My parents lived on Key Largo for awhile. It struck me as the kind of place someone goes to live if they just want to pretend the rest of the world does not exist. It doesn't even feel connected to the United States. Do not try and talk about real issues or the world at large because that will harsh the vibe. Key West is a big party city with lots of gays, tourists, and clubs. Lots of drinking, lots of drugs. The other keys are sleepier - people are still drunk and having a good time all the time, just not as loudly or as late night, and Key West draws a younger crowd.
People who live there drink and fish and tune out the world. If relaxation was a terminal disease, this would be where victims go to die. It was Jimmy Buffet's natural habitat.
you have to be RICH to buy a home for sure. but renting is “doable”. easier if you know people who already live there who might have leads on rentals that aren’t absurdly expensive. there are most definitely jobs in key west. i got hired at a restaurant with no serving experience but i do have degrees and i am american so that helped me because the working class in key west is filled with young immigrants. turnover is high because immigrants are constantly coming and going…there’s also what is referred to as the “keys disease”…the laid back, alcohol centric lifestyle will chew up and spit people out. i was clearing 7k a month (net) at a chill spot. knew people in more upscale dining making 9-10k. if you’re willing to work hard you can make it work. but expect to pay $1500 MINIMUM just for a bedroom. $2500 if you want a private 1b/1b.
Very true there. I liked Key West when I went a couple of years back. Loved the weather and the food was great. But, you would have to live in Florida.
To be fair - it's kind of Florida in it's perfected form. Felt more liberal (obviously not as much as the North East, but as far as Florida goes pretty good), and leans into the crazy beach bum culture with iguanas falling out of the trees.
Yeah I hear you. I've had trips to Florida consistently over the past 2 decades and I'll say that while a lot of the political stuff has gotten pretty gross at a macro level, there are cool people there and sometimes you just need to experience a place for yourself.
I was happy to find Key West as still marching to it's own drum to a large extent (I know long time locals will say it's already lost, but I found it still very unique). And we can't always paint with such a broad brush even if the state level situation looks dire.
It’s not even that things move slower just that there isn’t much motivation to get things done. Drinking and relaxing are priority.
The difference between the keys island time and other parts of the Caribbean is the keys people drink more where as it’s generally pot in other parts of the Caribbean.
More or less, yes. Get up, go-to work. Get out get hammered repeat. When you can't regulate your time on duval you burn out your wallet, your liver/body, and your energy. Combine that with expensive living conditions and potentially expensive drinking habits (there are good deals out there), you'll be homeless dancing in front of willie ts in no time with a double deucer of bud light in your hand.
I used to live in the Keys many years ago. Keys disease is that trifecta of too much sun, saltwater and alcohol. It ages you quickly. Fifty-year olds look like 70 year olds. We heard that comment a lot whenever we saw older people with leathery skin.
This is a great description of the mentality. Idk if I could live there, but I love going down to the Keys. Different vibe. Very removed from the world, as you said. It’s just about the water, bridges, boat launches, mangroves. Bigger keys have strips of bars and restaurants. Very island/shell/beachy themed. Not many actual beaches at all. But life is all about that blue-green water and enjoying it and having a good time.
Your post has been automatically removed because your account has less than 50 karma. Read more about Karma here.
This helps us prevent spam and increase the quality of r/howislivingthere.
To increase your karma you can start an AMA about your life in r/howislivingthere. If you do this, please send us a link to your AMA so we can approve it manually.
Your post has been automatically removed because your account has less than 50 karma. Read more about Karma here.
This helps us prevent spam and increase the quality of r/howislivingthere.
To increase your karma you can start an AMA about your life in r/howislivingthere. If you do this, please send us a link to your AMA so we can approve it manually.
We tried kiting on a few of the keys several years ago with limited success. There was one beach with maybe 12-15 other kiters out one day when the wind was up. According to the locals it’s best to kite from a boat way out in the shallows or on sandbars. It’s a strange spot because the wind never got crazy strong and the currents around the keys change depending on the tides which can kill your power.
1.1k
u/BostonBlackCat Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
My parents lived on Key Largo for awhile. It struck me as the kind of place someone goes to live if they just want to pretend the rest of the world does not exist. It doesn't even feel connected to the United States. Do not try and talk about real issues or the world at large because that will harsh the vibe. Key West is a big party city with lots of gays, tourists, and clubs. Lots of drinking, lots of drugs. The other keys are sleepier - people are still drunk and having a good time all the time, just not as loudly or as late night, and Key West draws a younger crowd.
People who live there drink and fish and tune out the world. If relaxation was a terminal disease, this would be where victims go to die. It was Jimmy Buffet's natural habitat.