Old Map of Atlanta, Georgia by USGS, 1954 – East Point, Hapeville & College Park

Published in 1957 using survey data gathered in 1954, “East Point” is a revealing U.S. Geological Survey portrait of Atlanta’s southwestern approaches at a pivotal mid-century moment. At a 1:24,000 scale, the map captures Atlanta, East Point, Hapeville, College Park, Fort McPherson, and the road and rail corridors that tied them together before the full force of postwar metropolitan expansion reshaped the region. Its original title is elegantly understated, yet the sheet encompasses a complex urban landscape: established neighborhoods, military grounds, industrial arteries, airport facilities, and rolling Georgia terrain. As a historical document, it preserves the texture of a city in transition, showing Atlanta not as the sprawling metropolis it would become, but as a dense regional hub pressing outward along transportation lines.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the precision and disciplined visual language that made its mid-twentieth-century topographic sheets indispensable to planners, engineers, hikers, historians, and government agencies. The cartography is clean and authoritative, balancing urban detail with physical geography: red emphasizes built environments, major roads, and infrastructure, while softer tones distinguish vegetation and open land. Contour lines describe the undulating Piedmont terrain, revealing how Atlanta’s neighborhoods and transportation routes were shaped by ridges, lowlands, and drainage patterns. The result is more than a street-and-place map; it is a layered technical portrait of land use, elevation, settlement, and movement, rendered in the crisp, functional style that defines classic USGS mapping.

Atlanta appears here as the dominant force, its railways and roadways radiating outward from the city and giving the sheet much of its historical energy. The map’s rail corridors are especially significant: Atlanta’s growth had long depended on rail connections, and East Point itself developed as a junction community where transportation and industry encouraged settlement. Roads such as Campbellton Road and Jonesboro Road anchor the geography of everyday movement, linking residential districts, commercial nodes, and outlying communities. South Adamsville and other neighborhood areas evoke the city’s expanding western and southern edges. Read closely, the map shows a landscape poised between older rail-based patterns and the automobile-driven suburban expansion that would soon accelerate across metropolitan Atlanta.

East Point, Hapeville, and College Park form a compelling trio on the southern side of Atlanta, each with its own relationship to transportation, industry, and suburban development. Hapeville’s proximity to the airport made it an important node in the evolving aviation landscape, while College Park grew alongside rail lines and roads that connected it to both Atlanta and the wider region. The airport shown on or near this landscape would later become known globally as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the busiest air hubs in the world. Fort McPherson, meanwhile, adds a military dimension to the sheet, marking the presence of a major U.S. Army installation whose influence shaped surrounding neighborhoods and infrastructure for generations.

Today, the area depicted on “East Point” has been transformed by urban sprawl, freeway construction, airport expansion, institutional growth, and shifting patterns of residential and commercial development. Modern references such as Interstates 285 and 75/85, along with later landmarks including Atlanta Metropolitan State College, underscore how dramatically the metropolitan fabric has changed since the 1950s. Yet this map preserves an earlier organization of the city, before many contemporary corridors and developments fully defined the landscape. Its careful topographic detail allows the viewer to see the enduring foundations beneath modern Atlanta: the hills and valleys of the Piedmont, the old rail alignments, the historic roads, and the communities whose mid-century forms still echo through the city’s present geography.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Atlanta, Georgia
• East Point, Georgia
• Hapeville, Georgia
• College Park, Georgia
• Fort McPherson
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
• Campbellton Road
• Jonesboro Road
• South Adamsville
• Atlanta Metropolitan State College
• Interstates 285 and 75/85
• Atlanta’s railways
• Various parks and residential neighborhoods

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area.
• The original survey data was collected in 1954 and the map was published in 1957.
• Published by the US Geological Survey, a scientific agency of the U.S. government known for its topographical maps and geological studies.
• The map prominently features Atlanta and nearby areas such as East Point and Hapeville.
• Atlanta is a significant cultural and economic hub in the southeastern United States, while East Point historically developed as a rail junction.
• The map uses a clear color scheme, with shades of yellow for vegetation and red for urban areas and infrastructure.
• Its detailed representation of topographical features reflects the cartographic standards of the 1950s.
• The map shows a mix of urban settings and natural landscapes, including hills and low-lying areas.
• It serves as a snapshot of Atlanta’s development in the mid-20th century, before later urban sprawl and infrastructure changes transformed the landscape.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

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With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.