Created and published in 1994 by the United States Geological Survey, “Cleveland South, Ohio” presents a richly detailed topographic portrait of northeastern Ohio at the close of the twentieth century. Drawn at the practical and revealing scale of 1:100,000, the map captures the landscape surrounding Peninsula, with Cleveland’s southern approaches, Akron, Hudson, Bath, Cuyahoga Falls, and a constellation of smaller communities arranged within a carefully measured grid. It is a document of both terrain and settlement: roads, rail corridors, watercourses, parks, and municipal patterns are all expressed through the precise visual language for which the USGS is renowned. As a 1994 geographic record, it preserves a valuable moment in the region’s evolving relationship between urban expansion, protected landscapes, and older industrial corridors.

The map’s most compelling natural feature is the Cuyahoga Valley, a landscape whose riverine corridor cuts a sinuous path between Cleveland and Akron. Peninsula sits near the heart of this terrain, close to the Cuyahoga River and surrounded by the wooded slopes, ravines, and parklands that define Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The topography makes visible the valley’s dramatic yet intimate character: elevations shift through hills, lowlands, and stream-carved folds, while tributaries and wetlands create a varied hydrological network. Brandywine Falls, one of the area’s celebrated landmarks, belongs to this landscape of ledges and descending water. The map’s contouring and color distinctions give the viewer a sense of how geology shaped settlement, travel, recreation, and conservation across this distinctive Ohio corridor.

Urban geography is rendered with equal clarity. Cleveland appears to the north, tied to the broader metropolitan fabric and the shores of Lake Erie, while Akron anchors the southern portion of the mapped region. Between them, communities such as Hudson, Bath, Cuyahoga Falls, and Peninsula reveal the layered structure of northeastern Ohio: industrial cities, historic villages, suburban corridors, and preserved green spaces existing in close proximity. Major roads and transportation routes are prominently marked, showing how movement through the region followed both engineered routes and natural passages. The map’s division between dense urban areas and more open rural or recreational land is especially evocative of the 1990s, when suburban growth, highway access, and environmental preservation were reshaping the area’s identity.

Water gives this map much of its character. Lake Erie lies to the north as the great freshwater horizon of the region, while inland lakes and reservoirs—Chippewa Lake, Green Lake, and the Portage Lakes among them—punctuate the terrain farther south. The Cuyahoga River serves as a central organizing feature, historically infamous for industrial pollution yet, by the 1990s, increasingly associated with environmental recovery and public recreation. Tinkers Creek and other waterways contribute to the intricate drainage pattern, their valleys often corresponding with parklands, steep slopes, and wooded corridors. These features are not merely decorative; they explain settlement, industry, leisure, and conservation. The map allows the viewer to read northeastern Ohio as a living watershed, shaped by water at every scale.

As a USGS production, “Cleveland South, Ohio” embodies the disciplined elegance of late twentieth-century American topographic cartography. Its grid system, standardized symbols, color-coded landforms, and crisp geographic labels transform a complex region into an intelligible visual field. Parks and recreational areas, including portions of the Cleveland Metroparks and Cuyahoga Valley National Park, stand out as deliberate civic and environmental interventions within a highly developed metropolitan landscape. Roads, contours, streams, boundaries, and place names together create a remarkably dense portrait of place. For collectors, historians, planners, or anyone drawn to the geography of the Great Lakes region, this map offers more than orientation: it is a sophisticated snapshot of northeastern Ohio’s terrain, infrastructure, and human imprint in 1994.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Cleveland
• Peninsula
• Akron
• Bath
• Hudson
• Cuyahoga Falls
• Chippewa Lake
• Girdled Road
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• Brandywine Falls
• Lake Erie
• Tinkers Creek
• Green Lake
• Portage Lake
• Cuyahoga River
• Cleveland Metroparks
• Numerous parks and recreational areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey — USGS.
• Created and published in 1994.
• Historical topographical map using 1994 geographic data.
• Designed at a scale of 1:100,000.
• Shows a detailed grid system with clear terrain delineation.
• Uses color-coding to distinguish elevations and land types.
• Includes carefully applied symbols and geographic identifiers for navigation.
• Depicts varied topography, including valleys, hills, lakes, and rivers.
• Provides a snapshot of the area’s geographic and urban layout in the 1990s.
• Useful for comparing historic land use, development, and population patterns with present-day changes.
• Shows a clear division between urban and rural areas.
• Thoroughfares and transportation routes are prominently marked.

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 36x24in (90x60cm) 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.