Titled “Hicksville,” this 1947 United States Geological Survey map presents a precise 1:24,000 topographical portrait of north-central Long Island, published in the same year as its survey data. Centered on Hicksville and extending toward Oyster Bay, Glen Cove, Jericho, Bethpage, Westbury, Woodbury, East Meadow, and Levittown, it captures a region poised between older village landscapes and the great suburban transformation of the postwar era. Oyster Bay Harbor anchors the northern portion with a maritime elegance, while the inland road and rail network reveals the practical geography that shaped commuting, commerce, and settlement. As a USGS quadrangle, the map balances scientific restraint with quiet historical drama: every contour, route, stream, and neighborhood records Long Island at a pivotal moment of change.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the institutional clarity and technical discipline that made its quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, hikers, geologists, and local authorities. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s principal mapper of terrain, translating the American landscape into a standardized visual language of contours, symbols, grids, and measured distances. On “Hicksville,” that language is especially revealing. Roads are differentiated by importance, railroads cut across the suburban fabric as strong dark lines, and the scale bar and coordinate grid establish a dependable framework for navigation. The result is not merely a map of places, but a structured document of land use, mobility, and elevation, showing how settlement patterns clustered around transport corridors and accessible ground.

The topography of Long Island is often thought of as gentle, but this map demonstrates how varied and expressive the terrain can be. Contour lines trace the subtle rises, shallow valleys, and lowland passages that define the Hicksville and Oyster Bay area, reflecting the glacial origins of the island’s surface. Around Oyster Bay and its harbor, the land descends toward tidal waters and sheltered inlets, while inland areas reveal a patchwork of modest elevations and drainage features. Small streams, ponds, wooded tracts, and shaded natural areas interrupt the developing grid of roads and residences. These details give the map a layered quality, showing the meeting point between natural form and human occupation in a landscape already under increasing pressure from suburban growth.

Historically, the map is particularly evocative because it records Long Island in 1947, at the threshold of one of the most dramatic residential expansions in American history. Hicksville, long associated with rail access and market-town development, would soon become deeply integrated into the commuting landscape of Nassau County. Nearby Levittown, whose postwar construction began in this period, came to symbolize mass-produced suburban housing and the aspirations of returning veterans and their families. Bethpage, Jericho, Westbury, and East Meadow likewise appear within a region being reshaped by automobiles, improved roads, and expanding neighborhoods. The map preserves the geography of that transition, when older farms, estates, villages, and transportation lines were giving way to a new metropolitan edge.

Oyster Bay adds a further dimension of cultural and historical resonance. The harbor, inlets, and shoreline communities recall Long Island’s maritime heritage, while the surrounding towns reflect centuries of colonial settlement, agriculture, industry, and estate development. Glen Cove and Oyster Bay were associated with affluent North Shore life, country houses, and waterfront activity, while inland places such as Hicksville and Bethpage became increasingly defined by railroads, workshops, roads, and suburban lots. The map’s understated cartography allows these contrasts to emerge without embellishment: harbor and upland, village and suburb, woodland and street grid, rail line and country road. For collectors, it is a finely detailed snapshot of a landscape in motion, capturing one of New York’s most important suburban corridors at a decisive historical moment.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Hicksville
• Oyster Bay
• Glen Cove
• East Meadow
• Levittown
• Jericho
• Bethpage
• Westbury
• Woodbury
• Oyster Bay Harbor
• Significant roads
• Railroads
• Parks and natural areas
• Various small water bodies and streams
• Contour lines indicating elevation changes
• Nearby neighborhoods and residential areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map name: Hicksville
• Created in 1947
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Oyster Bay, New York and the surrounding area
• Based on survey data from 1947 and published the same year
• USGS records show no separate imprint year specified
• Shows a Long Island landscape that has likely changed significantly since 1947 due to postwar urban and suburban development
• Includes a clear legend, scale bar, and grid system for navigation
• Displays varied terrain, including hilly areas, valleys, and lowland regions characteristic of Long Island’s geographic diversity
• Documents Hicksville and Oyster Bay during an important period in Long Island’s mid-20th-century development

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.