Titled “Santa Barbara,” this distinguished US Geological Survey topographical map was created from 1952 mapping and issued with a 1968 imprint, capturing the celebrated California coast at a pivotal mid-century moment. At the precise 1:24,000 scale, it embraces Santa Barbara, Montecito, the Pacific Ocean, and the Santa Barbara Channel, presenting both the elegance of the built environment and the drama of the surrounding terrain. The city’s gridded streets, harbor works, and coastal landmarks appear in careful relationship to beaches, canyons, and rising foothills. With its vivid color coding and closely drawn contour lines, the map transforms a familiar resort landscape into a richly legible portrait of place, structure, elevation, and movement.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the institutional precision that made its topographic series indispensable to planners, engineers, geologists, hikers, and historians. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the USGS became the authoritative federal agency for mapping the physical character of the United States, and its quadrangles are renowned for their disciplined combination of science and graphic clarity. Here, roads, watercourses, urban blocks, shorelines, and relief are arranged with a visual economy that rewards close study. Contours articulate the swift transition from low coastal plain to rugged upland, while color distinctions help separate developed areas, open land, and hydrological features. The result is both a practical survey and a refined cartographic study of the South Coast.

Santa Barbara itself is shown as a city shaped by the sea, its civic fabric stretching inland from Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara Harbor, and the curving margin of the Pacific. The map records the city’s mid-century neighborhoods, parks, street grids, and arterial routes, including Highway 101 and the Coast Highway, at a time when automobile circulation was increasingly defining Southern California development. The famous Spanish Colonial Revival character of Santa Barbara is not depicted architecturally, but its urban setting is unmistakable: a compact city nestled between ocean and mountains, oriented toward harbor, beach, and mission-era routes. The map’s detail invites comparison between the historic street plan and later patterns of suburban growth, preservation, and coastal management.

East of Santa Barbara, Montecito appears as a more dispersed and verdant settlement, with estates, lanes, and open spaces set against the foothills and canyons. Butterfly Beach and Montecito Plaza help anchor this portion of the map, while the partial indication of Carpinteria points toward the broader coastal corridor. The Santa Barbara Channel occupies the southern edge as an expansive maritime presence, reminding the viewer that this region’s identity has always been tied to ocean routes, fisheries, recreation, and the offshore islands beyond the map’s frame. Inland, Mission Canyon and Sycamore Canyon channel the eye northward, where the landscape steepens toward the Santa Ynez Mountains and the protected lands of Los Padres National Forest.

What makes this map especially compelling is its portrayal of contrast: urban refinement pressed against wild topography. The coast lies low and luminous, yet within a short distance the contour lines gather tightly, describing ravines, ridges, and the first ascent into the mountains. This physical compression has shaped Santa Barbara’s history, from settlement and transportation to fire risk, watershed management, and conservation. As a mid-twentieth-century record, the map offers insight into the balance between development and landscape before later decades of expansion and environmental regulation altered the region. It is a cartographic snapshot of one of California’s most storied coastal enclaves, rendered with the exacting authority and understated beauty of the USGS tradition.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Santa Barbara
• Montecito
• Pacific Ocean
• Santa Barbara Channel
• Los Padres National Forest
• Carpinteria
• Mission Canyon
• Sycamore Canyon
• Butterfly Beach
• Stearns Wharf
• Santa Barbara Harbor
• Highway 101
• Coast Highway
• Montecito Plaza
• Residential neighborhoods and city blocks
• Parks and open spaces

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map
• Dated 1952 with a 1968 imprint
• Shows the region’s mid-20th-century geographical layout and urban planning
• Uses contour lines to represent topographical changes
• Incorporates color coding to distinguish elevations and geographical features
• Depicts significant topographical relief, from coastal areas to hills leading toward the Santa Ynez Mountains
• Reflects development patterns of the period
• Useful for comparing historical land use, urban growth, and environmental preservation with present-day maps
• The USGS is recognized for detailed geological and topographical mapping in the United States

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.