Long Key is the home of Long Key State Park, a favorite of campers and nature lovers. It is smaller and less developed than the neighboring Florida Keys of Islamorada to the north and Marathon to the south.

Long Key was called Cayo Vivora (Rattlesnake Key) by early Spanish explorers, a reference to the shape of the island, which resembles a snake with its jaws open, rather than to its denizens.

The 965 acre state park (3.9 km²) was dedicated October 1, 1969.

For more history, see http://www.keyshistory.org/longkey.html

For information about the state park, see http://www.floridastateparks.org/longkey/