This page uses Gilmer as the road-centered anchor for an Upshur County Texas Map, then compares Big Sandy in the southwest, Ore City in the northeast, and the Gladewater–East Mountain side near the southern boundary. Download the high-resolution A3 JPG map ZIP from the box below when you need printable or editable files; it contains separate county-reference, ranked-city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps.
Upshur County has a compact settlement pattern but a surprisingly dense drainage network. Gilmer sits near the middle where several numbered roads meet. Big Sandy is close to the southwestern corner, Ore City is well to the northeast, and Gladewater, Union Grove, and East Mountain form a set of southern references. Beneath those place labels, Little Cypress Creek and many smaller tributaries divide rolling uplands that rise above lower central and southern valleys.
Table of Contents
Gilmer is the road anchor between Big Sandy and Ore City
Gilmer is the easiest place to locate first on the county reference map. US 271 provides the main north-south reference through the Gilmer area, while route 155 heads northeast toward the Ore City side. Route 154 enters from the west, and route 259 forms another north-south reference farther east. These roads establish the county’s basic framework before the smaller orange roads are considered.
Big Sandy lies southwest of Gilmer near the county corner. Along the southern edge, Gladewater appears farther east, followed by Union Grove and East Mountain in the south-central area. Route 80 is labeled near the Gladewater side of the boundary, and route 300 runs southeast of Gilmer toward East Mountain. The layout makes Gilmer a strong central road reference even though it is not the number 1 city in the ranked-city graphic.
The blue stream lines are almost as prominent as the roads. Tributaries branch through the northern and central interior, and similar channels continue toward Big Sandy and Gladewater in the south. The eastern county edge is irregular rather than straight, and a large water body is visible outside the northeastern side. These features make the water map essential for understanding why the county outline and terrain appear so uneven.
Gladewater ranks first while Gilmer remains the central geographic reference
The ranked-city map highlights six communities: Gladewater, Gilmer, Big Sandy, East Mountain, Ore City, and Union Grove. Gladewater is number 1 near the southern boundary, while Gilmer is number 2 near the center. Big Sandy occupies the southwest, Ore City the northeast, and East Mountain and Union Grove sit across the southern interior. The simplified view makes the county’s multi-direction settlement pattern easier to see than the full reference layer.
The CITY INDEX prints map values of 6,227 for Gladewater, 5,025 for Gilmer, 1,289 for Big Sandy, 958 for East Mountain, 851 for Ore City, and 676 for Union Grove. These figures explain the ranking and symbol order used in the supplied graphic and should not be treated as guaranteed current population estimates. For geographic reading, the interesting distinction is that Gladewater has the highest map value while Gilmer still occupies the most central road position.
The neighboring county labels add useful regional context. Camp County is to the north, Morris County to the northeast, and Harrison and Marion counties lie to the east. Wood and Gregg counties appear along the western side, while Smith County is southwest. With those names visible, Gilmer’s relatively central location becomes clear even though several ranked communities sit close to county boundaries.
Little Cypress Creek is the main interior water reference
The terrain-and-water map is easiest to organize around Little Cypress Creek. It crosses the central interior and continues southeast, collecting numerous smaller tributaries along the way. Kelsey Creek follows another central-western valley, while Mill Creek is a strong north-south drainage line on the eastern side. Together they explain the broad lower corridor visible on the elevation map.
Caney Creek enters from the northwestern side and bends toward the interior, while Lilly Creek runs through the northern part of the county. Glade Creek extends southward near the lower central area and approaches the Gladewater side. Rather than one large river dominating the county interior, these named creeks divide the rolling terrain into a network of narrow valleys.
Small lakes provide additional landmarks. Grassy Lake appears in the north, Tullos Lake in the west-central interior, and Shelton Lake farther southeast. Near Big Sandy, Big Sandy Lake and Ambassador College Reservoir are close together. Lake Gladewater and Wood Lake sit near the southern boundary, while the Sabine River is labeled outside the county to the south and helps place the lowest southern drainage in a larger regional system.
This layer is intended for geographic water and terrain reference rather than flood-risk analysis, navigation, water depth, parcel boundaries, or reservoir operations. Its main value here is to show how the creek valleys divide the uplands, where the small lakes sit relative to the towns, and why the Gilmer-centered road map has so many blue drainage lines.
Western hills rise above a broad central creek corridor
The elevation map reports an actual range of about 70 to 206 meters and a mean elevation of 113 meters. The strongest brown high ground appears along the western side and west-central interior. Additional high ridges stand in the northeast and east-central areas. A broad green low corridor cuts across the middle of the county, and the southern boundary is also generally lower.
The central lowland is not one flat plain. It is shaped by connected creek valleys, especially around Little Cypress Creek and its tributaries. Narrow green channels also cut between higher ridges in the north and east. The western side is more strongly dissected by tan and brown ridges, while the Big Sandy and Gladewater side opens into broader low terrain near the southern edge.
This countywide elevation surface is designed for broad terrain comparison rather than parcel surveying, engineering, or construction design. It is useful for seeing why the western side looks more rugged, where Little Cypress Creek and Glade Creek occupy lower valleys, and how the southern part of the county differs from the higher interior ridges. Exact site elevation should be checked with detailed source data or a local survey.
Choose the view by whether roads, city ranking, creeks, or relief matters most
Use the county reference map when Gilmer, Big Sandy, Ore City, Gladewater, road labels, and the county boundary need to appear together. The ranked-city view is cleaner for comparing the six major mapped communities. The terrain-and-water layer is the best place to trace Little Cypress Creek, Kelsey Creek, Mill Creek, and the small lakes, while the elevation map makes the western uplands and central low corridor easiest to compare.
The downloadable ZIP contains four separate high-resolution A3 JPG files for Upshur County: county reference, ranked city, terrain and water, and elevation. You can inspect the lighter WebP versions in the article first and then use the larger JPG files for printing, classroom material, presentations, or an editable local-reference document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Big Sandy compared with Gilmer?
Big Sandy is southwest of Gilmer on the supplied reference map, close to the southwestern county corner. It provides a useful outer reference for the road network leading away from central Gilmer.
Where does Little Cypress Creek cross Upshur County?
Little Cypress Creek crosses the central interior and continues toward the southeast. The elevation map also shows this corridor as lower than many of the surrounding ridges.
What elevation range is shown for Upshur County?
The supplied elevation map states an actual range of about 70 to 206 meters and a mean elevation of 113 meters. Western and some east-central ridges are higher, while the central creek corridor and southern edge are lower.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains the four Upshur County maps in high-resolution A3 JPG format.
- Included Versions: County reference, ranked city, terrain and water, elevation
- Included Files: 4 A3 JPG maps
Related Maps
Sources and data references
Roads, settlement locations, and the Upshur County boundary can be cross-checked with the U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles. Little Cypress Creek, Kelsey Creek, Caney Creek, lakes, and other named drainage features can be checked against USGS National Hydrography, while terrain height data are available through the USGS 3D Elevation Program. City index values, route references, named waters, and the 70–206 meter elevation range described above are based on the Upshur County maps supplied in this package.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
