A number of the outlying keys have been occupied before the advent of the highway. The remains of cisterns and homesteads may be found on Howe, Content, Johnson, and Sawyer Keys. On these keys there was sufficient soil to raise subsistent crops which would be supplemented by fishing the local waters. Rain water was captured in cisterns. Today the lower keys are a bedroom community for Key West and Marathon.
Most people live and play in the keys and work in Key West.
In the past people in the keys often earned a living by making charcoal, gathering sponges, and fishing. Charcoal and sponges are no longer harvested but fishing, both commerical and sport fishing, are still a strong industry in the lower keys. Collecting data can be fun. Students collecting data about Bahia Honda Key. The little old map maker - Josh Luddeni.