Key West as we know it won’t survive the coming decades

Sea level rise and loss of fresh water will reduce Hemingway’s haunt to a few rich enclaves

Key West is a much storied town. It’s the southernmost part of the USA. Hemingway had a house there. Jimmy Buffet perfected his island sound in Key West while crewing ships and playing for drinks. It’s closer to Cuba than to Miami. Key West tried to secede in 1982, seriously inconveniencing tourists. It used to be the richest city in the USA per capita.

But now they aren’t richest and the seas are rising around and within Key West. How long do they have? Will the town survive at all without major construction raising it and all of its buildings further above sea level? Probably not.

Why this interesting corner of the USA is reaching the end of most of its stories requires some background information.

• Highest point of Key West: Solares Hill at 18 ft or 5.5 m
• Mean point above sea level of Key West: 3 ft or 0.9 m
• Maximum historical storm surge due to hurricane: eight feet (2.4 meters)