Mid Town starts at the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and stretches inward to about the island’s midpoint. Midtown and the New Town area next to it were created in the 1940s and 50s using dredged landfill that more than doubled the size of the island. The additional space meant streets, homes, and yards could be a bit larger. Most of the Midtown homes are occupied by Key West locals who know a good thing when they see it. The typical Florida architecture that abounds is Mid-Century modern. Much of this area is within walking distance of warm sand beaches, and Old Town’s social and arts scene is easily accessible by bike, scooter, pedicab, city bus, or trolley. Within Midtown itself, it’s easy to enjoy a breathtaking sunrise, gawk at a sky full of water birds, ride along tropical bike paths, take a dip in the ocean, or just lounge where you are and enjoy that special “got away from it all” feeling.
Adjacent to Midtown is New Town, the first neighborhood you enter coming overland onto the island. This might be the most neighborly and most suburban area of Key West. Populated mostly by year-round residents, it features middle to upper end homes and apartment buildings, shopping centers, retail malls, movie theaters, gas stations, hotel chains, schools, ball parks, restaurants, a skateboard park, and Key West International Airport. Duval is a five-minute drive away, or there’s the convenient option of scooter or city bus transportation to get around. On the Atlantic side is Smathers Beach with its 2.5-mile sidewalk and the East Martello Museum. In counterpoint to the classic Victorian architecture and tin-roofed conch cottages of Old Town, the architecture here ranges from modest Mid-Century modern to palatial beachside estates. As for colorful residents wearing flip-flops and easy-going attitudes, this area takes its cue from the other neighborhoods of Key West.