Published in 1981 using mapping first dated 1953, the US Geological Survey’s “Point Pleasant” presents a finely measured portrait of the New Jersey shore at a pivotal mid-century moment. Centered on Point Pleasant Beach, the map captures the meeting of resort town, working waterfront, barrier beaches, tidal creeks, and inland neighborhoods with the understated authority of federal topographic cartography. Its 1:24,000 scale gives the landscape an intimate clarity: streets, rail lines, waterways, shorelines, and elevation contours combine to show a coastal community shaped by both human ambition and the restless Atlantic. For collectors, it is a compelling record of a beloved seaside region before later waves of development, storm alteration, and environmental management further transformed the shore.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual language that made its quadrangles indispensable to planners, engineers, geologists, and travelers. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the USGS became the nation’s preeminent scientific mapping agency, translating terrain into a standardized system of contours, symbols, color, and measurement. Here, that precision reveals a surprisingly varied coastal terrain: low elevations along the oceanfront, subtly rising inland ground, marshy margins near creeks and rivers, and the carefully plotted grid of a growing community. Pink shading marks built-up urban areas, while green identifies parks, wooded tracts, or vegetated land, allowing the viewer to read at once the balance between settlement and open space.

Point Pleasant Beach itself appears as both destination and geographic threshold, poised between the Atlantic Ocean and a network of sheltered waters. The beaches along the coast are among the map’s defining features, tracing the edge where recreation, commerce, and natural exposure meet. Inland, neighborhoods within Point Pleasant are rendered through their roads, blocks, and transportation links, suggesting the postwar expansion that shaped many New Jersey shore towns. Railways and roads emphasize accessibility, a crucial element in the area’s growth as a summer resort and year-round residential community. The map quietly evokes the culture of the mid-twentieth-century shore: beach cottages, boardwalk pleasures, boating routes, commuter connections, and the steady conversion of coastal land into organized suburban space.

The surrounding waterways give the map much of its character and historical richness. The Manasquan River to the north, the Metedeconk River to the west, Beaver Dam Creek, and the broader expanse of Barnegat Bay create a landscape of inlets, channels, tidal margins, and protected boating waters. These features were not merely scenic; they shaped local economies, transportation, recreation, and patterns of settlement. The map’s careful delineation of shorelines and wetland edges is especially evocative, preserving an image of coastal New Jersey before decades of dredging, filling, shoreline stabilization, and storm-driven change. In this sense, the quadrangle functions as an environmental document as much as a navigational or planning tool, recording the delicate relationship between land and water.

As a topographic work, “Point Pleasant” rewards close looking. Contour lines, though modest in a low-lying coastal setting, reveal the fine gradations of elevation that matter profoundly along the shore. Color-coded urban and vegetated areas distinguish dense settlement from parks and greener spaces, while the intricate road and rail network situates Point Pleasant within the broader geography of Ocean and Monmouth County coastal life. The map captures a region at once familiar and vanished: a recognizable shore town, yet one still marked by the spatial patterns of the 1950s. Its appeal lies in this duality—scientific in method, nostalgic in effect, and historically valuable as a snapshot of the New Jersey coastline before the full force of modern development reshaped it.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Point Pleasant Beach
• Metedeconk River
• Beaver Dam Creek
• Barnegat Bay
• Manasquan River
• Neighborhoods within Point Pleasant
• Beaches along the Atlantic Ocean
• Parks and forested areas
• Roads and railways connecting the area
• Residential and commercial land-use areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1953, with a 1981 imprint.
• Shows associated waterways, neighborhoods, terrain features, beaches, urban areas, and vegetated regions.
• Uses standard USGS topographic styling, including contour lines, elevation shading, and color coding.
• Pink coloring represents urban areas, while green denotes parks or forested regions.
• Reflects the development of Point Pleasant Beach and nearby areas during the mid-20th century.
• Captures the landscape before later modern changes, including urban development and environmental changes related to storm activity.

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.