1977 Map of Lynn

About this map

Nahant sits anchored to the mainland by a narrow causeway in this 1977 orthophotoquad, which uses aerial imagery to document the dense coastal urbanization of the North Shore. The industrial and residential grids of Lynn and Swampscott dominate the shoreline of Broad Sound, while the winding channels of the Saugus River and Pines River create a complex network of marshes and tidal flats to the west. This specialized photographic record highlights the intense land use during the late 1970s, showing the precise footprints of neighborhoods in Revere and Winthrop as they crowd the Atlantic coast. The map also captures the inland borders of Peabody, Salem, and Marblehead, illustrating how the metropolitan sprawl of the era had nearly merged these historic maritime settlements into a continuous suburban landscape.