Rare Old Map of St. Petersburg, Florida by USGS, 1947: Tampa Bay & Boca Ciega Bay
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1947 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored in London • Printed and framed in the UK
Restored from the original 1947 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
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Titled “St. Petersburg,” this 1947 United States Geological Survey topographical map captures Florida’s Pinellas peninsula at a pivotal moment, when wartime austerity...
Continue readingTitled “St. Petersburg,” this 1947 United States Geological Survey topographical map captures Florida’s Pinellas peninsula at a pivotal moment, when wartime austerity was giving way to postwar growth, tourism, and suburban expansion. Produced from data collected in 1947, it presents the city and its surrounding coastal landscape with the disciplined clarity for which the USGS is renowned. St. Petersburg appears not simply as a resort city on Tampa Bay, but as a carefully measured urban organism: streets, railways, shorelines, lakes, and civic spaces arranged within a broader geographical setting. The map’s contouring is subtle, appropriate to Florida’s low relief, yet deeply informative, revealing how a seemingly level coastal city is shaped by drainage, bays, causeways, and the delicate meeting of land and water.
The US Geological Survey brought to this map a cartographic tradition rooted in precision, standardization, and public utility. By the mid-twentieth century, USGS quadrangles had become indispensable tools for engineers, planners, motorists, developers, and government agencies, especially in fast-changing regions such as Florida’s Gulf Coast. Here, the familiar topographical language—contour lines, hydrographic detail, transportation routes, and differentiated urban and open lands—turns St. Petersburg into a richly legible historical document. The map’s restrained color scheme distinguishes water bodies, built-up areas, roads, railways, and green spaces without sacrificing elegance. It is a cartographic portrait of a city on the threshold of transformation, rendered with the authority of national survey science and the quiet beauty of mid-century American mapping.
Water dominates the composition, as it dominates the identity of St. Petersburg itself. Tampa Bay lies to the east, Boca Ciega Bay to the west, with the city poised between broad sheltered waters and intricate shorelines. Lake Maggiore appears inland, one of the important freshwater features interrupting the urban grid and hinting at the region’s natural hydrology before later decades of development intensified. Gulfport, Terre Verde, and nearby coastal settlements underscore the area’s maritime orientation, while the bays, inlets, and shore features reveal why boating, fishing, and waterfront recreation became central to the local economy and culture. The map records a landscape of peninsulas and margins, where every road and neighborhood seems to negotiate proximity to water.
Beyond St. Petersburg proper, the map situates the city within the wider world of Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay region. Pinellas Park, Clearwater, Safety Harbor, and even more distant references such as Lutz and the Florida State Fairgrounds help evoke the expanding network of communities, roads, and civic destinations that connected the peninsula to inland Florida. The road pattern and railway lines are especially evocative, reflecting the infrastructure that supported postwar mobility and growth. Precinct labels and local divisions reveal the administrative geography beneath everyday life, while parks and green spaces provide contrast to the intensifying urban fabric. This is a map of connection: between city and suburb, bayfront and interior, resort landscape and practical civic order.
Historically, the 1947 date gives the map particular resonance. St. Petersburg had already established itself as a celebrated sunshine destination, but the years after World War II brought accelerated residential building, automobile tourism, and demographic change. Veterans, retirees, seasonal visitors, and new businesses helped reshape the city and its surrounding communities, and this map preserves the geography at the beginning of that era. Its careful depiction of shorelines, rail corridors, street grids, lakes, and undeveloped tracts allows the modern viewer to trace the foundations of later metropolitan growth. Elegant in its restraint and rich in local detail, “St. Petersburg” is both a scientific survey and a historical snapshot of Florida’s Gulf Coast just before its great mid-century expansion.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- St. Petersburg
- Gulfport
- Pinellas Park
- Lutz
- Safety Harbor
- Clearwater
- Terre Verde
- Lake Maggiore
- Boca Ciega Bay
- Tampa Bay
- Florida State Fairgrounds
- Multiple precincts, including Precinct 1, 17, and 21
- Various lakes and water bodies
- Road networks and railways
- Parks and green spaces
- Coastline and shoreline features
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical topographical map of St. Petersburg, Florida and its surrounding areas, based on data collected in 1947.
- Created in 1947.
- Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS), known for rigorous surveying and cartographic expertise.
- Shows St. Petersburg and portions of the surrounding Pinellas County area.
- Presented in a standard topographical format, with contour lines indicating elevation changes.
- Uses color to distinguish different land uses and water bodies.
