Published in 1962 from 1953 survey data, the USGS map titled “Seaside Park” captures a finely observed stretch of the New Jersey shore at a pivotal moment in its postwar transformation. At 1:24,000 scale, it presents Seaside Park, Lavallette, Ortley Beach, Silver Bay, Barnegat Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean with the precision and clarity characteristic of mid-century American topographic mapping. The result is both a scientific document and a portrait of coastal life: barrier beaches, bayside waters, road grids, resort blocks, marshlands, and shorefront communities arranged between ocean and lagoon. Its vibrant blue waterways and earthy land tones emphasize the fragile geography of this narrow coastal world, where development, recreation, and natural processes meet.

The United States Geological Survey, established in 1879, became the nation’s preeminent authority for systematic mapping, natural resource study, and geographic documentation. By the time this map was compiled and published, the USGS had refined a visual language that combined accuracy with remarkable legibility: contour lines, hydrographic markings, transportation networks, vegetation symbols, and urban forms all integrated into a disciplined cartographic whole. In “Seaside Park,” that expertise is applied to a landscape where small changes in elevation, shoreline, and water depth matter profoundly. The inclusion of bathymetric lines in the surrounding waters enhances the map’s usefulness and visual interest, revealing not only the landward shape of the barrier island but also the submerged contours of Barnegat Bay and adjacent coastal waters.

Seaside Park itself appears as a carefully organized resort community, its residential blocks and street pattern set against the sweep of beach and ocean. Founded as a seaside retreat and shaped by the growth of rail, road, and automobile tourism, the town became part of a broader New Jersey coastal culture centered on summer houses, boardwalk pleasures, fishing, boating, and ocean bathing. The red urban outlines on the map convey the extent of built development in the early 1950s, while nearby open spaces and shoreline features preserve evidence of a less densely built coast. This tension between planned resort settlement and natural barrier-beach environment gives the map much of its historical fascination.

North of Seaside Park, Lavallette and Ortley Beach occupy the same narrow strip between Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic, their recreational identity clearly legible through rectilinear street grids, road connections, and proximity to beach frontage. These communities reflect the early twentieth-century rise of the Jersey Shore as a seasonal destination, later accelerated by postwar mobility and suburban prosperity. The map records a landscape in transition: compact beach settlements linked by coastal roads, bayside inlets and marshy margins, and residential subdivisions pressing into formerly undeveloped terrain. Silver Bay and the waters around Toms River further situate the shore communities within a larger estuarine system, showing how boating, settlement, and tourism depended on sheltered bay environments as much as on the oceanfront.

As a historical document, this map is especially compelling for what it reveals about land use before later decades of intensified coastal development, storm engineering, and environmental regulation. Its color-coding distinguishes water, marsh, vegetation, urbanized blocks, and transport routes with elegant efficiency, while contour and bathymetric lines underscore the low, vulnerable topography of the barrier coast. The beaches, bay shores, marshlands, and road systems together form a layered record of human ambition on a dynamic shoreline. For collectors interested in New Jersey, coastal resorts, or American topographic design, “Seaside Park” offers a richly detailed view of mid-century shore life—an exacting cartographic snapshot of communities poised between leisure, expansion, and the restless Atlantic.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Seaside Park
• Lavallette
• Ortley Beach
• Silver Bay
• Tom River
• Barnegat Bay
• Atlantic Ocean
• Berkley Township
• Various residential blocks denoted in red
• Road systems leading to and from the beach areas
• Coastal lines and beaches
• Natural features such as marshes and vegetation areas represented in green

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of the New Jersey coastal area.
• Based on data from 1953 and published in 1962.
• The USGS has played a major role in mapping and surveying the United States, providing comprehensive geographic information.
• Shows a period when tourist communities were developing along the New Jersey coast, reflecting changes in land use and urban development.
• The area’s coastal resort history was influenced by tourism and early 20th-century recreational beach culture.
• Features clear color-coding to differentiate land types, with vibrant blue for water bodies and earthy tones for land.
• Includes contour lines for elevation, bathymetric lines for water depths, and urban planning outlines.
• Provides a detailed portrayal of both geographic and man-made features.
• Serves as a useful comparative reference for studying regional development over time.

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.