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1959 Map of Richmond

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Richmond
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Industrial infrastructure meets the growing East Bay residential landscape in this late-1950s survey of the shoreline. The Richmond Inner Harbor and Inner Harbor Basin show a heavily utilized waterfront with piers and shipyard facilities, while the massive Oil Tank Farm near San Pablo underscores the energy economy that fueled the region's development. Two major rail lines, the Southern Pacific and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, slice through the urban grid, connecting the docks to the broader California network.

Away from the water, the terrain rises sharply into the Sobrante Ridge and Berkeley Hills, where the San Pablo Reservoir sits at the edge of the wilderness. Educational and community anchors like Contra Costa College and the Mira Vista School are established among the emerging neighborhoods. Recreational spaces such as Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park and the Drive-in Theater provide a view of the post-war leisure culture in this expanding corridor.