Tuesday, May 20, 2025 / by Lela Ashkarian
Why No Name Key - Has No Name? brought to you By Rapid Permit and Engineering
Why No Name Key Has… No Name? #History #FloridaKeys
https://youtube.com/shorts/qvzggh1SbNE?si=66XCJhUD1Wc-7oNH
Tucked away in the Lower Florida Keys, just visible from the Spanish Harbor Channel Bridge, lies No Name Key—an island as curious in name as it is in history. Though it spans just over a thousand acres and remains largely undeveloped, No Name Key has played an outsized role in the narrative of Key life beyond Key West. Its name, ironically, has been in use since at least 1849, when surveyor F.H. Gerdes referenced it in his Reconnaissance of the Florida Reef and All the Keys. The phrase “No Name” likely originated from its absence on earlier charts, simply labeled as the island with no name. Yet by the time Gerdes wrote his survey, the label had stuck, and it has remained ever since. No Name Key’s early development included a remarkable milestone: in 1915, it became home to the first school in the Lower Keys outside of Key West. Census data from 1870 already recorded 16 occupied homes on the island—more than any other Lower Keys location at the time. Later, ambitious developers built a bridge to connect No Name Key to nearby Big Pine Key, fueling speculation about its potential. But environmental challenges—and perhaps the island’s stubborn nature—kept larger plans at bay. No Name didn’t even receive electricity until 2013, and many of its residents still choose to live off the grid. Geologically, the island also differs from its neighbors. While many Keys are made of Key Largo limestone, No Name is formed from oolitic limestone, a composition that can hold fresh water—an unusual asset in the island chain. Add in its few extra feet of elevation and its natural freshwater holes, and you start to understand why early settlers found the place livable. Today, No Name Key is best known for the No Name Pub, a hard-to-find hangout famous for its quirky charm and dollar-covered walls. Like the island itself, the pub invites curious travelers to veer off the main road and into something wonderfully unexpected—a slice of Florida Keys history that remains refreshingly untouched.
If you're looking to own a home in the Florida Keys,
Your search starts—and ends—here:
?? www.SearchFloridaKeysHomes.com
https://youtube.com/shorts/qvzggh1SbNE?si=66XCJhUD1Wc-7oNH
Tucked away in the Lower Florida Keys, just visible from the Spanish Harbor Channel Bridge, lies No Name Key—an island as curious in name as it is in history. Though it spans just over a thousand acres and remains largely undeveloped, No Name Key has played an outsized role in the narrative of Key life beyond Key West. Its name, ironically, has been in use since at least 1849, when surveyor F.H. Gerdes referenced it in his Reconnaissance of the Florida Reef and All the Keys. The phrase “No Name” likely originated from its absence on earlier charts, simply labeled as the island with no name. Yet by the time Gerdes wrote his survey, the label had stuck, and it has remained ever since. No Name Key’s early development included a remarkable milestone: in 1915, it became home to the first school in the Lower Keys outside of Key West. Census data from 1870 already recorded 16 occupied homes on the island—more than any other Lower Keys location at the time. Later, ambitious developers built a bridge to connect No Name Key to nearby Big Pine Key, fueling speculation about its potential. But environmental challenges—and perhaps the island’s stubborn nature—kept larger plans at bay. No Name didn’t even receive electricity until 2013, and many of its residents still choose to live off the grid. Geologically, the island also differs from its neighbors. While many Keys are made of Key Largo limestone, No Name is formed from oolitic limestone, a composition that can hold fresh water—an unusual asset in the island chain. Add in its few extra feet of elevation and its natural freshwater holes, and you start to understand why early settlers found the place livable. Today, No Name Key is best known for the No Name Pub, a hard-to-find hangout famous for its quirky charm and dollar-covered walls. Like the island itself, the pub invites curious travelers to veer off the main road and into something wonderfully unexpected—a slice of Florida Keys history that remains refreshingly untouched.
If you're looking to own a home in the Florida Keys,
Your search starts—and ends—here:
?? www.SearchFloridaKeysHomes.com
