Historic Berkeley Maps

Find information about the history of Berkeley's streets and transportation as well as historical maps of the city.

Find tract and other maps of the area in our collection.

Maps

Discover the history and evolution of Berkeley by accessing these maps, old and new.

Physical maps in our collection

In addition to the maps readily available to you, there are large format uncataloged maps behind Central's Reference Desk.

Online Maps of Berkeley's Evolution

• 1856 Kellersberger Map

One of the earliest maps of the area that would become Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville and Albany.  The map is oriented with North to the left. The city of Oakland is to the right; Berkeley and Albany would eventually fill in the area to the left.  Berkeley now occupies the tracts of land numbered 51, 53, 55-71 & 74-94. 

F. K. Shattuck would soon squat on tract No 68, and his brother-in-law Mr Blake on No 69.  They persuaded Leland Stanford to run a rail line from Oakland on the line between their properties; this line became Shattuck Road (later Shattuck Ave).

• 1874 Berkeley Land and Town Improvement Association Map

 In addition to the map, there is also a rich history of the Berkeley LTI Association.

• 1875 University of California Berkeley Map

 Entitled Strawberry Valley, this map shows the area in Berkeley that became (among others things) the UC Memorial Stadium. This map's focus is the sources of Stawberry Creek.

• 1878 Historic Mapworks (for Berkeley see links below)
• Southwest Berkeley
• Southeast Berkeley
• Central (and to the East)
• Northwest Berkeley

Historic property ownership maps showing proposed subdivisions from 1878.  This page shows Alameda County, and while it is a commercial site, provides free maps for viewing.

• 1878 Historical and Atlas Map by Thompson & West

Showing 1878's Oakland Township, which included present-day Oakland, Berkeley and Albany, accessed through the David Rumsey Map Collection

• 1884 Real Estate Map by William J. Dingee

Showing 1884's map of Oakland, Berkeley, Temescal, Emeryville, Piedmont and Alameda, access through the Davide Rumsey Map Collection

• 1890 Berkeley, Alameda County, Calif compliments of Chas A. Bailey

Charles A. Bailey was a real estate developer active in Berkeley at least from the 1870s to 1890s.  The library has a copy of this map available for closer scrutiny in the Berkeley History Room.

• 1905 San Francisco Entrance (including Western Berkeley) by the U.S. Coast Geodetic Survey

This is an early map focusing on the San Francisco Bay, which clearly shows Berkeley's and the early waterfront, Bay depths, plus a lot of inland details as well.

• 1906 Map of Berkeley, California by Wilbur F. McClure

Originally the complements of local realtor Warren Cheney & Co., this map represents Berkeley at the eve of its great growth that occured as a result of the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

• 1915 San Francisco and Vicinity by the U.S.G.S.

The United States Geological Survey commissioned this map after the Bay started to be significantly altered in the post-Earthquake era. Among other things, it shows that the Berkeley area was really starting to fill with buildings and population.

• 1926 The Campus of the University of California by the University of California

As the title suggests, this map outlines the development of the University of California.  Note that most of the area to the North (in this case, to the left) of Bancroft Avenue is still privately owned and subdivided into blocks.  This would change by the early 30s.

• 1926 United States West Coast - San Francisco Entrance by U.S. Coast ad Geodetic Survey

• 1956 Shell Street Guide of Oakland, East Bay Cities and Vicinity by Shell Oil Company

Transportation in Berkeley

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Streets and Street Name History

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