“Alexandria, Virginia,” published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1945, captures the city and its Potomac River setting at a revealing mid-century moment. Drawn at the detailed 1:31,680 scale, the map presents Alexandria not simply as a historic port, but as a working landscape of roads, railroads, creeks, cemeteries, military grounds, and expanding neighborhoods. Old Town’s gridded streets sit close to the river, while King Street, Duke Street, Route 1, and the George Washington Memorial Parkway help define the area’s growing transportation framework. The result is a finely observed portrait of a city poised between its colonial and Civil War past and the accelerating suburban development that would reshape Northern Virginia after World War II.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined clarity that made its topographic quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, soldiers, hikers, and historians. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s great cartographic authority, standardizing the depiction of American terrain through contour lines, hydrography, transportation routes, and cultural features. Here, that scientific precision gives Alexandria unusual depth: hills and shallow valleys emerge through measured contours, while roads, rail lines, streams, and settlement patterns are carefully integrated. The muted, practical style typical of mid-20th-century USGS mapping is especially compelling, because it balances technical restraint with historical richness, allowing the viewer to read the landscape almost as a field report from 1945.

Alexandria’s layered history gives the map particular resonance. Long before its modern role within the Washington metropolitan region, the city was a colonial tobacco port, a commercial hub, and a strategic point during the American Civil War. Fort Ward, shown in the vicinity, recalls the ring of defenses constructed to protect Washington, D.C., while Alexandria National Cemetery speaks to the city’s wartime role and its human cost. Old Town Alexandria, near the Potomac, anchors the map with one of Virginia’s most storied urban fabrics. In 1945, these historic sites existed alongside military installations, rail corridors, and busy arterial roads, creating a vivid juxtaposition of memory, movement, and modern federal-era growth.

The topographic character of the map is one of its great pleasures. Contour lines reveal the subtle rise and fall of land west of the Potomac, tracing the drainage basins of Great Hunting Creek, Holmes Run, and other local waterways that shaped settlement and infrastructure. These streams and lowlands were not incidental details; they influenced where roads could run, where rail lines were practical, and where neighborhoods would eventually expand. The Potomac River forms a powerful geographic edge, connecting Alexandria to Washington, D.C., and the broader Chesapeake watershed. Parks, open land, and military sites appear within a landscape still less densely urbanized than today, offering a rare view of Northern Virginia before its postwar transformation.

As a historical document, this 1945 Alexandria map is especially valuable for understanding change. The years following its publication brought dramatic population growth, highway construction, commercial development, and the gradual absorption of rural and semi-rural spaces into the metropolitan fabric. Corridors such as Jefferson Davis Highway, King Street, Duke Street, and the routes leading toward Washington became central to commuting, commerce, and suburban expansion. Comparing the map’s depiction of railroads, drainage systems, residential neighborhoods, and parkland with the present city reveals how profoundly the region evolved. Yet the essentials remain legible: the Potomac, Old Town, the historic roads, and the terrain itself continue to shape Alexandria’s identity.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Alexandria, Virginia
• Potomac River
• Fort Ward
• Old Town Alexandria
• Eisenhower Avenue
• Duke Street
• King Street
• Washington, D.C. visible nearby
• Route 1 / Jefferson Davis Highway
• US Route 395
• Great Hunting Creek
• Holmes Run
• Alexandria National Cemetery
• Ramblers Park
• George Washington Memorial Parkway
• Nearby parks and military sites
• Nearby residential neighborhoods and commercial zones
• Railroads indicated by red lines
• Local waterways and drainage systems

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1945.
• Historical topographical map at a scale of 1:31,680.
• Shows Alexandria and its surrounding area through mid-20th-century geographical and infrastructural detail.
• The USGS was a major American mapping agency, widely influential in topographical surveying, urban planning, land use, and outdoor recreation.
• Alexandria’s rich history, especially its role during the American Civil War, adds historical depth to the map.
• Features contour lines showing elevation changes, hills, valleys, and terrain variation.
• Uses a muted color palette typical of mid-20th-century USGS maps.
• Red lines indicate major roads and railway routes, highlighting transportation networks.
• Useful for understanding historic land use, development patterns, and infrastructure around Alexandria.
• Valuable for comparing the area before and after post-1945 urban development, infrastructure expansion, and population growth.

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.