The Lost Airports of California’s Bay Area
locations of 60 historic Bay Area airports with several georeferenced airport images
Given its rich aviation history, from early experiments in lighter-than-air flight to the modern Fleet Week,((If you’d like to learn more, SF Chronicle has a good overview. And if you’d really like to dive in, check out Aviation in Northern California 1910-1939: Vol. I, San Francisco Bay Area.)) it’s no surprise there are old Bay Area airports waiting to be discovered.
What I didn’t understand, until finding this incredible resource by Paul Freeman,((While this post focuses on the Bay Area and a few surrounding counties, his site covers airfields across the country. Please consider donating if you also enjoy the site.)) was just how many airfields there used to be. With Paul’s blessing, I created this map of 60 airports in the areas of San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, and Monterey.((I know that’s more than the Bay Area, but I was having too much fun 😅))
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