Mule Keys

The Mule Keys are a group of scattered islets in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. They are between 3 and 12 miles (5–20 km) west of Key West, separated from it by the Northwest Channel. On the west, they are separated from the Marquesas Keys by the 6-mile (10 km) wide Boca Grande Channel. They belong to the outlying islands of the Florida Keys. Administratively, they are an unincorporated area of Monroe County. The islets are part of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The area of the islets totals 1.07 mi2 (2.77 km2), of which 1.02 mi2 (2.63 km2) are land area and 0.05 mi2 (0.14 km2) inland water bodies (on three of the keys). The islets are uninhabited except for Mule Key, for which the census of 2000 lists one housing unit with a population of two (park rangers or coast guard).

The United States Government has placed most of this area off limits, as a part of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. It is even prohibited to anchor off Man Key and Woman Key in the sand, although Woman Key was a popular destination for day trippers from Key West in the past, which Boca Grande Key still is. Anchoring off the south part of Boca Grande Key is also prohibited; it is permitted only off the northwest portion.[1]

Ballast Key is privately owned and offered on the real estate market for US $13,800,000, as of July 2011.[2]

The easternmost islet, Mule Key, is 2.7 miles (4.4 km) west of Sunset Key which is part of Key West city. The westernmost (and largest) islet, Boca Grande Key, is 6 miles (10 km) east of the Marquesas Keys.

12 individual islets are named on detailed topographical maps:

Block
Nr.1)		IsletLand
Area
(m2)		Inland
Waters
(m2)		Total
Area
(m2)		CoordinatesComment
3031Mule Key52169-5216924°33′43.2″N 81°51′42.4″W / 24.562000°N 81.861778°W / 24.562000; -81.861778 (Mule Key)easternmost
3032Archer Key247136-24713624°33′43.2″N 81°53′23.3″W / 24.562000°N 81.889806°W / 24.562000; -81.889806 (Archer Key)actually two separate islets
3033Crawfish Key17125-1712524°32′19.4″N 81°53′01.6″W / 24.538722°N 81.883778°W / 24.538722; -81.883778 (Crawfish Key) 
3034Barracouta Key2)4826275722153984824°32′38.5″N 81°55′17.5″W / 24.544028°N 81.921528°W / 24.544028; -81.921528 (Barracouta Key)including tiny islet 430 m south
Joe Ingram Key2)-24°32′43.9″N 81°54′45.4″W / 24.545528°N 81.912611°W / 24.545528; -81.912611 (Joe Ingram Key)smallest
3035Man Key358808-35880824°31′40.3″N 81°55′38.5″W / 24.527861°N 81.927361°W / 24.527861; -81.927361 (Man Key)actually three separate islets
3036Ballast Key4680147415154224°31′23.0″N 81°57′51.1″W / 24.523056°N 81.964194°W / 24.523056; -81.964194 (Ballast Key)southernmost
3037Woman Key317669-31766924°31′27.6″N 81°58′25.4″W / 24.524333°N 81.973722°W / 24.524333; -81.973722 (Woman Key) 
3038Boca Grande Key7412288041682164424°32′04.4″N 82°00′18.3″W / 24.534556°N 82.005083°W / 24.534556; -82.005083 (Boca Grande Key)largest, westernmost
3039Little Mullet Key58625-5862524°34′53.8″N 81°57′01.9″W / 24.581611°N 81.950528°W / 24.581611; -81.950528 (Little Mullet Key) 
3040Big Mullet Key87211-8721124°34′44.5″N 81°55′08.0″W / 24.579028°N 81.918889°W / 24.579028; -81.918889 (Big Mullet Key) 
3041Cottrell Key215943-21594324°36′12.9″N 81°55′17.7″W / 24.603583°N 81.921583°W / 24.603583; -81.921583 (Cottrell Key)northernmost
 Mule Keys26253421423782767720  
1) of Block Group 3, Census tract 9725, Monroe County, Florida

2) Because Barracouta Key and Joe Ingram Key together form one census block,
   no exact separate area figures are available. Joe Ingram Key is estimated at 10,000 m2.

On nautical maps, the Mule Keys appear like an atoll of 11 miles (18 km) length east-west, and 6 miles (10 km) width north-south (covering a sea area of roughly 58 mi2 (150 km2)), with Mule Key, Crawfish Key, Man Key, Ballast Key, Woman Key and Boca Grande Key along the southern rim (from east to west), and Cottrell Key in the north.

7 miles (11 km) south of Mule Key, separated from the Mule Keys by West Channel, are three notable submerged reefs, from east to west:

  1. Eastern Dry Rocks, at 24°27′42.6″N 81°50′38.1″W / 24.461833°N 81.843917°W / 24.461833; -81.843917 (Eastern Dry Rocks)
  2. Rock Key, at 24°27′21.3″N 81°51′26.3″W / 24.455917°N 81.857306°W / 24.455917; -81.857306 (Rock Key)
  3. Sand Key, at 24°27′18.3″N 81°52′37.5″W / 24.455083°N 81.877083°W / 24.455083; -81.877083 (Sand Key)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Key West Islands". Bootkeyharbor.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
  2. ↑ "Inquire about Ballast Key". Privateislandsonline.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
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