HISTORIC TOWNS - KEY WEST

Key West, and the island of the same name it sits upon, is located at the far southwest of the Florida Keys, tracing its roots back to prehistoric times.

Today it's a bohemian haven where live and let live is pretty much the town's motto. It's a place where one of the town's primary festivities is watching the sun set.

The locals call themselves Conchs, after the Conch shell, and have declared independence from the United States, setting up the Conch Republic in the process. It sells t-shirts and amuses the tourists.

Perhaps the most famous Conch is Ernest Hemingway, who lived and thrived in Key West, raising dozens of cats who live there until this day.

Picture of the Day: Hemingway's Cats

Ernest Hemingway, commonly considered among the best -- if not the best -- American author of the 20th century, lived for quote doe time in the city of Key West, in the Florida Keys.

His time there is well documented, and both his house and several of his favorited bars are local tourist attractions.

If, by chance, you visit the Hemingway House, you will encounter dozens of cats -- the so-called "Hemingway Cats" -- descended from original pets of his. Many f them have a genetic disorder giving them six toes on their front paws instead of the usual feline five.

You can read more about them here: http://www.hemingwayhome.com/cats/

One of Hemingway's Cats' descended. Aloof, as a cat should be.