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1954 Map of Phoenix

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Phoenix
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Phoenix sits at the center of an expanding agricultural and military landscape where the Salt River and Gila River converge. By the late 1960s, the development of planned communities like Sun City and Youngtown signaled a major shift in the Salt River Valley’s residential character. The presence of Luke Air Force Base and its various auxiliary fields, such as Luke AF No. 1, underscores the region’s importance as a strategic defense hub.

Beyond the urban core, the map traces the heavy industrial and transport lines that defined Central Arizona’s economy. The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR and Southern Pacific RR cut through the desert, connecting remote outposts like Salome and Vicksburg. Prospecting history is visible in the northwest at the Vulture Gold Mine, while the desert stretches toward the Kofa Game Range, revealing a landscape balanced between rapid suburban growth and its mineral-rich, arid frontier origins.