Key West is an unincorporated community in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, near the extreme southern end of the city of Dubuque.[1] Parts of the community are now within the city of Dubuque, while others are unincorporated. Owing to the presence of U.S. Highways 151, 61, and 52, and the nearby Dubuque Regional Airport, the area is home to a growing number of businesses. Some of these are high tech companies being built in the Dubuque Technology Park, to the east. Development in the area will likely increase rapidly following the planned construction of the city's Southwest Arterial.

Key West, Iowa
Unincorporated community
Key West is located in Iowa
Key West
Key West
Location in Iowa
Coordinates: 42°26′56″N 90°41′02″W / 42.44889°N 90.68389°W / 42.44889; -90.68389
Country United States
State Iowa
CountyDubuque County
Elevation
820 ft (250 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID0458063
St. Joseph's Church in Key West

The village does have a number of local establishments that allow it to maintain a certain degree of autonomy. It has its own church, St. Joseph's - Key West Catholic Church, a school (Table Mound Elementary), a cemetery (Mt. Olivet), Fire/EMS department, and a hotel/motel.

History edit

The town of Key West was settled in 1834, the year after Dubuque's founding. There was plenty of timber, prairie land and streams for water in section 12 of Table Mound Township, in Dubuque County, on the road that became the Old Military Road. Key West's population was 56 in 1902,[2] and 52 in 1915.[3]

The town was named because it was considered the main egress from Dubuque westward.

The population was 60 in 1940.[4]

Education edit

St. Joseph School, under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque, was in Key West.[5]

Notes edit

Information on Key West's beginnings is from the book My Old Dubuque by Len Kruse

  1. ^ "Key West Populated Place Profile / Dubuque County, Iowa Data".
  2. ^ Cram's Modern Atlas: The New Unrivaled New Census Edition. J. R. Gray & Company. 1902. pp. 203–207.
  3. ^ Atlas of Johnson County, Iowa, 1917 :: Iowa Counties Historic Atlases. pp. 63–66.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 303.
  5. ^ "EDUCATION AND FORMATION PERSONNEL". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque. September 15, 2000. Archived from the original on September 15, 2000. Retrieved April 6, 2020.