Titled “Hebo,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map captures a richly varied portion of the Oregon Coast, centered on the country around Pacific City and the Nestucca River. Although the map records the landscape as dated 1955, it carries a 1965 imprint, placing it at an intriguing point between mid-century survey work and later federal publication. At a scale of 1:62,500, it presents the coast not as a mere edge of land and sea, but as a deeply articulated terrain of capes, river mouths, wooded ridges, valleys, settlements, and roads. Pacific City, Cape Kiwanda, Sand Lake, Hebo, Beaver, Neskowin, and the routes connecting them appear within a landscape shaped by ocean weather, timber country, and rural Oregon development.

The cartographic language is unmistakably that of the USGS: precise, practical, and quietly beautiful. Contour lines describe the rise and fall of the Coast Range foothills, while color distinctions clarify vegetation, drainage, roads, and settlement. The greens and browns evoke the dense forests and rugged elevations characteristic of western Oregon, where steep slopes descend toward tidal flats, beaches, and river valleys. Rather than emphasizing political boundaries alone, the map reveals the physical logic of the region—how roads follow valleys, how communities gather near water, and how coastal landforms determine movement. The result is both a scientific document and an elegant landscape portrait, with every creek, ridge, and bend in the road contributing to a larger geographic composition.

Pacific City provides one of the map’s most evocative focal points, situated near the mouth of the Nestucca River where inland waterways meet the Pacific Ocean. Nearby Cape Kiwanda, now celebrated for its dramatic sandstone headland and ocean views, appears as part of a broader coastal system of dunes, beaches, and promontories. Sand Lake lies to the north, set within a distinctive lowland environment between forested hills and the sea. Farther inland, Hebo and Beaver occupy the river corridors and road junctions that connected logging areas, farms, and coastal communities. These places give the map a lived-in quality, showing a region balanced between working landscapes, small settlements, and the recreational appeal of the Oregon shore.

The presence of Tillamook, Neskowin, Three Rivers, and the branching road network underscores the map’s value as a mid-20th-century record of mobility and settlement. Highways and local roads trace the practical routes through an often challenging terrain, where forests and hills constrain passage and river valleys offer natural corridors. The Nestucca River and its tributaries form a central organizing feature, tying together upland drainage, agricultural bottomlands, and coastal settlement. In the era reflected by the map, timber extraction, rural industry, and expanding automobile tourism all shaped the region. Seen today, the road patterns and place names offer a fascinating comparison with modern conservation areas, recreation sites, and the evolving communities of the Oregon Coast.

As a historical object, “Hebo” preserves a moment before many later environmental and land-use transformations became fully visible. The mapped forests, coastal margins, parks, reserves, and rural settlements invite comparison with the contemporary landscape, where conservation priorities, tourism, and residential growth have altered the balance between development and wilderness. The USGS, long central to American scientific mapping, produced such quadrangles to support resource management, engineering, navigation, and public understanding of terrain. Here, that mission yields a particularly compelling view of Oregon’s coastal geography: a place of river mouths and forested ridges, oceanfront communities and inland valleys, rendered with the disciplined clarity that made USGS mapping an enduring national standard.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Pacific City
• Nestucca River
• Sand Lake
• Cape Kiwanda
• Hebo
• Beaver
• Tillamook
• Neskowin
• Three Rivers
• Road networks, including various highways and local roads
• Forested areas along the coast and inland
• Hills and valleys
• Pacific Ocean coastline
• Reserves and parks within the vicinity

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map titled “Hebo”
• Shows Pacific City, Oregon and the surrounding area
• Dated 1955 with a 1965 imprint
• Uses contour lines to depict elevation changes
• Color-coded to aid interpretation of landforms and vegetation
• Bright greens and browns indicate heavy vegetation and elevation typical of the Oregon coastal region
• Displays varied topography, including coastal areas, hills, and valleys
• Reflects mid-20th-century land use and development patterns
• Useful for comparing historical land cover with modern urban development and environmental conservation 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.