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1970 Map of Alief

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Alief
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

The southwest expansion of Houston into the ranch lands and rice fields of the coastal prairie is clearly visible in this 1970 snapshot. Modern suburban developments like Bellaire West and Sharpstown are rapidly filling the space between the historic community of Alief and the industrial corridors of Sugar Land and Stafford. The landscape is transitioning from open drainage systems like Keegans Bayou and Brays Bayou to a structured grid of residential streets and essential community institutions.

Genealogists and local historians can locate numerous vanished or transformed landmarks, including the Andrau Airpark and several regional burial grounds such as Riceville Cemetery and Alief Cemetery. The concentration of educational and religious facilities, from Houston Baptist College to St Agnes Academy and Ashford Church, speaks to the social infrastructure built to support this mid-century population boom along the Southwest Freeway.