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1955 Map of Jersey City

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Jersey City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Upper New York Bay serves as the central hub of this mid-century maritime landscape, where the industrial strength of Jersey City and Bayonne meets the dense urban waterfronts of Greenwich Village and South Brooklyn. The map illustrates a massive network of rail infrastructure during the height of the freight era, with extensive trackage and terminals such as Greenville Yards, Meadows Yards, and the Baltimore and Ohio RR dominating the shoreline. This period predates the full containerization of the harbor, showing the complex of slips, piers, and basins like Erie Basin and Atlantic Basin that defined the working waterfront.

Prominent landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Governor Island stand in the harbor, while inland neighborhoods are densely packed with parochial schools and local institutions. From the Pulaski Skyway in the west to the Gowanus Parkway in the east, the map details a region in the midst of massive post-war transit development, including the arterial connections of the Holland Tunnel and Lincoln Tunnel.