1974 Map of Corona South

About this map

Bedford Canyon defines the southern portion of this orthophotomap, showing the stark contrast between the complex drainage patterns of the Santa Ana Mountains and the expanding agricultural and suburban grid of Riverside and Orange counties in the mid-1970s. The aerial imagery captures a critical moment of transformation as large citrus groves and field crops still dominate the central valley floor, though residential developments are clearly beginning to encroach from the northern and western margins. These 1974 photographs, produced by the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the Geological Survey, provide an overhead perspective on the transition from an agrarian economy to a suburban landscape, tracing the precise alignment of local roads and irrigation patterns before further urbanization.