Island Living - Islamorada

POPULATION
Plantation Key 6,838
Islamorada 8,287

AREA/ELEVATION
Tavernier/Plantation Key 3,374 acres, 4-12 feet

Located southwest of Key Largo on Upper Matecumbe Key, Islamorada (pronounced EYE-la-mor-AH-da) is the self-proclaimed "Sportfishing Capital of the World". People who visit here take their fishing seriously, and Islamorada fulfills its promise of excellent angling with the largest concentration of charter fishing boats in the entire island chain.

Now one of the largest towns in the Keys, Islamorada offers a number of attractions in addition to fabulous fishing. You can explore the wreckage of the Dutch-built ship San Pedro (located in 18-feet of water about 1.25 nautical miles south of Indian Key) or the Underwater Coral Gardens of both Upper / Lower Matecumbe Keys. Hundreds of years ago, Spanish explorers sailed by Islamorada, saw the purple hue of its coastline (from the lavender shells of sea snails, Janthina) and gave it its name "islas moradas", Spanish for purple isles. Indians lived on this small clump of islands nearly 4,000 years ago. Its not likely that you'll see any purple snails, but there's plenty of local color to take in.

Make sure you see the sun set over the water and the fish take the bait in Islamorada, a fisherman's paradise.