MapBox is making it easy to setup a map that will not have the “everyone has it” Google Maps look. Already used by apps and sites like Foursquare and Evernote, Mapbox utilises open sourced map data from OpenStreetMap (www.openstreetmap.org) but also provides terrain and satellite layers.

But the big difference from Google Maps is that you can easily customise the appearance of the map by changing the colours users. A short tutorial can be found at Wikihow.com

For small users, a free plan is available. Check it out at www.mapbox.com
Screenshot below is from “Welcome to 1940s New York“, a project of the Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center.