Silicon Valley

Who’s Who and What’s What in Silicon Valley during the early 1980s.

The tranquil blue waters of San Francisco Bay and rolling peaks of the Coast Ranges offer a welcoming backdrop to this fun pictorial map of Silicon Valley. Dozens of businesses related to a variety of industries (but mostly computer technology) are illustrated and labeled throughout the colorful image. Humorous commentary on traffic, ‘cyberphobia’, and headhunting accompanies very real observations on the economic composition of the region, with one individual asking, “Can you believe how young some of the millionaires are?”

San Jose is noted as the fastest growing area in the country, but it seems like everything is for sale. Even the activity of mountaineering is commercialized! The retro computer font title and whimsical illustrated style contrasts sharply with both with the lush physical landscape and the modern aesthetic adopted by many Silicon Valley companies today.

The map was illustrated by the Maryanne Hoburg and published in 1982 by City Graphics of America. Hoburg was a talented illustrator who set the tone for subsequent pictorial advertising maps of Silicon Valley.

Sources: David Rumsey Map Collection; Interview with Maryanne Hoburg by The Old Map Gallery;