Recently I've been spending some time viewing old historic topographical maps of Santa Clara County (Silicon Valley) that were created by the USGS more than 100 years ago. I've been viewing the areas near Los Gatos, Cambrian Park and Almaden in one map especially, as well as the Palo Alto, Cuertino and Saratoga Map, and It is really interesting to see these for a number of reasons.
First, with these old maps, apparently each "dot" represents a house. Amazing to think how uncongested an area this was 100 years ago! Silicon Valley real estate has changed tremendously since then. Second, it's interesting to see some of the names of places and streets. A few have changes, others have disappeared or appeared since these maps were created.
I invite you to lose yourself in these maps by visiting the San Francisco Bay Area Historicals Index Page and chosing a map or two to dig into. Look around and be surprised at the similarities and difference that a hundred years or so can bring.
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