Rare Old Map of Fort Lauderdale, Florida by USGS, 1949: Dania Beach, New River & Dade Airport
Restored in our London workshop from the original 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.
My maps are rare, museum-grade, restored old maps sourced from libraries, auction houses and private collections across the globe. Full description
Map size guide
In general, maps look better at larger sizes, particularly maps with a lot of details. Because every order is handmade, custom sizing is available: select 'custom size' on the product page and fill in the dimensions, or put it in your order notes on the checkout screen.
The map covers the entire piece of paper, for every available size. There are no white edges. The map will look exactly like in the product photos. If you want some 'extra space' around the map, please contact me or put it in your order notes.
To help you pick the right size, here are some of my 'standard' map sizes next to each other, in portrait and landscape orientation.
| 16x12in (40x30cm) | 20x16in (50x40cm) | 24x18in (60x45cm) |
36x24in (90x60cm) |
| 12x16in (30x40cm) | 16x20in (40x50cm) | 18x24in (45x60cm) |
24x36in (60x90cm) |
Buying framed maps
Our standard frames add about 2cm (0.75in) to each side of the map. So, a 45x60cm map would be 49x64cm when framed, or a 24x36in map would be 25.5x37.5in.
Larger maps over 125cm/50in usually have wider frames, and custom framing is available if you're looking for a specific frame width or style
Buying unframed maps
If you buy an unframed old map from me, and plan to frame it yourself, please read this page for important information about framing your map.
General size guidelines
Generally, the size you see on the shop is exactly accurate.
So, for example, if you buy an 18x24 inch map, you should buy a frame that 'fits artwork' that is 18x24 inches. If you order a 60x90cm map, you should buy a frame that 'fits artwork' that is 60x90cm.
If you see a map that is an unusual size, such as 24x11 inches (or 61x29cm), I strongly recommend you wait for the map to arrive before making or ordering a frame online. These maps can vary in size by a few millimetres, and it's very frustrating if they don't fit into your frame!
If you need a map that is an exact size in centimetres or inches, please contact me. For larger maps over 50in/125cm I can customise the size free of charge.
Large maps
If you are framing the map yourself, please order the map and wait for it to arrive. Then measure the map and order a frame to fit.
If you are taking your map to a local framer, they will measure the map for you and then make the frame to fit.
For larger maps, please make sure you stick them in properly or they will become wavy and bubbly after a short time. Alternatively, we would be happy to frame it for you!
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.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
Own a piece of history
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Published in 1949 by the United States Geological Survey, “Fort Lauderdale South” is a finely detailed 1:24,000 topographic portrait of one of...
Continue readingPublished in 1949 by the United States Geological Survey, “Fort Lauderdale South” is a finely detailed 1:24,000 topographic portrait of one of South Florida’s most rapidly changing coastal districts. The map captures Fort Lauderdale at a pivotal postwar moment, when its identity as a canal-threaded resort city was beginning to merge with the expanding infrastructure of modern suburbia. Streets, rail lines, waterways, and emerging neighborhoods are plotted with the measured precision for which the USGS is renowned, while the low-relief coastal landscape is expressed through subtle contouring and carefully differentiated land uses. It is both a technical document and a historical snapshot, showing a city poised between tropical frontier, transportation hub, and vacation destination.
The sheet centers on Fort Lauderdale and South Fort Lauderdale, with Dania Beach and the wider southern reaches of Broward County appearing as part of an interconnected coastal plain. The New River and Tarpon River wind through the urban fabric, reinforcing the watery character that would earn Fort Lauderdale its reputation as the “Venice of America.” Channels, drainage features, and coastal waterways reveal how deeply settlement patterns were shaped by hydrology. In contrast to later dense development, the map still shows open tracts, parkland, and undeveloped spaces, particularly toward the interior. These areas hint at the proximity of the Everglades and the uneasy balance between engineered urban growth and the region’s subtropical wetlands.
As a USGS topographic map, “Fort Lauderdale South” is designed for clarity, accuracy, and practical use, yet its visual language has an understated elegance. Roads and highways are cleanly distinguished, railroads trace the economic arteries of the region, and water bodies stand out as organizing features of both town and landscape. The color-coded treatment of green areas identifies parks, wooded land, or less developed terrain, making the contrast between built neighborhoods and natural space immediately legible. In a landscape where elevation changes are modest, contour lines become especially revealing: they emphasize the flatness of the coastal environment and the importance of drainage, canals, and engineered routes in shaping inhabitable land.
The presence of Fort Lauderdale Airport, noted here as Dade Airport, adds another layer of historical interest. Aviation facilities were central to South Florida’s wartime and postwar transformation, linking the region more closely to national travel, military logistics, and later mass tourism. Nearby roads, rail lines, and urban blocks suggest the infrastructure that would support the area’s explosive mid-century growth. The map predates much of the later suburban intensification that would spread across Broward County, allowing modern viewers to see the framework before it was fully filled in. Residential districts, transport corridors, and recreational landscapes appear in formative relation, recording the geography of expansion just before metropolitan Fort Lauderdale accelerated dramatically.
