1954 Map of San Rafael

About this map

San Rafael and its neighboring Marin County communities are depicted here in the mid-1950s, a period of significant suburban expansion along the Northwestern Pacific railroad and Redwood Highway. The dense residential footprints of Fairfax, San Anselmo, and Larkspur contrast sharply with the preserved wilderness of Mt Tamalpais State Park and Muir Woods National Monument to the west. Institutional landmarks are prominent, including the San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Military Academy, alongside civic infrastructure like the Marin General Hospital. Higher elevations such as Pilot Knob and East Peak overlook a network of reservoirs including Phoenix Lake and Alpine Lake. Along the eastern edge, the topography descends into the tidal flats of Richardson Bay and San Francisco Bay, where a Drawbridge and salt marshes meet the developing shoreline of Corte Madera.