Islamorada is a Spanish word meaning purple island. In Spanish it is pronounced Ees la more eh dah, but if you want to fit in with the locals, pronounce it eye la more ah dah.

One third of the way to Key West, between mile marker 90 to mile marker 70, Islamorada includes several islands or keys: Plantation Key, Windley Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Lower Matecumbe Key and Craig Keys. The area is served by two post offices: Tavernier and Islamorada. Islamorada, the Village of Islands, is an incorporated area run by an elected council with a city manager. It has a lovely Village Park, called Founder's Park which has an olympic sized swimming pool. skate board rink, dog park, marina, tennis courts, a village hall, a soccer field, a baseball field, etc.

Islamorada has a public library at mile marker 83, bayside, next door to the Fire House. It may be the only library in the world where you can read a book and then go out back to snorkel or fish in a crystal clear creek and have a quick freshwater rinse afterwards. See the section about Library Creek. The library boasts a huge collection of local documents, letters, photographs pertaining to area history. 

Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys are connected by a causeway with 4 bridges. The causeway was built by Henry Flagler for his railroad. The hurricane of 1935 broke out the four openings allowing water to pass thru as it had for thousands of years prior to the railroad. A paved bike path follows along for a beautiful scenic view.