Titled “Cedar Key,” this United States Geological Survey map captures one of Florida’s most evocative Gulf Coast landscapes with scientific precision and quiet coastal elegance. Created in 1955 and published with a 1963 imprint, it presents Cedar Key at the detailed 1:24,000 topographic scale, where town, tidewater, marsh, and island all meet in a finely measured portrait of place. The map centers on Cedar Key and its surrounding waters, showing the intricate edges of the Gulf of Mexico, the channels threading between low islands, and the marshy reaches that define this part of the Nature Coast. Its vivid blues and greens give immediate clarity to the relationship between sea, vegetation, and settlement.

The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, brought to this map the authority of an institution created to understand and document the nation’s land, water, minerals, and natural systems. By the mid-twentieth century, USGS topographic mapping had become an indispensable tool for engineers, conservationists, mariners, planners, and travelers alike. In “Cedar Key,” that disciplined cartographic tradition is evident in the careful contouring, hydrographic detail, and meticulous labeling of coastal features. Rather than romanticizing the landscape, the map reveals it through measurement: elevations, shorelines, channels, islands, and wetlands are rendered with a balance of utility and beauty. It is both a technical document and a lucid visual record of a changing coastal environment.

Cedar Key itself has long occupied an important position in Florida’s Gulf history. Once tied to shipping, salt production, fishing, pencil cedar, and rail connections, the town became a distinctive maritime community set amid oyster bars, tidal flats, and sheltering islands. Nearby Atsena Otie Key recalls an earlier chapter of settlement and industry, while Seahorse Key, North Key, Tater Island, Musquey Island, Swains Island, and the Outer Keys suggest a world shaped by tides as much as roads. The map’s waterways—Ocean Gulf Channel, Northeast Channel, West Gulf Channel, Salinas Bay, Rattle Snake Gulf, and Deadman’s Bay—show how movement here depended upon subtle passages through shallow coastal waters.

The wider landscape shown around Cedar Key speaks to the ecological richness of Florida’s Gulf margin. Marshlands, low islands, and coastal forests form a transition zone between mainland and open sea, an environment essential to birds, fish, shellfish, and other wildlife. Places such as Shell Mound, Shired Island, Fowlers Bluff, the Halls River, and the lands associated with the Lower Suwannee region evoke a coastal wilderness where human history and natural processes overlap. The mention of Manatee Springs points inland toward Florida’s spring-fed hydrology, linking the coast to the limestone aquifers and river systems that define much of the state. Seen today, the map offers a mid-century baseline for understanding environmental change, development, and conservation.

Cartographically, the map is especially compelling for its treatment of a low-relief coastal terrain. In a region where elevation changes are subtle, the contour lines—including 25-foot intervals where applicable—become important clues to the shape of land barely rising above surrounding waters. Blue marine areas, green vegetation, marsh symbols, roads, settlement patterns, and channel markings work together to create an unusually readable coastal topographic composition. The design captures both the fragility and complexity of Cedar Key: an inhabited island town surrounded by shoals, marshes, bays, and open Gulf. Its appeal lies in this combination of precision and atmosphere, presenting a scientifically grounded yet richly textured view of one of Florida’s most storied coastal places.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Cedar Key
• Atsena Otie Key
• Seahorse Key
• Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
• Tater Island
• Manatee Springs
• Salinas Bay
• North Key
• Deadman’s Bay
• Musquey Island
• Fowlers Bluff
• Swains Island
• Shired Island
• Rattle Snake Gulf
• Gulf of Mexico
• Shell Mound
• Halls River
• Ocean Gulf Channel
• Northeast Channel
• Outer Keys
• West Gulf Channel

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Cedar Key, Florida and the surrounding area.
• Created in 1955 and published with a 1963 imprint.
• The US Geological Survey is known for authoritative topographic maps and geological surveys in the United States.
• The USGS has mapped and studied the geological features and natural resources of the United States since its establishment in 1879.
• The map shows Cedar Key’s coastal features, surrounding waters, marshlands, and small islands.
• Cedar Key is known for its rich history, fishing industry, and access to natural and recreational areas.
• The map uses a vivid color palette, with blues indicating water and greens showing vegetation.
• Contour lines represent elevation changes, including 25-foot contour intervals where shown.
• Coastal and marine environments are depicted in detail, reflecting the map’s topographical purpose.
• The map documents the geographic and ecological character of Cedar Key during the mid-20th century, before later urban development and environmental changes.

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.