Loading map...

1959 Map of Los Angeles

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Los Angeles
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

Los Angeles and its sprawling suburban corridors anchor the southeastern corner of this regional survey, capturing the mid-century expansion of Southern California. The urban density of the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains coastline contrasts sharply with the expansive wildlands to the north. Immense tracts of the Los Padres National Forest and Angeles National Forest dominate the interior, punctuated by critical environmental landmarks like the Sisquoc Condor Sanctuary and the Sespe Game Refuge.

Military and aerospace infrastructure define the high desert and coastal reaches, from Edwards Air Force Base and the Flight Test Center in the Mojave Desert to the US Naval Construction Battalion Center at Port Hueneme. Water management is central to this landscape, visible through the trace of the Los Angeles Aqueduct and numerous reservoirs like Lake Cachuma and Bouquet Reservoir, reflecting the engineered survival of this growing Mediterranean metropolis.