Published in 1928 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Altadena” presents a finely observed 1:24,000 topographical portrait of Pasadena, San Marino, Altadena, and the dramatic foothill country rising toward the San Gabriel Mountains. The map captures Southern California at a moment of accelerated transformation, when citrus groves, residential tracts, railway corridors, and mountain recreation routes still coexisted in close proximity. Its original title is pleasingly direct, naming the foothill community that anchors the northern portion of the sheet. Through contour lines, color-coded relief shading, roads, railways, waterways, and civic boundaries, the map offers far more than location: it records the texture of a landscape being reshaped by urban growth while still defined by canyon systems, ridgelines, and open slopes.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the precision and authority for which its national mapping program became renowned. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the USGS was tasked with surveying the physical structure of the United States, producing maps that were indispensable to engineers, planners, scientists, and travelers. In “Altadena,” that institutional discipline is evident in the careful rendering of elevations, drainage, settlement patterns, and transport routes. The use of contour lines gives the sheet a scientific clarity, while the shaded relief lends the San Gabriel foothills an immediate visual presence. It is a map made for practical understanding, yet it also possesses the quiet elegance of early twentieth-century federal cartography.

Pasadena appears as the central urban presence, its streets and corridors revealing the city’s established importance by the late 1920s. Colorado Boulevard, Fair Oaks Avenue, Lake Avenue, and other thoroughfares trace the anatomy of a growing civic and commercial center, while West Pasadena, East Pasadena, and the Pasadena city limits illustrate the spread and organization of development. Nearby San Marino is shown within the same network of roads and landscaped settlement, evoking a region increasingly associated with gracious residential districts, gardens, and cultural ambition. South Pasadena and North Figueroa Street connect the map southward and westward, showing how Pasadena belonged to a broader metropolitan fabric even before the freeway era transformed Southern California.

To the north, Altadena and Loma Alta occupy the vital transition between city and mountain. Here the topography grows more emphatic, with contours tightening as the land climbs toward the San Gabriel Mountains and the famed Mount Lowe area. Arroyo Seco cuts a defining natural corridor through the landscape, its canyon and watershed shaping both recreation and settlement. The map also marks Baldwin Lake and other water features that punctuate the terrain, reminding the viewer that Southern California’s urban development has always depended upon close negotiation with water, slope, and seasonal change. The contrast between ordered streets below and rugged relief above gives the map much of its visual and historical power.

The inclusion of numerous roads and railways makes “Altadena” especially evocative of early twentieth-century mobility. The Pasadena Railway and associated routes speak to an era when streetcars and interurban lines linked neighborhoods, resorts, and downtown districts, supporting both daily life and leisure travel. Sierra Madre Villa and the approaches toward Mount Lowe suggest the mountain tourism culture that drew visitors into the foothills before automobiles fully dominated the landscape. Viewed today, the map is a compelling record of a region on the threshold of modern Los Angeles: recognizable in its boulevards and communities, yet still open enough to reveal orchards, hillsides, canyons, and the commanding geography beneath the city’s expansion.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Pasadena
• San Marino
• Altadena
• Arroyo Seco
• Baldwin Lake
• West Pasadena
• South Pasadena
• San Gabriel Mountains
• Santa Monica Mountains
• Colorado Boulevard
• Fair Oaks Avenue
• Lake Avenue
• Sierra Madre Villa
• North Figueroa Street
• East Pasadena
• Pasadena Railway
• Pasadena City Limits
• Loma Alta
• Mount Lowe

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map dated 1928.
• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for detailed geological, hydrological, and topographical mapping across the United States.
• Uses color-coded relief shading to emphasize elevation and terrain layout.
• Shows detailed topography, including hills, valleys, water bodies, and contour lines indicating elevation changes.
• Reflects early 20th-century regional development, land use, infrastructure, and the growth of residential areas.
• Features numerous roads and railways, highlighting early transport infrastructure in and around the area.

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 18x24in (45x60cm) 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.