Titled “Westport,” this United States Geological Survey map was published with a 1957 imprint using survey data from 1951, capturing a revealing mid-century portrait of Connecticut’s Fairfield County coast. Centered on Westport and extending to Fairfield and the surrounding communities, it presents a landscape poised between old New England settlement patterns and the accelerating suburban growth of the postwar era. The Saugatuck River, Long Island Sound, Compo Beach, Greens Farms, and Sherwood Island State Park anchor the sheet in a distinctly coastal geography. Roads, railroads, neighborhoods, ponds, and open spaces are rendered with the disciplined clarity for which USGS mapping is renowned, offering both scientific precision and a quietly elegant view of a changing region.

The United States Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the nation’s foremost authority on mapping terrain, natural resources, and environmental features. Its topographic maps were not merely navigational tools; they were instruments of national understanding, designed to make the physical structure of the country legible. In “Westport,” that mission is apparent in the careful depiction of contours, waterways, roads, rail lines, and settlement. The map’s 1:31,680 scale allows for a richly detailed reading of local geography while still conveying the broader relationship between shoreline, river valley, town centers, and inland hills. It is a fine example of the USGS tradition: restrained, exacting, and deeply informative.

The topographic character of the map is especially compelling. Contour lines trace the subtle rises and folds of southwestern Connecticut, giving a three-dimensional sense of the terrain around Westport, Fairfield, Coleytown, and the approaches toward Wilton. Color-coded relief in greens and browns helps distinguish lower coastal ground from higher inland elevations, making the transition from Long Island Sound to the wooded interior immediately perceptible. The Saugatuck River threads through this landscape as both a natural feature and a historical corridor, shaping settlement and movement. Ponds, lakes, marshy edges, beaches, and parkland appear alongside roads and neighborhoods, revealing the interdependence of natural form and human development.

As a historical document, the map captures Westport and Fairfield County during a transformative moment. By the early 1950s, the region was increasingly connected to New York and other urban centers through railroads, Route 1, and the emerging highway network, including Interstate 95. These transportation corridors helped drive suburban expansion, bringing new residential neighborhoods, commercial growth, and changing land use to communities once defined more strongly by farming, maritime activity, and small-town industry. The map preserves the layout of roads, rail lines, shoreline recreation areas, and residential districts before later decades of development reshaped much of the area. It offers a valuable snapshot of postwar Connecticut in transition.

Among the most evocative features are the coastal landmarks that continue to define Westport’s identity: Compo Beach, the Greens Farms area, and Sherwood Island State Park, Connecticut’s first state park. Their presence situates the map within a landscape of leisure, conservation, and commuter-era affluence, where beaches, riverfronts, and parkland became increasingly central to community life. Fairfield’s neighborhoods and the surrounding rural-to-suburban fringe are rendered with equal care, allowing modern viewers to compare familiar places with their mid-century forms. Elegant in its restraint and rich in geographic information, “Westport” is both a precise scientific survey and a portrait of one of Connecticut’s most distinctive coastal communities.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Westport, Connecticut
• Fairfield, Connecticut
• Saugatuck River
• Long Island Sound
• Compo Beach
• Coleytown
• Wilton, Connecticut
• Greens Farms
• Sherwood Island State Park
• Route 1
• Interstate 95
• Residential neighborhoods in Westport
• Various ponds and lakes in the area
• Railroads serving the region
• Parks and recreational areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey, this historical 1:31,680 topographical map shows Fairfield and Westport in Connecticut and the surrounding area.
• The map is based on data from 1951 and carries a 1957 imprint.
• The USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government that provides reliable data regarding natural resources, hazards, and the environment.
• The map focuses on Westport, Connecticut, including notable features of Fairfield County.
• It employs a color-coded relief style typical of USGS maps, using shades of green and brown to represent elevation changes clearly.
• Contour lines emphasize changes in terrain and provide a three-dimensional perspective of the landscape.
• The map showcases developments in Westport and Fairfield County during the mid-20th century.
• Many areas depicted may have experienced significant changes in infrastructure and land use since its publication.

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 18x24in (45x60cm) 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.