1977 Map of Gainesville

About this map

Gainesville and Manassas anchor this 1977 orthophotoquad, which uses rectified aerial photography to provide a clear view of Prince William County before the era of intensive suburban sprawl. The landscape is a patchwork of agricultural fields and woodlands, carved through by the drainage systems of Bull Run and Broad Run. Small crossroads settlements like Catharpin and Sudley Springs appear much as they did in previous decades, showing the slow pace of development in the northern portion of the quadrangle. South of Groveton, the emergence of larger transportation corridors and clearing for development near Wellington hints at the coming transformation of the region. This document was produced by the Geological Survey in cooperation with the Soil Conservation Service, utilizing photoimagery taken on March 16, 1977.