Islamorada, Florida

Islamorada (also sometimes Isla Morada) is an incorporated village in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located directly between Miami and Key West on five islands—Tea Table Key, Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key, and Plantation Key—in the Florida Keys. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 7,107, up from 6,119 in 2010.





== History ==

The name "Islamorada" (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈisla moˈɾaða]), spelled isla morada in Spanish, "purple island", came from early Spanish explorers in the area.

Islamorada was the location of one of the stations of the Overseas Railroad.

Islamorada was hit almost directly by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, causing 423 deaths. A memorial, including the ashes of over 300 victims, exists today at Overseas Highway, mile marker 82.

Hall of Fame baseball player Ted Williams began visiting Islamorada in 1943, and for the next 45 years was the island's most well-known resident. After his retirement from baseball, he became the national spokesman for Sears sporting goods, and became renowned for his abilities as a fisherman. Over the decades, he hosted numerous celebrities at his Islamorada house and took them on local fishing trips.