1961 Map of Niles

About this map

Mission San Jose de Guadalupe and its surrounding district anchor the southeastern hills of this Alameda County landscape, showcasing a transition from rural mission lands to expanding suburban centers. The map documents the consolidation of several historic communities into what became Fremont, including the Niles District, Centerville District, and Irvington District. The complex infrastructure of the era is evident in the path of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and the convergence of the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific railroads at Niles Junction. Local heritage is preserved through markers like the Ohlones Cemetery and the Mission San Jose (Ruins), while the Sunol Valley features the distinctive Water Temple near where Sinbad Creek meets Alameda Creek. Purple revisions from the early 1970s illustrate the rapid growth of housing and schools, such as Mission Valley Sch and Irvington High Sch, as they began to fill the valleys below Mission Peak.