Published in 1990 by the United States Geological Survey, “Morehead City” presents a richly detailed 1:100,000 topographical portrait of North Carolina’s Crystal Coast at the close of the twentieth century. Centered on Atlantic Beach, Morehead City, and the intricate waterways that shape this maritime landscape, the map captures a region where barrier islands, sounds, tidal creeks, rivers, and ocean frontage define both settlement and movement. Its careful use of color and standardized USGS symbology distinguishes urban development, roads, wetlands, waterways, elevations, and public lands, giving the viewer a clear sense of the coast’s physical complexity. As a 1990 imprint, it records a moment of growing coastal tourism and development while preserving the enduring geography of Bogue Banks, Beaufort, and the Atlantic shoreline.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map more than a century of scientific mapping expertise. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s principal authority for topographic survey work, producing maps that supported engineering, land management, conservation, military planning, recreation, and civic development. In “Morehead City,” that institutional precision is evident in the disciplined layering of information: road networks such as US Route 70 and Highway 24, river systems, coastal marshes, islands, and developed areas are all rendered with a clarity designed for practical use. Yet beyond utility, the map has a quiet aesthetic appeal. Its coastal outlines, blue waterways, and textured terrain create a visual rhythm, revealing how settlement along the Crystal Coast is inseparable from the tides, channels, and sheltered sounds around it.

The geography shown is one of remarkable coastal intricacy. Bogue Sound lies between the mainland and Bogue Banks, the slender barrier island that carries Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, and Fort Macon State Park toward the Atlantic Ocean. Morehead City occupies a strategic position along deep navigable waters, historically important for fishing, shipping, and marine commerce. Nearby Beaufort, one of North Carolina’s oldest towns, appears amid Taylor’s Creek, Back Sound, and the passages leading toward Shackleford Banks. These names evoke a landscape of ferries, inlets, oyster beds, maritime forests, and working waterfronts. The map’s shoreline detail is especially compelling, showing the meeting of engineered roads and towns with a mutable coastal environment shaped by storms, currents, sand migration, and tidal exchange.

Inland and northward, the map extends into a network of rivers and forests that broaden the coastal story. The Newport River, North River, Core Creek, White Oak River, Lower Neuse River, and Neuse River appear as part of a larger hydrological system feeding sounds, estuaries, and the Atlantic. Croatan National Forest adds an important natural counterpoint to the developed shoreline, representing protected woodlands, pocosins, wetlands, and habitats characteristic of eastern North Carolina. Cedar Island and Harkers Island point toward the wilder reaches of the Outer Banks and Core Sound country, where fishing communities and coastal ecology have long intertwined. The map therefore does more than locate towns; it reveals the environmental structure that has guided travel, settlement, industry, and recreation across the region.

As a historical document of 1990, “Morehead City” captures the Crystal Coast before several further decades of residential expansion, tourism infrastructure, shoreline management, and environmental change. Atlantic Beach was already a beloved destination for beachgoers, anglers, boaters, and vacationing families, while Fort Macon State Park preserved a key Civil War-era fortification at the eastern end of Bogue Banks. Morehead City and Beaufort retained their maritime character, linked to commercial fishing, port activity, and coastal heritage. Today, the map invites comparison with the modern coast: shifting land use, evolving road corridors, changing wetlands, and the ongoing vulnerability of barrier islands to storms and sea-level pressures. Its appeal lies in this balance of precision and memory, joining scientific cartography with the romance of North Carolina’s shore.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Morehead City
• Atlantic Beach
• Bogue Sound
• Fort Macon State Park
• Core Creek
• Taylor's Creek
• Newport River
• Bogue Banks
• Highway 24
• US Route 70
• North River
• Beaufort
• Emerald Isle
• Croatan National Forest
• Cedar Island
• Shackleford Banks
• Lower Neuse River
• White Oak River
• Neuse River
• Back Sound
• Harkers Island
• Atlantic Ocean

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:100,000 topographical map shows Atlantic Beach, North Carolina and the surrounding area.
• The map is dated 1990 and carries a 1990 imprint.
• The US Geological Survey is renowned for its scientific research and mapping of the United States, providing essential data for planning and resource management.
• The map utilizes a variety of colors and symbols to represent topographic features such as elevations, waterways, and land use.
• The map features a mix of urban areas, waterways, and natural landscapes, emphasizing the coastal and maritime character of the region.
• The map reflects the geographical landscape of the area as of 1990, including urban development, land use, and environmental conditions of the period.
• The visual design prominently features coastal outlines, with detailed representations of water bodies and shorelines.

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 36x20in (90x50cm) 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.