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1949 Map of Ithaca East

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Ithaca East
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Cornell University dominates the western slopes of this 1949 survey, its campus bounded by the gorges of Fall Creek and Cascadilla Creek. The map documents a period of postwar expansion around Ithaca, showing residential growth in Cayuga Heights and the smaller hamlets of Varna, Etna, and Brooktondale. Transportation patterns are defined by the Lehigh Valley railroad line and the historic Catskill Turnpike, which cuts diagonally toward the southeast.

Rural life in the surrounding townships of Lansing and Dryden is marked by a high density of local schools, including Turkey Hill Sch and Snyder Hill Sch, many of which served as community anchors before modern district consolidation. Distinctive aviation history is preserved through the Ithaca East Hill Airport and Sun Downs Airport, reflecting a mid-century landscape where small airfields and family cemeteries like Ellis Hollow Cem were as much a part of the terrain as Mount Pleasant and Snyder Hill.