Key West can also boast of having been the home of more Pulitzer Prize winners per capita than any other city. Contributing to Key West s artistic and business communities is a sizable, open, and completely accepted gay population. Here, and unlike any other city in the United States, people seem to be content with who they are. And with an extremely high cost of living, it is easy to guess why. Ironically, tourism, the only real economic base of Key West, provides mainly low-paying jobs.
Most residents hold two or more jobs in order to make ends meet.
However, when asked to trade their hard work in for another hometown, most wouldn t consider leaving their Key West paradise. The area achieved this name from Spanish explorers, most notably Ponce de Leon, who set foot on an island strewn with the human bones of Calusa Indians and unlucky sailors. There are no dress codes in Key West, even for the most expensive restaurants. On this Florida island, differences in people and cultures are celebrated with the only rule being that of tolerance. A sense of celebration daily permeates the air.