Titled “Half Moon Bay,” this US Geological Survey topographical map was surveyed in 1961 and published with a 1969 imprint, preserving the San Mateo County coast at a moment of transition. At a precise 1:24,000 scale, it presents Half Moon Bay and its surrounding shoreline with the disciplined clarity for which USGS quadrangles are renowned. The Pacific Ocean forms the western edge in cool blue, while the coastal plain, creeks, roads, and settlements are carefully arranged against the rising terrain of the Santa Cruz Mountains. More than a navigational document, the map captures a landscape poised between its agricultural past and its later identity as a beloved coastal destination, where beaches, harbors, farms, and hillside communities meet within a compact and dramatic geography.

The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became one of the most influential mapping institutions in the world, and this sheet reflects its meticulous mid-century cartographic standards. Its contour lines describe the land with scientific restraint, revealing the steep transition from beach and terrace to upland ridge. Color is used not decoratively but analytically: blue identifies ocean, streams, and coastal waters; green marks vegetated areas; and the fine brown contouring gives shape to hills, valleys, and mountain slopes. The result is a map of understated beauty, in which every line serves a purpose. San Pedro Mountain, coastal ravines, and the textured inland terrain appear not as abstract scenery, but as measurable, legible forms in a working landscape.

Half Moon Bay itself appears as the principal settlement, its streets and approaches set just inland from the great sweep of the Pacific. Main Street, Poplar Street, and Capuchino Avenue evoke the town’s historic core, while California Highway 1 traces the coastal route that helped define modern travel along this part of California. Nearby communities such as Miramar, Princeton, El Granada, and Montara mark the chain of small coastal places that give the area its distinctive rhythm. Johnson Pier and Princeton hint at the working waterfront and fishing culture of the harbor, while Half Moon Bay State Beach anchors the recreational coastline that would become central to the region’s public identity.

The map’s waterways reveal another layer of local history and ecology. Pilarcitos Creek and Purisima Creek descend through the coastal hills toward the ocean, shaping valleys that long supported ranching, farming, and settlement. Pescadero Creek, to the south, belongs to a broader system of watersheds that helped define travel routes, land use, and habitat along the peninsula. The coastline near the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, famed for tide pools and intertidal life, underscores the biological richness of this meeting place between land and sea. In the cartography, these features are rendered with crisp economy, yet they suggest an environment of remarkable variety: marine terraces, wetlands, bluffs, beaches, wooded slopes, and sheltered creek corridors.

As a historical document, this map records Half Moon Bay before many later waves of suburban expansion, tourism infrastructure, and conservation planning reshaped the coast. The town had deep roots in agriculture, especially flowers, artichokes, and pumpkins, and it would become widely known for its annual Pumpkin Festival. Yet here it remains a relatively compact coastal community, surrounded by fields, hills, and open shore. The map captures the Bay Area’s western edge not as an extension of the metropolis, but as a distinctive rural-maritime landscape. Its combination of technical precision and historical atmosphere makes it a compelling portrait of mid-century California: practical, elegant, and alive with the geography of sea, mountain, and cultivated land.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Half Moon Bay
• Pacific Ocean
• Miramar
• Montara
• San Pedro Mountain
• Princeton
• Half Moon Bay State Beach
• El Granada
• Purisima Creek
• Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
• California Highway 1
• Main Street, Half Moon Bay
• Poplar Street
• Capuchino Avenue
• Johnson Pier
• Pescadero Creek
• Pilarcitos Creek

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Half Moon Bay, California, and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1961, with a 1969 imprint.
• Published by the US Geological Survey, an important agency known for its extensive topographical mapping and geological research in the United States.
• Uses color-coding to distinguish terrain and landscape features, including blue for water and green for vegetation.
• Shows significant elevation changes through contour lines, highlighting the hills, valleys, and mountainous terrain near the coast.
• Represents Half Moon Bay during a period of growth and transition, before later developments in infrastructure and habitation.
• Reflects Half Moon Bay’s identity as a coastal city with beaches, agricultural heritage, and later popularity as an outdoor and event destination.

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.