1986 Map of Lorain

About this map

Lake Erie defines the northern edge of this North Central Ohio landscape, where the shoreline transition from Sandusky Bay to the industrial port of Lorain reveals a region built on maritime commerce and heavy rail. Inland, the map captures a mature 1980s infrastructure, anchored by the massive National Aeronautics and Space Administration Plum Brook Station and the prominent educational grounds of Oberlin College. The landscape is a lattice of transport, with the Ohio Turnpike and major corridors like U S Highway 20 intersecting historic rail lines including the Norfolk and Western Railway and Conrail. From the marshes of the Resthaven State Wildlife Management Area to the inland hubs of Norwalk and Elyria, the topography illustrates the balance between agricultural townships and the growing urban centers of the Rust Belt era.