Old Town is the historic section of Key West in the downtown area. The center of which is Duval Street which is said to be the longest street in the US running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The street is lined with many shops, restaurants and bars with lively entertainment. This is where Key West began and grew to be the most populated and weathiest cities in Florida in 1876 when the cigar rolling industry and sponging was king. There is a lot of colorful history in these old houses and streets. The rest of Key West did not develop until after World War II when what is now know at New Town was salt marshes that gradually were filled to create land for development.
Efforts were made to preserve the historic contributing architecture in Key West in the 1970's. The Historic Architectural Review Committee, HARC was put in place to protect the character of these buildings. Today all new construction or alteration of existing building in the historic portion of Key West must first be approved by this committee of local volunteers.
