Published in 1987 from data collected in 1982, the US Geological Survey’s “Corolla” captures a compelling moment in the modern history of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. This topographical map presents the slender barrier-island landscape around Corolla, where the Atlantic Ocean presses against the eastern shore and Currituck Sound lies broad and sheltered to the west. With its orthophoto elements, the map combines the authority of measured topography with the immediacy of aerial observation, offering a richly detailed view of coastal landforms, water margins, vegetation, and human traces. It records Corolla before the full force of later resort development transformed the area, making it especially evocative as a late twentieth-century portrait of a fragile and desirable coastal environment.

The US Geological Survey, long regarded as one of the world’s most rigorous mapping institutions, brought to this map its characteristic clarity, precision, and restrained visual elegance. The familiar USGS palette distinguishes sea, sound, marsh, and upland with blues, greens, and subtle earth tones, while contour lines mark the area’s modest elevations. In a place as low and dynamic as the Outer Banks, even slight variations in height are meaningful: dunes, beach ridges, and inland swales shape drainage, vegetation, access, and vulnerability to storms. The result is not merely a guide to position, but a careful reading of a coastal plain where land and water constantly negotiate their boundaries.

Corolla itself appears as the focal settlement, set between oceanfront beaches and the quiet expanse of Currituck Sound. The map situates the community within a landscape defined by movement: tidal water, shifting sand, maritime vegetation, and access routes threading toward the shoreline. Nearby coastal vegetation areas suggest the ecological transition from open beach to dunes, scrub, and sound-side wetlands. Trails and potential access roads reveal how people entered and used the landscape, while the surrounding islands and water bodies emphasize Corolla’s position within a larger Outer Banks system. For collectors interested in place, the map offers a precise and atmospheric record of a beloved coastal destination at a formative stage.

The geography shown here is especially rich because Corolla occupies one of the more distinctive reaches of the North Carolina coast. To the east, the Atlantic shoreline stretches in a long, clean arc of beaches exposed to wind, waves, and seasonal storms. To the west, Currituck Sound forms a calmer watery world of marsh edges, channels, and shallow aquatic habitat. South Channel and adjacent water features underscore the navigational and ecological complexity of the region. This contrast between ocean and sound is central to the Outer Banks’ identity: a narrow ribbon of sand protecting inland waters, supporting wildlife, and attracting generations of visitors drawn by its openness and natural beauty.

As a document of the late twentieth century, “Corolla” is valuable for what it reveals about change. The 1982 survey data preserve the area’s land use, access patterns, vegetation, and coastline before subsequent decades of growth made Corolla one of the best-known destinations on the northern Outer Banks. Comparing this map with later views can illuminate shifting development, altered roads, changing shorelines, and evolving relationships between recreation and conservation. Yet beyond its analytical importance, the map has a quiet aesthetic power: a measured portrait of beaches, sound, and low coastal terrain rendered with scientific discipline. It is a cartographic snapshot of a landscape poised between remoteness and transformation.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Corolla, NC
• Currituck Sound
• Atlantic Ocean
• South Channel
• Pristine beaches
• Coastal vegetation areas
• Surrounding islands and water bodies
• Various trails and potential access roads to the coastline

Historical context & cartographic details

• Topographical map produced by the US Geological Survey featuring orthophoto elements.
• Data collected in 1982 and published in 1987.
• Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS), a government agency known for reliable mapping and geospatial data.
• Uses a color palette to distinguish land and water regions, with blues for sea and greens for vegetation.
• Features contour lines indicating elevation, showing both coastal and inland topography.
• Reflects the flat coastal plain character of the Corolla area.
• Documents the geographical and developmental context of the area in the late 20th century.
• Useful as a comparison point for analyzing changes in land use, ecology, and coastal 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.