Loading map...

1954 Map of San Rafael

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of San Rafael
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Mt Tamalpais anchors this mid-century portrait of Marin County, where the peaks of the coast range meet the expanding suburban corridors of the 1950s. The map documents the rapid development following the opening of the Redwood Highway, as residential red-tinted zones spread through San Anselmo, Larkspur, and Corte Madera. Along the Northwestern Pacific RR, established communities are shown alongside institutional landmarks like the San Francisco Theological Seminary and Dominican College.

South of the urbanized valleys, the protected landscape of Muir Woods National Monument and Mt Tamalpais State Park remains largely untouched, crisscrossed by the Dipsea Trail and Panoramic Highway. From the historic Old Mill in Mill Valley to the salt marshes of Richardson Bay, the survey captures a balance between early California heritage, seen at Mission San Rafael Arcangel, and the post-war housing boom.