Published in 1963 from 1956 survey work, the US Geological Survey’s “Yonkers” presents a finely observed mid-century portrait of the Hudson River corridor where northern New Jersey meets metropolitan New York. At 1:24,000 scale, it records Tenafly, Englewood, Dumont, Bergenfield, Fort Lee, New Milford, Edgewater, and Yonkers with the precision characteristic of USGS topographic mapping. The title itself evokes the map’s east-bank anchor, yet the sheet’s appeal lies equally in its portrayal of the New Jersey suburbs spreading across Bergen County. Pink urban tinting, blue waterways, green woodland, and delicate brown contour lines combine to create a richly legible landscape: a region balanced between riverfront industry, commuter suburbs, wooded escarpments, and the expanding road network of postwar America.

The United States Geological Survey brought a distinctive authority to maps such as this, translating field surveys, aerial observation, and standardized symbology into an elegant scientific record. Founded in the nineteenth century to study the nation’s lands and resources, the USGS became the definitive cartographic voice for American terrain, and this sheet reflects that institutional confidence. Its contours do more than mark elevation; they reveal the physical logic beneath settlement—the rise of the Palisades, the gentler inland grades of Bergen County, and the low waterways that shaped travel and development. The map’s careful labeling of roads, railroads, parks, creeks, and municipal forms captures a landscape in motion, with older village patterns increasingly absorbed into a dense suburban fabric.

Tenafly appears here as a particularly evocative subject: a northern New Jersey community whose mid-twentieth-century identity combined wooded residential streets, proximity to New York City, and the lingering traces of earlier rural and estate landscapes. The map situates Tenafly among neighboring towns—Englewood, Dumont, Bergenfield, and New Milford—each part of the rapidly maturing suburban belt west of the Hudson. Road grids and local streets show the intensification of residential land use, while green areas indicate the preserved or less-developed spaces that helped define the character of these communities. In this sense, the map is not merely geographic but social, documenting the postwar transformation of Bergen County into one of the most desirable commuter landscapes in the metropolitan region.

The Hudson River forms the grand natural axis of the sheet, separating New Jersey’s Palisades from Yonkers and the urbanized New York shore. Along the western bank, Palisades Interstate Park stands out as a dramatic protected landscape, its steep topography rendered through close contouring and green tint. Fort Lee and Edgewater mark the approach to the riverfront, where transportation, settlement, and geology converge in unusually striking fashion. Inland, the Hackensack River and Overpeck Creek trace lower, flatter corridors that helped shape both natural drainage and human infrastructure. These waterways, shown in blue against the surrounding urban and wooded patterns, give the map a layered beauty, contrasting engineered streets and railroads with the enduring forms of river, creek, ridge, and marsh.

As a historical document, “Yonkers” captures the metropolitan edge at a pivotal moment: the era when automobile routes, commuter rail lines, and suburban expansion were redrawing the relationship between New York City and its surrounding towns. Major highways and local roads form a dense network, signaling the new mobility of the 1950s, while railroads preserve the older logic of regional connection. Parks and natural reserves are prominently marked, suggesting both civic planning and a growing appreciation for green space amid development. The result is a map of unusual richness—scientific in method, elegant in design, and culturally resonant in content. It offers a compelling view of Tenafly and its neighboring communities just as modern suburbia was taking its recognizable form.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Tenafly, NJ
• Yonkers, NY
• Englewood, NJ
• Dumont, NJ
• Bergenfield, NJ
• Hoboken, NJ
• Fort Lee, NJ
• New Milford, NJ
• Riverside, NJ
• Edgewater, NJ
• Hudson River
• Palisades Interstate Park
• Hackensack River
• Overpeck Creek
• Major highways and local streets
• Railroads
• Parks and natural reserves

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map produced by the US Geological Survey.
• Dated 1956 and published with a 1963 imprint.
• Shows Tenafly, New Jersey, and surrounding areas, including Yonkers, NY.
• Tenafly is notable as a suburban community with historical significance in the development of northern New Jersey.
• Uses color shading to distinguish different landscape types, including vegetation in green, urban areas in pink, and water bodies in blue.
• Features contour lines to show elevation changes and the physical character of the landscape.
• Depicts forested areas, developed land, waterways, roads, railroads, parks, and natural reserves.
• Captures a mid-20th-century snapshot of geography, land use, and suburban growth in northern New Jersey.
• Includes distinct zones and park labels, reflecting attention to both natural and urban landscapes.

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.