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1956 Map of Tampa

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Tampa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Florida Gulf Coast from Tampa south to Sanibel Island appears here during a period of significant mid-century expansion. While the urban centers of St Petersburg and Sarasota show dense development, the interior reaches of the Myakka River and Peace River reveal a landscape still defined by agriculture and native terrain. The prominence of Mac Dill AFB on the peninsula between Old Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay underscores the region's strategic military importance.

Further south, the map details the intricate barrier island systems including Sand Key, Longboat Key, and Gasparilla Island, connected to the mainland by early highway networks like U S 41. The rail infrastructure of the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line remains vital to the region's economy, serving inland settlements such as Arcadia and Myakka City before the full dominance of the interstate system.