KEY WEST, Fla. -- You can still see chickens crossing the road near the busy intersection of Duval and Truman.

Once they might have been chased by an axe-wielding cook with a gleam in her eye. But today they are more likely to dodge tourist trolleys or shoppers weighed down with high-end fashion accessories or original works of art.

But to those who love the laid-back feel this once-sleepy hideaway was long known for, the chickens are a reassuring sight.

Key West may have gone upscale, but the place hasn't lost all its funky, renegade charm.

Drunks still wander arm-in-arm out of Sloppy Joe's, the wise-cracking street artists still put on whimsical shows at sunset on the dock at Mallory Square and the descendants of Ernest Hemingway's cats still lap water from the urinal the author hauled home from his favorite bar.

Key West has gotten pricey, especially during the winter season, but it also has a lot more to offer these days than simply a rousing good time slamming rum drinks and singing along to Jimmy Buffett songs.

A new art film cinema has opened, art galleries are almost too numerous to keep up with, local troupes perform plays frequently, the annual literary seminar regularly attracts important authors and even a small symphony calls the island home.

And if culture isn't your thing, there's always the standard fare of scuba diving on America's only coral reef, sport fishing in the azure waters of the Gulf Stream, kite-surfing or sunbathing, strolling the shops and tourist traps, taking a walking tour to gaze at Victorian mansions set in a tropical paradise, or biking your way around an island famous for its end-of-the-road ambiance.

Don't forget fine dining, fresh seafood and people-watching, always a winner in a place with as many outrageous characters as Key West.

''It's changed a lot in recent years, but it's still a town that inspires creativity,'' said Sharon Wells, an artist and student of local architecture who escaped to Key West some 30 years ago. ``It's hard to put myself back in 1976 when I came here. It was so incredibly different then. But it's still the people who make the place.''

One of the biggest changes in Key West has been an incredible run-up in real estate prices, spurred when a wealthy developer from the Northeast bought a sprawling former U.S. Navy property in the 1980s and built luxury homes.

A cascade of other high-end projects followed, and Key West slowly transformed itself from a hideout for dazed hippies and crusty fishermen into something of an upscale artists' colony. Tiny frame shacks that cost $30,000 in the 1970s now fetch over seven figures.

The rising values have prompted hotel and rental house prices to climb steadily, too. Many of the posh guest houses fetch $300 to $500 or more per night in the winter season, although a few budget motels are still available.

But for visitors looking to escape their everyday grind for a relaxing getaway, Key West is hard to beat, and the prices are certainly competitive with most Caribbean islands.

One of the best ways to see the older, more picturesque part of the island is a walking tour. Wells, who conducted an architectural survey to document buildings eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, has produced an excellent Walking and Biking Guide to Historic Key West. It is available free at her gallery, KW Light Gallery on Duval Street, and in many of the ubiquitous racks with tourist flyers all over town.

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