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1949 Map of South Gate

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of South Gate
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Industrial expansion and residential development define the corridor between South Gate and Compton in the late 1940s. The landscape is a dense network of rail and road, where the Pacific Electric and Southern Pacific lines serve growing neighborhoods like Lynwood and Cudahy. A unique mix of institutional and cultural landmarks is visible, from the historic Lugo Adobe and the sprawl of Rancho Los Amigos (Hondo PO) to the Angeles Abbey Mausoleum.

Transit hubs such as the Compton Airport and Beacon Industrial Airport underscore the post-war aviation boom in Southern California. The map also documents significant community sites, including the Russian Molokan Cem and numerous parochial schools like St Emydius Sch. This era captures the transition of old ranch lands into a contiguous urban fabric, where the Los Angeles River and Rio Hondo are increasingly hemmed in by the grid of the Los Angeles basin.