Viewed today, this 1949 map is especially compelling for the way it preserves a transitional South Florida. Fort Lauderdale’s beaches and boating canals are present, but the surrounding landscape still retains traces of a more open, semi-rural, and wetland-adjacent character. Dania Beach, Lauderdale Lakes, the coastal strip, and the routes leading inland collectively show a region being reorganized around mobility, leisure, and real estate development. The USGS’s disciplined cartography turns that transformation into a readable historical document: every road alignment, watercourse, park boundary, and rail connection speaks to the postwar reshaping of the American coastline. It is a map of place, but also of momentum—Fort Lauderdale becoming the modern city it is known as today.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Fort Lauderdale
- Dania Beach
- Lauderdale Lakes
- Fort Lauderdale Airport (Dade Airport)
- South Fort Lauderdale
- Everglades
- South Florida
- New River
- Tarpon River
- Parks and recreational areas
- Main roads and highways
- Railroad tracks
- Coastal areas
- Channels and waterways
Historical context & cartographic details
- Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in 1949.
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area in Florida.
- Shows Fort Lauderdale during the post-World War II period, reflecting rapid urbanization and changing land use.
- Highlights the transition from metropolitan areas to more rural and natural adjoining landscapes.
- Uses traditional topographic representation, including contour lines and shading to depict elevation.
- Clearly marks infrastructure and natural features, including roads, railways, and water bodies.
- Includes a color-coded legend for interpreting land use, with green areas indicating parkland and undeveloped space.
- Offers insight into areas that have likely changed significantly since 1949, including later residential and commercial 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 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.
Published in 1949 by the United States Geological Survey, “Fort Lauderdale South” is a finely detailed 1:24,000 topographic portrait of one of South Florida’s most rapidly changing coastal districts. The map captures Fort Lauderdale at a pivotal postwar moment, when its identity as a canal-threaded resort city was beginning to merge with the expanding infrastructure of modern suburbia. Streets, rail lines, waterways, and emerging neighborhoods are plotted with the measured precision for which the USGS is renowned, while the low-relief coastal landscape is expressed through subtle contouring and carefully differentiated land uses. It is both a technical document and a historical snapshot, showing a city poised between tropical frontier, transportation hub, and vacation destination.
The sheet centers on Fort Lauderdale and South Fort Lauderdale, with Dania Beach and the wider southern reaches of Broward County appearing as part of an interconnected coastal plain. The New River and Tarpon River wind through the urban fabric, reinforcing the watery character that would earn Fort Lauderdale its reputation as the “Venice of America.” Channels, drainage features, and coastal waterways reveal how deeply settlement patterns were shaped by hydrology. In contrast to later dense development, the map still shows open tracts, parkland, and undeveloped spaces, particularly toward the interior. These areas hint at the proximity of the Everglades and the uneasy balance between engineered urban growth and the region’s subtropical wetlands.
As a USGS topographic map, “Fort Lauderdale South” is designed for clarity, accuracy, and practical use, yet its visual language has an understated elegance. Roads and highways are cleanly distinguished, railroads trace the economic arteries of the region, and water bodies stand out as organizing features of both town and landscape. The color-coded treatment of green areas identifies parks, wooded land, or less developed terrain, making the contrast between built neighborhoods and natural space immediately legible. In a landscape where elevation changes are modest, contour lines become especially revealing: they emphasize the flatness of the coastal environment and the importance of drainage, canals, and engineered routes in shaping inhabitable land.
The presence of Fort Lauderdale Airport, noted here as Dade Airport, adds another layer of historical interest. Aviation facilities were central to South Florida’s wartime and postwar transformation, linking the region more closely to national travel, military logistics, and later mass tourism. Nearby roads, rail lines, and urban blocks suggest the infrastructure that would support the area’s explosive mid-century growth. The map predates much of the later suburban intensification that would spread across Broward County, allowing modern viewers to see the framework before it was fully filled in. Residential districts, transport corridors, and recreational landscapes appear in formative relation, recording the geography of expansion just before metropolitan Fort Lauderdale accelerated dramatically.
Viewed today, this 1949 map is especially compelling for the way it preserves a transitional South Florida. Fort Lauderdale’s beaches and boating canals are present, but the surrounding landscape still retains traces of a more open, semi-rural, and wetland-adjacent character. Dania Beach, Lauderdale Lakes, the coastal strip, and the routes leading inland collectively show a region being reorganized around mobility, leisure, and real estate development. The USGS’s disciplined cartography turns that transformation into a readable historical document: every road alignment, watercourse, park boundary, and rail connection speaks to the postwar reshaping of the American coastline. It is a map of place, but also of momentum—Fort Lauderdale becoming the modern city it is known as today.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Fort Lauderdale
- Dania Beach
- Lauderdale Lakes
- Fort Lauderdale Airport (Dade Airport)
- South Fort Lauderdale
- Everglades
- South Florida
- New River
- Tarpon River
- Parks and recreational areas
- Main roads and highways
- Railroad tracks
- Coastal areas
- Channels and waterways
Historical context & cartographic details
- Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in 1949.
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area in Florida.
- Shows Fort Lauderdale during the post-World War II period, reflecting rapid urbanization and changing land use.
- Highlights the transition from metropolitan areas to more rural and natural adjoining landscapes.
- Uses traditional topographic representation, including contour lines and shading to depict elevation.
- Clearly marks infrastructure and natural features, including roads, railways, and water bodies.
- Includes a color-coded legend for interpreting land use, with green areas indicating parkland and undeveloped space.
- Offers insight into areas that have likely changed significantly since 1949, including later residential and commercial 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 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.
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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