutkowski, founder of IANTD A. J. Paterson, soccer player who represented the Grenada national team References External links Key Largo Chamber of Commerce Business and Tourism Development Monroe County School District Key Largo Public Schools History of Key Largo