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1943 Map of Panama City Beach

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Panama City Beach
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

Panama City Beach and the surrounding coastline are captured here in a wartime 1943 survey conducted by the Corps of Engineers. This era precedes the major post-war development of the Emerald Coast, showing the primary coastal highway threading through small, distinct beachfront communities including Betty Lou Beach, Florida Beach, and Long Beach. The map reveals a landscape defined by the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico to the extensive marshlands and inlets of West Bay.

Interpreting the water systems, the geography is marked by intricate tidal features such as Botheration Bayou and Big Johnson Bayou, which cut deep into the interior terrain. The presence of Grand Lagoon and the prominence of Breakfast Point illustrate a coastal economy still largely centered on the natural harbor and navigation routes before the region transformed into a modern tourist destination.