1950 Map of Goleta

About this map

The Santa Barbara Airport and the surrounding coastal terrace define this landscape, where the Santa Barbara Channel meets the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Based on 1947 photography and a 1950 field check, with later urban revisions, the map documents the area during a period of significant post-war transition. Traditional land divisions like the Los Dos Pueblos and Pueblo Lands of Santa Barbara grants are still prominent, overlaying a developing network of roads like Hollister Avenue. The hydrological system is intricately mapped, showing how Atascadero Creek and Maria Ygnacio Creek drain into the Goleta Slough near Mescalitan Island. From the established Goleta settlement to the residential enclaves of Hope Ranch and Isla Vista, the map provides a clear record of coastal development and agricultural land use before the full surge of late-century suburbanization.