Published in 1944, the US Geological Survey’s “Sarasota” presents Florida’s Gulf Coast city and its surrounding barrier islands at a moment when the area was poised between quiet coastal settlement and the postwar growth that would transform it. Drawn at a detailed 1:31,680 scale, the map records Sarasota not simply as a town, but as a carefully observed landscape of bays, keys, beaches, roads, and low-lying terrain. The USGS topographical style brings precision to a region defined as much by water as by land, tracing the relationship between the urban grid, the Gulf of Mexico, Sarasota Bay, Roberts Bay, and the slender islands that shelter the mainland shoreline.

The United States Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the nation’s principal authority on scientific mapping, geology, and landform documentation. Its maps were designed for accuracy, utility, and permanence, combining field survey, mathematical control, and refined cartographic convention. In this Sarasota sheet, that institutional discipline is applied to a coastal environment where small changes in elevation, shoreline, and drainage mattered deeply. Contour lines and shaded relief describe the subtle topography of Florida’s Gulf margin, where depressions, coastal flats, and built landforms replace the dramatic mountains seen on many inland quadrangles. The result is a map whose quiet precision captures the delicate geometry of a low coastal city.

Sarasota itself appears as the principal populated place, its street pattern and civic footprint set against a remarkable necklace of water and islands. To the west lie Lido Key, St. Armands Key, and Siesta Key, names now synonymous with leisure, beaches, and Gulf Coast elegance, but here shown in their mid-century configuration. Sarasota Bay forms a broad interior waterway between the mainland and the keys, while Roberts Bay and Coral Key contribute to the intricate estuarine setting. The map’s clear delineation of waterways gives immediate visual force to the fact that Sarasota’s development was inseparable from its marine geography, with bays, channels, and beaches shaping movement, settlement, and identity.

The 1944 date gives this map particular historical resonance. Created during the final years of the Second World War, it records Sarasota before the explosive suburban expansion, causeway development, tourism infrastructure, and real estate growth that would define much of the later twentieth century. The presence of named areas such as The Lido, Sarasota Beach, Precinct 1, and Precinct 2 hints at local organization, emerging resort landscapes, and the administrative geography of the period. For collectors and historians, the map offers a valuable snapshot of land use and urban planning in transition: a coastal community already distinctive, yet still far less developed than the Sarasota familiar today.

Cartographically, the sheet is appealing for its balance of technical clarity and coastal atmosphere. Roads, urban layouts, green spaces, water boundaries, and topographic markings are arranged with the understated elegance characteristic of USGS work. The map does not dramatize the landscape; instead, it reveals it through measured detail, allowing the viewer to read the subtle interplay of mainland, bay, key, and Gulf. Its depiction of Sarasota’s natural and artificial landforms makes it especially evocative as a record of place—showing not only where the city stood in 1944, but how its geography invited the patterns of settlement, recreation, and transformation that followed.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Sarasota
• Roberts Bay
• Gulf of Mexico
• Lido Key
• Siesta Key
• Sarasota Bay
• Coral Key
• The Lido
• St. Armands Key
• Sarasota Beach
• Precinct 1
• Precinct 2

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical topographical map of Sarasota, Florida and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1944, reflecting Sarasota in a mid-20th century context.
• Drawn at a scale of 1:31,680.
• Published by the US Geological Survey, a U.S. government scientific agency established in 1879 and known for detailed mapping and geological surveys.
• Shows Sarasota along with nearby waterways, natural features, and surrounding coastal geography.
• Uses traditional topographical cartography, including contour lines and shaded relief to show elevation and terrain.
• Emphasizes elevations, depressions, and the geographical layout of natural and artificial landforms.
• Provides insight into urban planning and land use in the Sarasota area during the 1940s.
• Clearly delineates waterways, urban layouts, and green spaces.

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.