Published in 1997 using survey data from 1994, “Lake Havasu City South” presents a finely detailed USGS portrait of one of Arizona’s most distinctive desert-water landscapes. At a 1:24,000 scale, the map captures the southern portion of Lake Havasu City at a moment when the community was expanding rapidly as a resort, retirement, and recreation destination. The city’s gridded streets and neighborhoods appear alongside the sinuous blue presence of Lake Havasu and the Colorado River system, creating a striking contrast between planned urban growth and the arid terrain around it. As a late twentieth-century topographic record, it preserves the area’s mid-1990s geography with the clarity and precision for which the United States Geological Survey is renowned.

The United States Geological Survey brought more than a century of cartographic authority to maps such as this, combining field survey, aerial observation, and standardized symbology into an exceptionally readable landscape document. Its traditional topographic style uses contour lines to describe elevation, making the surrounding hills, ridges, washes, and valleys legible at a glance. Shaded relief enhances the sense of depth, giving the desert terrain a sculptural presence and revealing how settlement occupies the flatter corridors near the lake. Roads, built-up areas, watercourses, and elevation marks are carefully differentiated, reflecting the USGS commitment to accuracy not merely as science, but as a visual language of place.

Lake Havasu itself dominates the map’s geography and story. Created by Parker Dam on the Colorado River, the lake became both a reservoir and a magnet for recreation, boating, fishing, and tourism. By the 1990s, Lake Havasu City was firmly established as a desert leisure capital, its shoreline parks, access roads, and developed neighborhoods testifying to the transformation of a remote stretch of the lower Colorado into a popular destination. The map shows the relationship between the water and the city with particular eloquence: streets descend toward coves and shorelines, while behind them the desert rises in textured contours, reminding the viewer that this oasis is set within a rugged and demanding environment.

Beyond the city, the map records a wider regional setting shaped by the Colorado River corridor, nearby Mohave Valley influences, Indian Reservation lands, and the broken topography of western Arizona. The surrounding terrain is not incidental background; it is an essential part of the map’s appeal. Ridges, dry washes, low mountains, and open desert spaces define the margins of urban growth, while highways and local roads trace the routes by which residents and visitors moved through the landscape. The cartography captures a meeting point of natural systems and human ambition, where river engineering, desert settlement, and recreational development all converge within one carefully surveyed quadrangle.

As a historical document, “Lake Havasu City South” is especially compelling because it records the city during a recognizable yet transitional period. The mid-1990s saw continued growth in infrastructure, neighborhoods, and visitor amenities, while the surrounding desert still retained a powerful sense of openness. For collectors, planners, historians, and admirers of the American Southwest, the map offers more than geographic information: it is a snapshot of a place balancing urban identity with dramatic natural setting. Its precise contours and measured details invite close reading, revealing how Lake Havasu City was shaped by water, elevation, roads, recreation, and the enduring allure of the Colorado River landscape.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Lake Havasu City
• Colorado River
• Lake Havasu
• Mohave Valley
• Indian Reservation
• Various streets and neighborhoods within Lake Havasu City
• Nearby hills and mountains
• Recreational areas and parks surrounding the lake
• Road networks and highways
• Terrain features such as ridges and valleys

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Lake Havasu City, Arizona and the surrounding area.
• Created using survey data from 1994 and published with a 1997 imprint.
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), known for accurate and detailed geological and topographic mapping.
• Uses a traditional topographic style, with contour lines representing elevation changes.
• Includes shaded relief to enhance visual depth.
• Shows elevation contours, water bodies, urbanized areas, and natural landscapes.
• Captures the geographical layout of Lake Havasu City during the mid-1990s, a period of notable development tied to its growth as a recreational center.

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.