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1956 Map of San Mateo

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of San Mateo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

San Francisco Bay defines the eastern edge of this mid-century Peninsula landscape, where the tidal flats of Brewer Island are just beginning to transform into the planned community of Foster City. Along the corridor of the Southern Pacific railroad and El Camino Real, the post-war suburban expansion is visible in the dense network of new schools such as Hillsdale High Sch and Serra High Sch. The map preserves the footprint of major regional landmarks like the Bay Meadows Racetrack and the Fiesta Grounds, which served as the county fairgrounds during this era of rapid growth.

To the west, the residential estates of Hillsborough climb toward the ridge lines, punctuated by the Burlingame Country Club and the Crystal Springs School for Girls. The contrast between the organized grid of San Mateo and the protected lands of the Fish and Game Refuge near Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir illustrates the tension between development and conservation as the Bayshore Freeway facilitated the region's mid-century boom.