1976 Map of Hazleton

About this map

The city of Hazleton dominates the northwestern portion of this 1976 orthophotograph, showing the dense grid of its urban center alongside the extensive scarring of coal mining activity that surrounds it. The imagery, produced by the Geological Survey and the Soil Conservation Service, provides a stark visual record of the anthracite region's industrial footprint. To the south, the borough of Mc Adoo sits near the base of Spring Mountain, while smaller clusters like Beaver Meadows and the small settlement of Japan appear as island-like developments amidst the disturbed earth and ridges. This aerial perspective captures the complex relationship between residential growth and the heavy extractive industry that defined the landscape of Luzerne County during the mid-1970s, making it possible to trace the exact boundaries of neighborhoods and pits at the time.