Published in 1986 from mapping dated 1985, the US Geological Survey’s “Boston North” captures the densely layered landscape immediately north and northwest of Boston at a precise 1:25,000 metric scale. It presents Arlington, Medford, Somerville, Winchester, and their neighboring communities as a finely observed metropolitan terrain, where streets, railways, waterways, parks, and elevations are all rendered with the clarity for which USGS topographic mapping is celebrated. The map belongs to a period when Greater Boston was continuing to absorb postwar suburban growth, highway expansion, and shifting patterns of land use. As a result, it offers a fascinating late twentieth-century portrait of an old New England urban region in transition, balancing historic town centers, industrial corridors, commuter routes, reservoirs, and green public spaces.

The US Geological Survey brought a scientific precision to American cartography, and this map reflects the agency’s mature topographic style. Contour lines articulate the region’s modest but meaningful hills, while shaded relief gives visual depth to the undulating terrain around Winchester, Medford, and the Middlesex Fells. Varying greens distinguish wooded and recreational areas, while blues mark ponds, rivers, reservoirs, and wetlands with immediate legibility. Red road networks and transportation symbols add a dense urban rhythm, especially in Somerville, Cambridge, Everett, Malden, and the northern edge of Boston. The result is not merely a navigational document, but an elegant synthesis of natural form and built environment, revealing how closely the region’s settlement patterns follow watercourses, ridgelines, and routes of movement.

Water is one of the defining themes of “Boston North.” The Mystic Lakes occupy a prominent place, forming a striking blue axis between Arlington, Winchester, and Medford, while Spy Pond appears as a compact landmark embedded in Arlington’s urban fabric. Winchester Reservoir, Spot Pond, the Aberjona River, and the Shawsheen River further reveal the hydrological complexity of the area. These waterways are not incidental; they shaped transportation, industry, recreation, and residential development across the northern Boston suburbs. The map’s topographic treatment makes their influence especially visible, showing how lowlands, basins, and valley routes provided natural corridors through an otherwise hilly landscape. In this sense, the sheet reads as both a geographic record and a quiet history of settlement shaped by water.

The urban geography shown here is particularly rich. Somerville appears with its dense street grid and compact neighborhoods, reflecting one of the most tightly settled municipalities in New England. Medford stretches from older developed corridors toward larger open spaces, while Arlington shows the characteristic pattern of a streetcar suburb, arranged along routes leading toward Cambridge and Boston. Winchester, Woburn, Melrose, Malden, and Everett add further layers of residential, industrial, and commuter geography. Railways and major roadways trace the infrastructure that knit these communities into the broader Boston metropolitan system. Major intersections and highways stand out as late twentieth-century arteries, marking the region’s dependence on both historic rail corridors and modern automobile circulation.

What makes this map especially compelling is the contrast between intense urbanization and preserved open land. Green-shaded parks and recreational spaces punctuate the metropolitan fabric, with the large natural reservations around Spot Pond and the Mystic Lakes offering a visual counterpoint to the surrounding street networks. These spaces speak to Greater Boston’s long tradition of public landscape planning, from nineteenth-century park systems to twentieth-century conservation efforts. Seen today, the 1985 landscape provides a valuable benchmark against which later development, transportation changes, and environmental management can be understood. “Boston North” is therefore both a technical achievement and a richly textured historical document, preserving a moment when one of America’s oldest urban regions was still visibly negotiating the relationship between city, suburb, water, and terrain.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Arlington
• Medford
• Somerville
• Winchester
• Woburn
• Melrose
• Malden
• Everett
• Cambridge
• Boston
• Mystic Lakes
• Spy Pond
• Winchester Reservoir
• Spot Pond
• Shawsheen River
• Aberjona River
• Parks
• Roadways
• Railways
• Major intersections and highways

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS), a U.S. government agency known for geological and topographic mapping.
• Dated 1985, with a published imprint of 1986.
• Drawn at a 1:25,000 metric scale for detailed representation of terrain and features.
• Includes contour lines to indicate elevation and shaded relief to illustrate terrain.
• Uses green and blue shading to highlight vegetation and water features.
• Shows hilly terrain, lakes, rivers, urban areas, parks, and recreational spaces.
• Created during a period of urban expansion in Massachusetts.
• Provides insight into changing land use, infrastructure, and regional development since the mid-1980s.

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.