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1956 Map of Charlottesville

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Charlottesville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Charlottesville and the surrounding central Virginia landscape are captured in this mid-century survey, showcasing a region defined by its prominent mountain ranges and the valleys between them. The sheet spans the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, tracking the high elevations of Spruce Knob and Reddish Knob. The map provides a detailed view of the era's infrastructure, including the Chesapeake and Ohio and Norfolk and Western railroads that served industrial centers like Staunton and Waynesboro.

The layout illustrates the sharp transition from the Piedmont into the Shenandoah National Park and the deep woods of the Monongahela National Forest to the west. While larger hubs like Harrisonburg and Culpeper are clearly developed, smaller settlements such as McDowell, Monterey, and Beverly highlight the more rural, mountain-valley character of the West Virginia borderlands. Significant river systems, including the South Fork Shenandoah River and Rapidan River, tie together the various agricultural and timber districts during this period of mid-century growth.