1975 Map of Greenwood

About this map

Greenwood and Parkwood occupy the cleared lands north of the dense, forested ridges of Jefferson County in the mid-1970s. This orthophotoquad, produced from 1975 aerial photography, reveals the stark contrast between the residential and industrial development patterns in the north and the winding, heavily timbered path of the Cahaba River to the south. The imagery provides a clear view of the clearing for an airstrip and the expansion of suburban roads into previously agricultural or wooded plots. Unlike a traditional topographic map, this photographic record shows the exact footprint of every home, clearing, and wooded ravine at a time when this part of Alabama was transitioning from a rural landscape to a more developed exurban region.