Researching Old Spots in Urban Areas

Having moved to a new city a little over two years ago, I have found my self stuck as far researching and staying on top of, "Hot Spots" that might yield the silver coins/relics I am after.

My first source is the online library and Sanborn Maps I have access too. While a great tool, it is painfully slow going in trying to locate the area(s) of interest.
Q - Is this the way of the beast and I have to slog my way thru it?? Is there something I am missing (or procedure) that would better speed this up??

I have it a handful of the old parks in my area, and getting some nice turn of the century silver and US cents, but want to increase my numbers substantially. (These parks like many others, have been hit pretty well over the years) These are "easy pickings" as it were, but I desire to locate the "off the menu" locations that perhaps have been overlooked.

The few demos and sidewalk tear-outs I have been on yielded nothing despite being in pre-1900's areas. (Mostly just new or sterile dirt) I know in my own neighborhood for example, the sidewalks were poured in the 1910 range, however the houses were built in the 1890's on. So not good odds if just 15-20 years of coin loses?? (Homes were slowly added during that time)

I am also a 3-4 hour drive from remote locations that date back to the 1700's. Yes I have been working those too and have done two trips to these remote spots. But zip as far as any period finds. Here I went off the BLM maps and once I had the areas that I could get access too, I worked backwards to find any old sites using those maps. I am at a loss there too on best tools to use to locate the old locations.
Q - What kinds of tools do you use in researching the remote (back country) areas to detect??

Not looking for easy answers of course, but I do want to make sure I stop wasting time/gas/money on trips out of my area to detect. Yes there will be dud sites, but I want the most knowledge I can get before I leave.

If there are existing posts on this subject I have missed, please let me know. I am sure there are some closely guarded techniques out there that I will need to find for myself, but any direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all!
Peter

What was once impossible..... is now easy and obvious. BUT.......... if : You don't know...what you don't know........ it continues to appear/look impossible.
-Thomas Dankowski

Historic map works, on the net. Haven't used it in a while, maybe they improved it.
If you push the correct buttons, the site will overlay a modern map over an old one of your preference. You can dial the old map in or out when it's over the new map. You don't have to size or stretch anything to jive up the maps. Play with it some more and you can hover the mouse arrow over the spot and get the latitude and longitude...input those coordinates in your GPS and of you go.

Quote

>ozzie Wrote:
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> Historic map works, on the net. Haven't used it in
> a while, maybe they improved it.
> If you push the correct buttons, the site will ove
> rlay a modern map over an old one of your preferen
> ce. You can dial the old map in or out when it's o
> ver the new map. You don't have to size or stretch
> anything to jive up the maps. Play with it some mo
> re and you can hover the mouse arrow over the spot
> and get the latitude and longitude...input those c
> oordinates in your GPS and of you go.

Ah Great I forgot about that site! Much thanks Ozzie!!

You're welcome. Let me know how it works out for you, Pete.

Quote

ozzie Wrote:
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> You're welcome. Let me know how it works out for
you, Pete.

Well pretty funny... Sure enough two locations I would have sworn were oldish, turns out to have been built in the late 40's and early 50's. (With nothing but field there before)
Already saved some time to be sure! Have 3 new locations mapped out I will be hitting next Sunday.
The Sanborns I am getting my head around finally and using those to confirm the historic aerials.
Lets see how my finds look by the end of the weekend.
Peter