Titled “Freeport,” this United States Geological Survey topographic map was created in 1970 and issued with a 1972 imprint, capturing a revealing moment in the history of Florida’s Gulf Coast. At 1:24,000 scale, it presents the Santa Rosa Beach and Freeport area with the precision and restraint characteristic of USGS quadrangles. The map records a landscape poised between its natural coastal identity and the accelerating development that would later transform much of Walton County. Choctawhatchee Bay dominates the geography, with its adjoining inlets, creeks, ponds, and low-lying terrain carefully described through contour lines and hydrological detail. For anyone drawn to Florida before the full force of modern coastal urbanization, this map offers a particularly evocative view.

The United States Geological Survey brought a distinctive authority to American cartography, combining scientific fieldwork, geodetic control, and a national ambition to document the country in exacting detail. By the late twentieth century, USGS quadrangles had become indispensable tools for planners, engineers, military authorities, conservationists, and travelers alike. This “Freeport” sheet reflects that tradition: roads, shorelines, wetlands, elevations, and settlements are rendered not as decoration, but as interlocking evidence of the land itself. The result is a map that feels both technical and quietly beautiful. Its clean typography, measured symbology, and layered information reveal the discipline of a federal survey, while the complexity of the coastal plain gives the composition its visual richness.

The landscape shown here is shaped by water. Choctawhatchee Bay stretches across the region as a broad inland coastal feature, connected to smaller embayments such as Jolly Bay and Hohol Bay, with a lacework of creeks, ponds, marshy margins, and drainage patterns surrounding them. Santa Rosa Beach appears within this watery geography, at a time when its identity was still closely tied to natural scenery, fishing communities, local roads, and the rhythms of the Gulf Coast rather than the dense resort development that would follow. The blue tones of the water bodies contrast with the precise contouring of the land, offering a vivid sense of Florida’s low elevations, sandy soils, and fragile coastal ecology.

The road network is especially telling, revealing how movement through the region was organized before later waves of growth. State Road 83, Jolly Bay Road, and portions of Interstate 10 indicate the emerging framework of regional connection, while smaller roads and angular grids suggest surveyed parcels, planned access, and the gradual ordering of rural land. These human lines sit atop a landscape that remains deeply defined by bays, wetlands, and forested tracts. Eglin Air Force Base appears as an important presence in the wider area, a reminder that the Florida Panhandle has long combined military, environmental, and coastal histories. The map’s careful delineation of routes and boundaries makes visible the tension between open land and expanding infrastructure.

As a historical document, “Freeport” is particularly compelling because it preserves the Santa Rosa Beach area before decades of intense coastal development reshaped its communities and shorelines. Today, the name Santa Rosa Beach evokes tourism, scenic highways, second homes, and sought-after Gulf Coast living; in this 1970 survey, the area appears more spacious, hydrologically intricate, and lightly built. The map invites close study of what existed before subdivision, resort expansion, and modern transportation corridors altered the visual and environmental character of the region. Its contours, waterways, and place names form a quiet archive of the coast’s earlier condition, making it both a handsome cartographic work and a valuable record of Florida’s changing landscape.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Santa Rosa Beach
• Choctawhatchee Bay
• Hohol Bay
• Jolly Bay
• Parts of Interstate 10
• Jolly Bay Road
• State Road 83
• Eglin Air Force Base
• Various smaller bodies of water, including lakes and ponds
• Nearby coastal and inland waterways

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map
• Created in 1970 and published with a 1972 imprint
• Shows Santa Rosa Beach, Florida and the surrounding area
• Features legible topographic lines, water bodies in shades of blue, and clear delineation between landforms
• Shows contours, elevations, and bodies of water, illustrating the topographic character of the Santa Rosa Beach area
• Angular roads and grid patterns reflect careful planning and survey techniques
• Serves as a historical reference for understanding the area before later development and urbanization along the Florida coast

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.