- Thomas Guide
). Each guide has a detailed index of streets and points of interest, as well as arterial maps for easy page location.
Thomas Bros. Maps, the publishers of the "Thomas Guide", was started in
Oakland, California in 1915 bycartographer George Coupland Thomas and his two brothers, who were business partners. The company relocated its headquarters toLos Angeles in 1940, and to suburbanIrvine, California in the 1950s. George Coupland Thomas died in 1955 and the ownership of the company was transferred to his widow and the Thomas family. The company remained privately owned until it was purchased by and became a wholly owned subsidiary ofRand McNally in 1999. Updated editions are released annually. Folding map products are created as a derivative of the Thomas Guides, which carry the Rand McNally name, but mention that the content is from the Thomas Guides. Rand McNally also releases Thomas Guide-like Street Guides and traditional fold-out versions of maps covering regions of North America not covered by the Thomas Guides."Thomas Guide" atlases might rarely be referred to as a "Thomas Brothers" (for "Thomas Bros. Maps"). However, "Thomas Guides" are so commonly used in
Southern California that governments, businesses, individuals and even emergency response agencies will often refer to a "Thomas Guide" page number and map grid to help specify a location. [ [http://www.sigalert.com/incidents.asp?Region=Greater+Los+Angeles Los Angeles and Orange County Traffic Report] . (Most incidents, when expanded, will have a Thomas Guide reference on the first line.)]Businesses often use the large "Thomas Guide" wall maps. One common use for the wall maps is for delivery businesses, such as a local pizza restaurant. In addition, custom versions of the guides and wall maps are produced for businesses and governments that include such things as
census tract s, locations of government facilities, watershed boundaries, and political boundaries.There are also
CD-ROM digital editions of the "Thomas Guide" atlases available (Microsoft Windows only). In addition, the Thomas Brothers digital database can be licensed to companies and governments to use as a base map forgeographical information systems applications.External links
* [http://www.randmcnally.com/ Rand McNally]
References
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