had lived in Key West in the
1960's.
(which I understand exists only as a home school option) and have been back as
a “tourist” 4 times in the last 5 years. I love Key West and the history
surrounding the island and the people who live there.
I have friends who were born and raised in Key West and moved away years ago
when the tourist trade was developing. They said the island had lost its “spirit”
and they moved to other parts of Florida and the east coast.
My family lived on Simonton…our house is now tagged as a historic Conch
house, and walking those streets today reminds me of the years I spent there. I
would love to live there again. To my knowledge that home is owned by a family
in New York and has been unoccupied on each of my visits.
I’m writing to share with you what has happened in Las Vegas . I’ve lived here
for 24 years, raised my boys here and have been aghast at the lack of history
that is retained or treasured here. Growth and change are the only things that
are valued and the city has no heart. People’s yards are walled to keep prying
eyes and chatty neighbors away. People drive into their garage and walk into
their house often never speaking to the people that live next to them.
Just recently, there has been some movement to refurbish a few of the old
schools and some landmarks on Fremont Street , but the strip is in constant
flux. Unless you work on the strip, you hate going there. It’s for the tourists….
Our mayor, loves the city, yet he is constantly looking for ways to change and
modernize the downtown area, often destroying history in the interest of tourist
dollars. And here is where my plea is for you! Please do everything you can to
keep the high rise developers out of Key West . The tourists here know nothing
of the beautiful Red Rock National Park , think the Hoover Dam is passé, and
don’t realize that real people live here. We too have a big problem with
affordable housing… And the developers think that a $300,000 condo is
affordable!!! At the same time, the majority of jobs here are service and tip
related. Las Vegas was built on gambling, glitz and glamour. The people who
live here (over 1 million in the city and close to 2 million in the county at this
writing) play tourist from time to time. That’s the only benefit of living
here…playing tourist in our own back yard. Our lives are normal by anyone’s
standards, yet there is no flavor to our lifestyle…it is rather boring in fact.
There are many parallels…. Our history was written by the mob and “family”.
Yours was written by other sources and is probably lost on most of your visitors.
Even the Conch Train tour script is commercialized and doesn’t give the depth
of the history of the homes, cemetery and other places it drives by. I know
people who have been there and know nothing of the historic areas of town. I
have a friend here, who owns a rental property about 7 miles up the keys, and
he’s never been there to see the house.
I applaud you in your efforts to retain the history of Key West and the natural
beauty of the keys. I know how difficult it is…and how expensive the fight can
be. If I could, I’d move there and help you with your efforts. The history of
your little paradise is too precious to let it get bulldozed under or left to decay.
Beth Waite
Las Vegas, NV
Recd 12-20-07