1959 Map of Walnut Creek

About this map

Concord and Pleasant Hill emerge as burgeoning postwar suburban centers in this 1959 survey, anchored by the expansion of the Diablo Valley corridor. The landscape is a transition of residential blocks and educational institutions like Diablo Valley College and Acalanes H S, set against the backdrop of the Lime Ridge and the Briones Hills. Regional transportation is defined by the Arnold Industrial Highway and the legacy rail lines of the Southern Pacific and Sacramento Northern, which once served the valley's agricultural past. Public infrastructure and civic spaces are prominent, from the Civic Center to Buchanan Field. Local history is preserved in the IOOF Cemetery and Lafayette Cemetery, while the presence of the Naval Reservation and Contra Costa Speedway highlights the era's diverse land use before the intense urbanization of the later twentieth century.