Google Earth Is Getting a Historical Street View Feature

Google Earth turns 20 this Saturday, and to celebrate, Google is giving it a new feature: historical street view. In addition to exploring up-to-date ground-view versions of places around the world, users will soon have the option to jump back in time, whether it's to watch a growing city sprout or to see how a natural landscape has morphed over the decades.

Since its launch in 2005, Google Earth has become a go-to resource for professionals and the casually curious. Having an on-demand view of the world from a bird's-eye perspective was revolutionary, and according to Google's sentimental blog post , it quickly helped meteorologists, biologists, and even first responders coordinate research projects and natural disaster recovery efforts. In 2008, Google tacked on its famous street view option, and a year later, Google Earth earned its first historical imagery tool, which made it possible to review a region's changes over time.

But those two features have never worked together: If you wanted to see how a place had changed since 1985, you had to do so from the skies. Now, Google says users can access the same material that feeds Google Maps' historical street view feature—made famous earlier this year by the #SomewhereOnGoogleMaps social media trend —right from Google Earth. 

Google's own example shows how New York City's 30th Street has evolved over the past 11 years.Credit: Google

Unlike Google Earth's bird's-eye perspective, which is great for watching Lake Mead shrink and Boise, Idaho become a go-to metropolis , historical street view will probably work best with a specific piece of architecture: say, a favorite bridge or your childhood home. You can watch a structure rise from a dirt lot, see whether your old neighbor ever improved their house's curb appeal, or see just how unrecognizable your alma mater has become since you graduated. Fun!

A member of Google's press team has advised that most users should have access to the feature by now, and that mobile users should ensure the Google Earth smartphone app is up-to-date.