- Depicts terrain features including lakes, water bodies, and urbanized areas.
- Provides insight into post-World War II development, when St. Petersburg began significant residential growth and tourism expansion.
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.
Titled “St. Petersburg,” this 1947 United States Geological Survey topographical map captures Florida’s Pinellas peninsula at a pivotal moment, when wartime austerity was giving way to postwar growth, tourism, and suburban expansion. Produced from data collected in 1947, it presents the city and its surrounding coastal landscape with the disciplined clarity for which the USGS is renowned. St. Petersburg appears not simply as a resort city on Tampa Bay, but as a carefully measured urban organism: streets, railways, shorelines, lakes, and civic spaces arranged within a broader geographical setting. The map’s contouring is subtle, appropriate to Florida’s low relief, yet deeply informative, revealing how a seemingly level coastal city is shaped by drainage, bays, causeways, and the delicate meeting of land and water.
The US Geological Survey brought to this map a cartographic tradition rooted in precision, standardization, and public utility. By the mid-twentieth century, USGS quadrangles had become indispensable tools for engineers, planners, motorists, developers, and government agencies, especially in fast-changing regions such as Florida’s Gulf Coast. Here, the familiar topographical language—contour lines, hydrographic detail, transportation routes, and differentiated urban and open lands—turns St. Petersburg into a richly legible historical document. The map’s restrained color scheme distinguishes water bodies, built-up areas, roads, railways, and green spaces without sacrificing elegance. It is a cartographic portrait of a city on the threshold of transformation, rendered with the authority of national survey science and the quiet beauty of mid-century American mapping.
Water dominates the composition, as it dominates the identity of St. Petersburg itself. Tampa Bay lies to the east, Boca Ciega Bay to the west, with the city poised between broad sheltered waters and intricate shorelines. Lake Maggiore appears inland, one of the important freshwater features interrupting the urban grid and hinting at the region’s natural hydrology before later decades of development intensified. Gulfport, Terre Verde, and nearby coastal settlements underscore the area’s maritime orientation, while the bays, inlets, and shore features reveal why boating, fishing, and waterfront recreation became central to the local economy and culture. The map records a landscape of peninsulas and margins, where every road and neighborhood seems to negotiate proximity to water.
Beyond St. Petersburg proper, the map situates the city within the wider world of Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay region. Pinellas Park, Clearwater, Safety Harbor, and even more distant references such as Lutz and the Florida State Fairgrounds help evoke the expanding network of communities, roads, and civic destinations that connected the peninsula to inland Florida. The road pattern and railway lines are especially evocative, reflecting the infrastructure that supported postwar mobility and growth. Precinct labels and local divisions reveal the administrative geography beneath everyday life, while parks and green spaces provide contrast to the intensifying urban fabric. This is a map of connection: between city and suburb, bayfront and interior, resort landscape and practical civic order.
Historically, the 1947 date gives the map particular resonance. St. Petersburg had already established itself as a celebrated sunshine destination, but the years after World War II brought accelerated residential building, automobile tourism, and demographic change. Veterans, retirees, seasonal visitors, and new businesses helped reshape the city and its surrounding communities, and this map preserves the geography at the beginning of that era. Its careful depiction of shorelines, rail corridors, street grids, lakes, and undeveloped tracts allows the modern viewer to trace the foundations of later metropolitan growth. Elegant in its restraint and rich in local detail, “St. Petersburg” is both a scientific survey and a historical snapshot of Florida’s Gulf Coast just before its great mid-century expansion.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- St. Petersburg
- Gulfport
- Pinellas Park
- Lutz
- Safety Harbor
- Clearwater
- Terre Verde
- Lake Maggiore
- Boca Ciega Bay
- Tampa Bay
- Florida State Fairgrounds
- Multiple precincts, including Precinct 1, 17, and 21
- Various lakes and water bodies
- Road networks and railways
- Parks and green spaces
- Coastline and shoreline features
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical topographical map of St. Petersburg, Florida and its surrounding areas, based on data collected in 1947.
- Created in 1947.
- Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS), known for rigorous surveying and cartographic expertise.
- Shows St. Petersburg and portions of the surrounding Pinellas County area.
- Presented in a standard topographical format, with contour lines indicating elevation changes.
- Uses color to distinguish different land uses and water bodies.
- Depicts terrain features including lakes, water bodies, and urbanized areas.
- Provides insight into post-World War II development, when St. Petersburg began significant residential growth and tourism expansion.
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.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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