1943 Map of Laguna Beach

About this map

Laguna Beach and the neighboring settlement of Gulf Resort Beach line the narrow strip of land between the coastal marshes and the Gulf of Mexico in this 1943 survey. Prepared during the height of the war by the War Department and the Geological Survey, the map captures the early footprint of these coastal communities before the massive postwar development of the Florida Panhandle. The topography is dominated by low-lying wetlands and sandy shorelines, with the primary road network closely hugging the coast to connect these fledgling beach resorts. This wartime edition provides a clear record of the area's transition from a sparse coastal landscape into a series of interconnected beach destinations, showing the exact street grids and building locations as they existed in the early 1940s.