Now now Chad, you're putting words in my mouth. I did not say Florida had strict growth control, I said the
Keys did
almtree: . And it very much does, pursuant to various local, state and federal regulations put into effect over the last 30 years. There's the old 1972 Florida Environmental Land & Water Management Act, the 1979 designation of Monroe county as a "critical state concern area" pursuant to the 1972 Act, the 1992 Monroe County ROGO, and the 1997 reauthorized regulations by the National Marine Sanctuary system. These are just some of the big-boy regulations curtailing growth, there are a bunch of others. The place I used to work at has been lobbying for over 15 years just to get a bloody showerhouse built; no success yet. My "house" was a converted sailboat in an old blocked-up canal.
The Keys only experiences a population growth increase of around 2%, way less than virtually everywhere else in south Florida. Over a third of the county's residents live in Key West. Many of them (<15%) are "conchs" by birth. Hmm... I suppose less than 15% isn't the biggest number... whenever I drop into KW I seem to always find these people, maybe I'm just lucky.
The name "conch" is widely used in the Florida Keys to refer to a lifelong resident of the Keys. Native people born in Key West and the Bahamas call themselves conchs . In times past proud parents in Key West placed a conch shell on a stick in the front of their house to inform neighbors of a new born infant. People who take up residence in the Keys are humorously referred to as freshwater conchs. Politicians sometimes issue certificates to people active in community interests declaring them "honorary conchs".
http://www.floridakeysbest.com/key_west_conch_style/nfcomp.htm
2. Florida Keys Native. Native people in the Keys call themselves conchs. The original conchs came from the Bahamas to the Florida Keys.
There are few "original conch" families. Plenty of florida keys native "conches", though. You do not have to be of a founding family to get the cute title.
http://www.floridakeystreasures.com/conch/
Babies born in the Keys get a Conch Republic birth certificate that says they are officially ... Conchs. (People from elsewhere who move to the Keys earn the right to be called ''freshwater conchs'' after seven years.)
And yes, you do get the "title" for being born in the Keys.
http://www.polkonline.com/stories/122798/sta_fritters.shtml
The word "conch" (pronounced KONK) also refers to a native of Key West, someone born on the island. An old conch may never have left the island of Key West. Some believe that the name originated with the migration of Bahamians to the Keys who were "conchs," others think it came from the tradition of placing a conch shell on a stick in the yard to announce another birth had taken place on the island. No matter, a "conch is a conch" and only those born on the island are true conchs. New residents to the island are called Key Westers.
This also applies to the other islands in the Keys, especially the more southern ones.
http://www.athomekeywest.com/historyofkeywest.html
Conchs (pronounced "konks"), by the way, is a reference to the big, pink-lined shells that you put to your ear to hear the oceans roar. Islanders born here are the only ones who can really call themselves conchs, but those who have lived here more than seven years qualify to be called "freshwater conchs," and those who visit often enough can earn the name visitor, replacing tourist. Now theres a reason to stay a while!
Ugh, I'm still just a "visitor"
http://worldfacts.us/US-Key-West.htm
The white settlers arriving in Eleuthera from England wanted more religious freedom. Many were religious zealots or revolutionaries seeking refuge, contributing to the laissez-faire propensities of the colonists. These adventurers were cockney fisher folk and became known as Conchs, named after a shellfish found abundantly in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. These seafaring Conchs migrated from the Bahamas to Key West and up the Florida Keys
Where the first florida "conchs" came from. Oddly, many of the existing residents of Eleuthera (I've visited there) do not associate with the title, unless they've got confirmed old english heritage. Bahamians are far more persnickety about their family history than most americans, however.
http://www.jayikislakfoundation.org/millennium-exhibit/andrews1.htm
In the early 1800's Bahamians began immigrating to Key West. These immigrants were called Conchs
http://home.att.net/~conchs/
Here's one I've never heard reference before.
The "horse conchs," as those former Keys residents in Central Florida can be dubbed...
http://www.livableoldtown.com/our_conchs_in_ocala.htm
I've had to teach short-courses in both Bahamian and Florida Keys history and culture, so I get rather anal about this stuff. :geek: That reminds me, I need to tweak one of my Bahamian lectures... no rest for the wicked!
