# Key Vaca > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Key_Vaca > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Key_Vaca.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Vaca > Source revision: 1333860284 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Island in the middle Florida Keys, United States}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox islands | name = Key Vaca | native_name = | native_name_link = | native_name_lang = | sobriquet = | image_name = | image_size = | image_caption = | image_alt = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_size = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Florida#Caribbean | pushpin_label = | pushpin_label_position = left | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_relief = 1 | pushpin_map_caption = Key Vaca | coordinates = {{coord|24|43|09|N|81|04|08|W|region:US-FL_type:isle|display=it}} | etymology = | location = [Gulf of Mexico](/source/Gulf_of_Mexico) | grid_reference = | archipelago = [Florida Keys](/source/Florida_Keys) | waterbody = [Florida Straits](/source/Florida_Straits) | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_km2 = | area_footnotes = | rank = | length_km = | length_footnotes = | width_km = | width_footnotes = | coastline_km = | coastline_footnotes = | elevation_ft = 7 | elevation_footnotes = {{GNIS|294185}} | highest_mount = | country = {{USA}} | country_admin_divisions_title = State | country_admin_divisions = [Florida](/source/Florida) | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = County | country_admin_divisions_1 = [Monroe](/source/Monroe_County%2C_Florida) | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = | country_admin_divisions_2 = | country_capital_type = | country_capital = | country_largest_city_type = | country_largest_city = | country_capital_and_largest_city = | country_largest_city_population = | country_leader_title = | country_leader_name = | country_area_km2 = | demonym = | population = | population_as_of = | population_footnotes = | population_rank = | population_rank_max = | density_km2 = | density_rank = | density_footnotes = | languages = | ethnic_groups = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | website = | additional_info = | footnotes = }} '''Key Vaca'''{{cite web | url=http://www.keyshistory.org/marathon.html | title=History of Marathon }} is an island in the middle [Florida Keys](/source/Florida_Keys), located entirely within the borders of the city of [Marathon, Florida](/source/Marathon%2C_Florida).{{cite book | last=Zepke | first=T. | title=Terrance Talk Travel: A Pocket Guide to the Florida Keys: Including The Everglades & Key West | publisher=Safari Publishing | series=Terrance Talks Travel | year=2017 | isbn=978-1-942738-25-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kHMqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT57 | access-date=September 7, 2017 | page=pt57}} ==Geography== Key Vaca is located in between [Fat Deer Key](/source/Fat_Deer_Key) and [Knight's Key](/source/Knight's_Key). Vaca Key was also connected via bridge to [Boot Key](/source/Boot_Key) until the city of Marathon neglected the bridge so long it had to be torn down causing hardships to the business on Boot Key. Key Vaca comprises most of the north shore of [Boot Key Harbor](/source/Boot_Key_Harbor). ==Nomenclature== {{Unreferenced section|date=January 2016}} Various theories as to the origin of the name exist. The most likely example is that the island was named after [Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca](/source/%C3%81lvar_N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez_Cabeza_de_Vaca), who wrote a detailed account of the 16th-century exploration of Florida. Other theories revolve around the word ''vaca'', meaning "cattle" in [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language). The 1957 book ''The Florida Keys'' indicates that the island's name comes from wild cattle that used to live on the island. Evidence of these cattle has never been found. The name may also refer to [manatees](/source/manatees), "sea cows" that thrived in the area prior to the 1950s. Because it lies completely within the borders of [Marathon](/source/Marathon%2C_Florida), the island is often incorrectly referred to as "Marathon Key".{{Citation needed|date=January 2016}} ==Climate== Key Vaca is located geographically in the subtropics, but with a completely [tropical climate](/source/tropical_climate). Because of the proximity of the [Gulf Stream](/source/Gulf_Stream) to the southeast, and the tempering effects of the [Gulf of Mexico](/source/Gulf_of_Mexico) to the west and north, Key Vaca has a notably mild, [tropical-maritime climate](/source/tropical_climate),{{Cite web |url=http://www2.johnabbott.qc.ca/webpages/departments/geoscience/intro/Koppen/KoppenMap.htm |title=Köppen Climate Classification Map: South Florida=Aw=tropical wet & dry |access-date=2007-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706200651/http://www2.johnabbott.qc.ca/webpages/departments/geoscience/intro/Koppen/KoppenMap.htm |archive-date=2011-07-06 |url-status=dead }} ([Köppen climate classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification) ''Aw'', similar to the [Caribbean](/source/Caribbean) [islands](/source/islands)). Cold fronts are strongly modified by the warm water as they move in from the north in winter. The average low and high temperatures in January are {{convert|64.2|F|C}} and {{convert|75.8|F|C}}.{{Cite web|last=Team|first=National Weather Service Corporate Image Web|title=National Weather Service Climate|url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=key|access-date=2021-06-01|website=w2.weather.gov|language=EN-US|archive-date=2021-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428173229/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=key|url-status=dead}} In the summer, temperatures are somewhat higher than in [Key West](/source/Key_West), due to the island's proximity to the shallower waters of [Florida Bay](/source/Florida_Bay), which are heated more easily than the deeper waters of the [Florida Strait](/source/Florida_Strait), south of Key West. The season is characterized by hot, humid conditions and sharp, sudden thunderstorms that often drop substantial amounts of rain on the island. [Hurricanes](/source/Hurricanes) are a common threat during the summer, and sometimes affect the island directly, as was the case with the [Labor Day Hurricane](/source/Labor_Day_Hurricane) of 1935, [Hurricane Donna](/source/Hurricane_Donna) in 1960, [Hurricane Wilma](/source/Hurricane_Wilma) in 2005 and most recently, [Hurricane Irma](/source/Hurricane_Irma) in 2017. The average low and high temperatures in August are {{convert|79.7|F|C}} and {{convert|91.6|F|C}}, with temperatures sometimes approaching the {{convert|100|F|C}} mark. ==Transportation== [U.S. 1](/source/U.S._Route_1_in_Florida), also known as the [Overseas Highway](/source/Overseas_Highway), crosses the key near [mile markers](/source/Overseas_Highway) 47.5–53.5. Prior to the [Labor Day Hurricane of 1935](/source/Labor_Day_Hurricane_of_1935), Key Vaca was a major rail stop along the [Key West Extension](/source/Key_West_Extension) of the [Florida East Coast Railway](/source/Florida_East_Coast_Railway). It was home to a turnaround [wye](/source/Wye_(rail)) and several machine and repair shops. During the Great Depression and the construction of the Overseas Highway, Key Vaca was home to Camp No. 10, a home for several hundred [World War I](/source/World_War_I) veterans working on the project. Key Vaca is accessible by water, primarily through Boot Key Harbor, which lies on the south side of the island. Due to the shallow waters of the harbor, deep-draft ships cannot be unloaded there. Between 1906 and 1912, Key Vaca functioned as a temporary deep-water port with the addition of the [Knight's Key Trestle](/source/Knight's_Key_Trestle) {{convert|3|mi|km}} to the west of the island. Built in order to provide a supply line for the growing Overseas Railroad, the trestle was dismantled and burnt when the railroad was completed. During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), Key Vaca gained an airport. Originally intended to be a training field for pilots flying between [Homestead](/source/Homestead%2C_Florida) and [Miami](/source/Miami), the airport was turned over to the county after the conclusion of the war. ==References== {{reflist}} {{Florida Keys}} {{authority control}} Category:Islands of the Florida Keys Category:Islands of Monroe County, Florida Category:Islands of Florida --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Key Vaca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Vaca) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Vaca?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.