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1956 Map of Portland West

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Portland West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

The industrial and educational hub of Southern Maine is captured here in the mid-1950s, showing the dense development of Portland and its surrounding communities. The landscape is defined by the Fore River and Back Cove, where maritime infrastructure meets the rail lines of the Portland Terminal and Canadian National. Educational landmarks are prominent, including the University of Maine (Portland) and Westbrook Junior College.

To the west, the city of Westbrook sits along the Presumpscot River, while the southern reaches show the growing residential and industrial footprint of South Portland, including the Portland Municipal Airport. Local genealogy is well-served by the mapping of numerous burial grounds, from the expansive Evergreen Cemetery to smaller sites like the Union Ch Cem. The transition from urban centers to the more open hills of Falmouth and Scarborough reveals the postwar suburban expansion era before the full impact of the highway system.