Published in 1946 by the United States Geological Survey, “Boston South” presents the city and its southern environs at a detailed 1:31,680 scale, capturing Boston at a pivotal postwar moment. The map’s original title is spare and practical, in the USGS tradition, yet the landscape it describes is richly layered: Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the Charles River basin, Boston Inner Harbor, Dorchester Bay, Quincy Bay, and the intricate urban fabric between them. Created by an agency renowned for scientific precision and national mapping, this topographical sheet records not only streets, railways, coastlines, and elevations, but also the shape of a metropolitan region poised for profound mid-century transformation.

The map’s visual character is especially appealing, with a distinctive palette of pink and brown tones used to distinguish terrain, built-up areas, and changes in elevation. Contour lines give the city an almost sculptural quality, revealing the modest but meaningful relief of Boston’s historic hills and reclaimed lowlands. Beacon Hill appears as a compact rise within the urban grid, while Back Bay’s ordered streets and formal avenues reflect one of the great nineteenth-century landmaking projects in American urban history. The contrast between dense city blocks, public parks, waterfront edges, and open reservations gives the map both analytical clarity and aesthetic warmth.

Boston’s celebrated neighborhoods are among the chief pleasures of the sheet. Back Bay, already established as one of the city’s most refined districts, is shown with its rectilinear plan, suggesting the brownstone avenues, cultural institutions, and commercial corridors that define it today. Beacon Hill, by contrast, retains the sense of an older Boston, its tight street pattern and elevated position recalling the colonial and Federal-era town. Nearby green spaces, including Boston Gardens and other public parks, interrupt the urban density, offering a glimpse of the city’s long tradition of civic landscape design. The result is a portrait of Boston as both historic capital and modern metropolis.

Water is central to the map’s drama. The Charles River forms a defining northern and western edge, while Boston Inner Harbor and Boston Outer Harbor open the city toward the Atlantic. Dorchester Bay, Quincy Bay, Old Harbor, Frasier’s Bay, and the mouth of the Neponset River create a complex coastal geography of inlets, tidal margins, bridges, rail lines, and industrial approaches. These shorelines remind the viewer that Boston’s growth has always depended on maritime commerce, engineered land, and strategic transportation corridors. Roads and railways thread through the mapped area, linking the central city with Dorchester, Quincy, and the southern suburban landscape.

As a 1946 document, “Boston South” is particularly evocative because it records the city just after World War II, before many later highways, redevelopment schemes, and demographic shifts reshaped metropolitan Boston. The map preserves patterns of settlement, transportation, and open space that were soon to be altered by expressway construction, urban renewal, port modernization, and suburban expansion. Places such as Mazza’s Cross Roads, the Neponset River corridor, public reservations, unnamed ponds, and smaller neighborhood landscapes help complete the picture of a city region in transition. It is a precise topographical survey, but also a quietly compelling historical snapshot of mid-twentieth-century Boston.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Boston
• Back Bay
• Beacon Hill
• Charles River
• Dorchester Bay
• Quincy Bay
• Old Harbor
• Boston Inner Harbor
• Boston Outer Harbor
• S. Sawyerm Reservation
• Frasier's Bay
• Mazza's Cross Roads
• Neponset River
• Boston Gardens
• Public Parks
• Various streets and railways
• Several unnamed lakes and ponds
• Many smaller neighborhoods and parks may also be indicated but not specifically named

Historical context & cartographic details

• The map is titled Boston South.
• Produced by the US Geological Survey, known for detailed mapping and geological research across the United States.
• Published in 1946, in the post-World War II period.
• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map showing Boston, Massachusetts and the surrounding area.
• Uses a distinct color scheme, with tones of pink and brown to show elevation and terrain distinctions.
• Clearly distinguishes between urban and natural areas.
• Includes elevation contour lines indicating the hilly terrain typical of the region.
• Offers insight into mid-20th-century urban development patterns in Boston.
• Records the area before later infrastructure development, population shifts, and other significant urban changes.

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.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

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.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.