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1959 Map of Richmond

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Richmond
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Richmond and its neighboring East Bay communities are captured here in a period of intense industrial and suburban density during the late 1950s. The shoreline is dominated by the Inner Harbor Basin and the infrastructure of the Oil Tank Farm near Giant, reflecting the area's role as a major maritime and refining hub. Heavy rail lines, including the Southern Pacific and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, carve through the urban landscape, connecting the waterfront to the burgeoning residential districts of San Pablo and El Cerrito.

Inland, the terrain rises sharply into the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo Ridge, where Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park provides a sharp contrast to the gridded streets below. This survey details numerous local landmarks, from the Univ of Calif Engineering Field Sta near the marshy edges of Stege to the quiet grounds of St Josephs Cemetery. The presence of many schools, such as Richmond Union HS and Contra Costa College, underscores the rapid mid-century growth of these Contra Costa County neighborhoods.