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1984 Map of Sunbury

Name: 1984 Topographic Map of Sunbury
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The confluence of the Susquehanna River and its West Branch at Sunbury anchors this mid-1980s look at the heart of Pennsylvania's anthracite region and the ridge-and-valley landscape. This map reveals a complex network of industrial towns and coal-country settlements like Shamokin, Mount Carmel, and Pottsville, all linked by the remaining lines of the Conrail and Delaware & Hudson RR systems. The terrain is defined by a series of long, parallel ridges including Mahanoy Mountain and Mahantango Mountain, which created natural barriers that funneled development into tight valley corridors.

Public lands occupy the high ground between these urban centers, with expansive tracts of the Weiser State Forest and various parcels like State Game Lands No. 115 preserving the wooded slopes. The map traces the industrial legacy along the Schuylkill River and smaller waterways like Mahanoy Creek and Shamokin Creek, while showing the growth of collegiate and regional hubs such as Lewisburg, Danville, and Bloomsburg at the northern edge of the sheet.