The upper Florida keys

Once you leave civilization at Florida City, Key largo is the first town and first island you come to as you travel down US 1 -- across a dozen plus miles of beautiful and still totally pristine Everglades country, then along a narrow strip of mangrove splitting Barnes Sound from Blackwater Sound and Florida Bay, now across the old swing bridge at Jewfish Creek, finally over Lake Surprise. And there it is: Key Largo, the stuff of myth, located some 55 miles and about an hour south of Miami International Airport and just 24 miles south of Homestead. You are now on a different planet. Since 1948, when it was the setting for the movie, "Key Largo," starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Lauren Bacall, the name Key Largo has become world famous.

In fact, Key Largo is one of the oldest place names on early maps of the North American continent, dating back to the sixteenth century when the Spanish explored the area looking for riches to take back to Spain. Today it is Miami’s Cape Cod -- and for the rest of us it is the Gateway to the American Caribbean.The climate is subtropical and foliage is lush. Temperatures have only a few degrees day-night fluctuation, compared with much of the rest of Florida. There’s a steady sea breeze, and rain tends to be passing showers Key Largo has become synonymous with the laid-back Keys lifestyle. Yet Key Largo is also a particularly vibrant community due to it’s being close to Miami. On the weekends, it is an easy drive for people to visit the Keys and their unique ambience.

For investors it means great occupancy rates, for 2nd homeowners a quick and easy getaway. If you want to make this your home, well, Key largo was ranked No. 11 of the 50 Best Places to Live list by Men's Journal Magazine in 2002.If you’re looking to relocate here, there are homes as of Sept 2005 listed from $269,000. Of course as of 2006, they go up from there: the least expensive single family home now you'll find is about$399,000. (To get an idea on how prices work, look under the investment page for the Florida Keys.)
• The Key Largo housing market is diverse and eclectic, and includes everything from ultra-modern big new houses and condos to just plain old-Florida funky, and everything in between. It is a complex market, and will take the buyer or investor some time to comprehend.