Published in 1993 using data compiled in 1986, the USGS map titled “Auburn” presents a finely measured portrait of central New York at the 1:100,000 scale. Its focus falls on the northern Finger Lakes landscape around Auburn, where Owasco Lake and Otisco Lake shape the geography, settlement patterns, and routes of travel. The map belongs to the United States Geological Survey’s long tradition of practical, scientifically grounded cartography, combining topography, hydrography, transportation, and place names into a lucid regional survey. Contour lines reveal a terrain of ridges, valleys, and uplands, while roads, railroads, towns, and waterways are organized with the clarity that made USGS maps essential tools for planners, travelers, geologists, and outdoor enthusiasts.

The landscape shown here is unmistakably that of the Finger Lakes region, where glacial forces carved long, narrow lakes and left behind a terrain of rolling hills, steep-sided valleys, and complex drainage systems. Owasco Lake dominates the eastern portion of the map’s lake country, extending southward from Auburn, while Otisco Lake lies farther west near Marcellus and Spafford. Cayuga Lake appears at the map’s western edge, reinforcing the sense of a broader lacustrine system. The contouring captures the rise of surrounding hills and the descent toward lake basins, allowing the viewer to read the landscape almost three-dimensionally. These details speak to both natural history and human adaptation, as communities, roads, and farms occupy the more negotiable spaces between water and ridge.

Auburn anchors the map historically and geographically, a city long associated with industry, reform, and transport in central New York. Around it appear towns and villages including Skaneateles, Marcellus, Moravia, Tully, Elbridge, Springport, Spafford, Portland, and Sycamore, each set within a matrix of roads, waterways, and rural terrain. Route 20, one of the great east-west highways of the region, is particularly significant, tracing a corridor that helped bind inland New York communities together. Route 38 and numerous smaller roads further articulate the settlement pattern, showing how local movement followed valley floors, lake margins, and ridgelines. The rail lines add another historical layer, recalling the region’s industrial and agricultural connections beyond the Finger Lakes.

The cartographic style is disciplined and information-rich, characteristic of late twentieth-century USGS topographical mapping. Elevation is conveyed through carefully spaced contour lines, while hydrographic features—lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands, and drainage channels—stand out as organizing elements in the terrain. The Seneca River and associated waterways connect the map to the larger hydrological and commercial networks of upstate New York, including the historic canal landscape that transformed regional trade. State forests and wooded uplands add ecological depth, marking areas where the topography resists dense settlement or has been conserved for timber, recreation, and habitat. The result is a map that is not merely locational, but environmental, showing the interplay of landform, water, infrastructure, and human use.

As a document of the 1980s landscape, the “Auburn” map captures a moment in the continuing evolution of central New York’s rural and small-city geography. Its data reflect roads, railroads, forests, lakeshores, and settlements as they stood before later decades of development, conservation, and infrastructural change. For collectors, it offers a compelling view of a region where geology remains visibly present in everyday life: towns hug valleys, highways bend around hills, and lakes define both local identity and movement. For historians of mapping, it demonstrates the USGS commitment to standardized yet elegant survey work. For admirers of the Finger Lakes, it is a richly layered portrait of water, elevation, and community.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Auburn
• Skaneateles
• Marcellus
• Moravia
• Sycamore
• Tully
• Portland
• Owasco Lake
• Otisco Lake
• Seneca River
• Cayuga Lake
• Spafford
• Elbridge
• Springport
• Route 20
• Route 38
• Railroad tracks
• State forests
• Nearby hills and valleys

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey as a historical 1:100,000 topographical map.
• Based on data from 1986 and published in 1993.
• Details Otisco Lake, Owasco Lake, and the surrounding area in New York.
• Shows elevation changes, hydrography, infrastructure, and terrain using contour lines.
• Depicts the hilly topography characteristic of the Finger Lakes region.
• Reflects geological and ecological landscape characteristics influenced by both natural and human factors.
• The USGS is an important American mapping agency, providing geological and geographic data for scientific, environmental, and developmental use.

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 36x24in (90x60cm) 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.