Cudjoe Key
There are a number of theories of how Cudjoe Key got its unusual name. Many Cudjoe streets are named after either famous or obscure pirates, which might include a Mr. Cudjoe (a common name in the West Indies). Another story has the island described in 19th century Key West scuttlebutt as the location of ”Cousin Joe’s” woodcutting and charcoal-making place, of which there were quite a few in the Lower Keys. It may possibly be named for the Joewood tree (Jacquinia keyensis Mez), a native species which is also known as cudjoewood.
Whatever its history, Cudjoe is a quiet and peaceful residential island surrounding its own bay, probably one of the best bays in the area for water sports. The island’s fishhook appearance and bay are such distinctive features that they can be seen easily in satellite pictures.
Cudjoe has a U.S. Army missile tracking station built during the Cuban missile crisis in 1960. The station flies a white radar aerostat, known to the locals as "Fat Albert," that runs a drug interdiction mission for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Cudjoe Key provides a wide variety of housing ranging from ocean front executive homes to both Keys standard canal homes and some more extraordinary ones, to the upscale gated mobile home park, Venture Out, on Cudjoe’s eastern shore. Cudjoe Gardens, at the west end is one of the few areas of ground level homes in the Lower Keys.
Commercial
businesses on Cudjoe include several restaurants, a day spa, a fishing
supply & fish market, and a convenience store.
Cudjoe Key Listings below: