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1959 Map of Plant City

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

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The West Florida coastline from Crystal Bay down to the northern reaches of Tampa Bay defines this mid-century portrait of a changing landscape. Along the Gulf, vast protected areas like the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge and Anclote National Wildlife Refuge preserve the intricate network of keys, islands, and bayous, while the Anclote Keys Lighthouse stands as a sentinel near Tarpon Springs. Inland, the map captures the transition from the coastal wetlands to the agricultural and timbered interior, dominated by the Withlacoochee State Forest and the winding course of the Withlacoochee River.

Transport infrastructure is dominated by the competing corridors of the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Air Line railroads, which linked established towns like Brooksville, Inverness, and Bushnell. These rail lines supported the citrus and phosphate industries that drove the local economy. From the springs at Weeki Wachee to the historic center of Crystal River, the map documents a region of Florida just before the rapid suburban expansion of the later twentieth century.