1971 Map of Lexington

About this map

Metropolitan State Hospital and the McLean Hospital complex dominate the southern landscape of this Middlesex County region, highlighting the era's institutional presence. The survey captures a dense network of suburban growth across Lexington, Arlington, and Belmont, where residential expansion is clearly defined against remaining green spaces like the Middlesex Fells Reservation and the Great Meadows. Transportation infrastructure is a central theme, with the Boston and Maine railroad cutting through the terrain and several modern interchanges, including Interchange 42, signaling the rise of the automobile commute. Cultural and academic landmarks such as Bentley College and the Harvard Observatory sit alongside numerous neighborhood schools like Kennedy Mem Jr High Sch and Wyman Sch. Water features including the Upper and Lower Mystic Lake and Fresh Pond provide a natural counterpoint to the accelerating development of the early 1970s.