1954 Map of Far Rockaway

About this map

Far Rockaway and the long peninsula of Rockaway Beach are shown here as a dense network of residential streets and coastal infrastructure in the mid-1950s. The landscape is defined by the contrast between the heavily developed shorefront, featuring the long Boardwalk and communities like Neponsit and Belle Harbor, and the complex wetlands of Jamaica Bay to the north. In the bay, islands and marshes such as Ruffle Bar and Canarsie Pol are separated by deep-water arteries like Beach Channel and Black Wall Channel. The map documents a period of significant postwar density, with numerous educational and medical institutions like Jr High Sch No 198 and St Josephs Hospital serving the growing population. Important transit links, including the Cross Bay Bridge and the Long Island railroad line, connect these seaside neighborhoods to the mainland.