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Maps | GIS | Aerial photographs | Statistics | Images | Planning Documents | City Resources Home

The following resources provide geographic, statistical, and historic information for most or all of the United States. They can be searched or browsed to find information for individual cities.

Digital Maps and Images

• Historical maps from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries:
  • Library of Congress: American Memory
  • David Rumsey Map Collection (see the Scholars' Lab's reference guide to the Rumsey Maps)
  • American Shores: Maps of the Middle Atlantic Region to 1850, from the New York Public Library
• Nautical charts can be found at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's site:
  • NOAA-Office of the Coast Survey Historic Map and Chart Collection
• Geology and hydrology maps are available from the following sources:
  • National Geologic Map Database, managed by the USGS's National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program in cooperation with the Association of American State Geologists.

GIS Data

• The University of Arkansas has created a state-by-state guide to online and "mostly free" GIS data entitled "Starting the Hunt."
• Geodata.gov: A web-based portal for one-stop access to maps, data and other geospatial services.
• National Hydrography Dataset from USGS.
• USGS Seamless Data Distribution: Downloadable data includes DEMs, NDVI, aerial photos and more.
• WebGIS provides free access to terrain, DLG, and land use and land cover data.
• The GIS Center at Radford University

Scanned Aerial Photos

• TerraServer allows users to search by location and retrieve black and white aerial photograpy, black and white de-classified Russian satellite imagery, and more. Covers the entire United States.

Statistical Data

• American Factfinder is the Census Bureau's premier online data delivery tool, providing the ability to view or download data from the 1990 and 2000 Censuses, annual population estimates, the Economic Census, and more. American Factfinder can produce both tables and maps.
• The Area Resource File is a county-specific health resources information system containing more than 7,000 variables for each of the nation's counties. ARF contains information on health facilities, health professions, measures of resource scarcity, health status, economic activity, health training programs, and socioeconomic and environmental characteristics. To access ARF data, you will need to visit the Scholars' Lab and use the ARF CD-ROM (produced in February 2001).
• County and City Data Book: Created and maintained by the Scholars' Lab, this resource provides online access to electronic versions of the 1988 and 1994 County and City Data Books published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Primarily a ranking resource, a wide range of demographic, economic, political, and health topics are covered. Data are available for states, counties, cities, and places.
• HUD State of the Cities Data System provides access to online information about population, employment, business, crime, and housing growth at the city level.

Photographs and Views of the City

• The University of Virginia Library's Digital Collections include photographs of architecturally significant buildings. Choose "Images" and search by city name.

Planning and Architectural Documents

Other Sources of Information

• The National Register Information Service: This database from the National Register of Historic Places allows you to browse listings of historic places by location, including state and city.