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1955 Map of Gilroy

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Gilroy
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Gilroy serves as the focal point of this mid-century Santa Clara Valley survey, capturing the agricultural and early suburban expansion along the Southern Pacific railroad corridor. The town's educational landscape is well-documented through several neighborhood campuses, including Brownell Sch, Jordan Sch, and St Marys Sch. To the north, the small settlements of Sun Martin and Rucker align with the rails, reflecting the area's historic reliance on the line for transporting the valley's produce.

Natural geography is dominated by the prominent Coyote Lake in the northeast and the network of waterways such as Llagas Creek and Uvas Creek that drain the foothills. Land use patterns are clearly visible, from the Gilroy Country Club and Drive-in Theater to the functional infrastructure of a Landing Strip and Airway Beacon. The transition from historic ranchos to modern development is preserved in the detailed grid of rural roads like Pacheco Pass Road and the scattered sites of early communities like Old Gilroy.