diff --git a/assets/CustomMarkers.js b/assets/CustomMarkers.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ffd58c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/CustomMarkers.js
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+var CustomMarkers = {
+    marker_array:  { //private list of icons, not meant for direct access
+        default: new L.divIcon({
+            html: '<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 14 33" height="33px" width="14px"><path stroke="black" stroke-width="2" stroke-opacity="0.5" transform="scale(0.158866)" fill="#4dea51" d="M44.062,0C19.766,0,0,19.766,0,44.062c0,4.941,0.859,9.824,2.539,14.57c0.059,0.352,0.195,0.703,0.371,1.055 c0.82,2.207,1.836,4.297,2.832,6.094l29.941,63.086c0.059,0.137,0.137,0.273,0.234,0.371c1.367,3.281,4.59,5.469,8.184,5.469 c3.75,0,7.109-2.383,8.32-5.918l29.746-62.715c1.152-2.051,2.188-4.16,3.066-6.367c0.215-0.391,0.352-0.801,0.43-1.23 c1.641-4.688,2.461-9.531,2.461-14.414C88.125,19.766,68.359,0,44.062,0z M44.062,28.594c8.516,0,15.449,6.953,15.449,15.469 c0,8.535-6.934,15.469-15.449,15.469s-15.449-6.934-15.449-15.469C28.613,35.547,35.547,28.594,44.062,28.594z"/></svg>',
+            iconSize:[14, 34],
+            iconAnchor: [7, 26],
+            className: 'leaflet-default-custom-marker',
+        }),
+        color: {},
+    },
+    getMarker: function(name, color) {
+        if (name == 'default' || !name) {
+            if (!color) {
+                return this.marker_array.default;
+            } else {
+                return this.getReplaceDefaultColor(color, '#4dea51');
+            }
+        } else {
+            return this.getCustomMarker(name);
+        }
+    },
+    getReplaceDefaultColor: function(newcolor, defaultcolor) {
+        if (!this.marker_array.color[newcolor]) { //only do this once for each color each load
+            var ret = this.marker_array.default.options.html.replace(defaultcolor, newcolor);
+            this.marker_array.color[newcolor] = new L.divIcon({
+                html: ret,
+                iconSize: this.marker_array.default.options.iconSize,
+                iconAnchor: this.marker_array.default.options.iconAnchor,
+                className: this.marker_array.default.options.className,
+            });
+        }
+        return this.marker_array.color[newcolor];
+    },
+
+    getCustomMarker: function(name) {
+        if (!this.marker_array[name]) {
+            this.marker_array[name] = new L.Icon({
+                iconUrl: 'assets/images/icons/' + name  + '.svg',
+                iconAnchor: [10, 40], //assuming our icons are set internally as 20x40
+                className: 'leaflet-' + name + '-custom-marker',
+            });
+        }
+
+        return this.marker_array[name];
+    }
+
+};
diff --git a/assets/main.js b/assets/main.js
index 8941494..bce52ad 100644
--- a/assets/main.js
+++ b/assets/main.js
@@ -1182,11 +1182,9 @@ function create_topojson_layer(dataset) {
     if (dataset.type === "regions" || dataset.type === "points") {
         newLayer.setStyle(dataset.style);
         newLayer.options.pointToLayer = function(feature, latlng) {
-            var smallIcon = L.VectorMarkers.icon({
-                icon: 'circle',
-                markerColor: dataset.style.color
-            });
-            return L.marker(latlng, {icon: smallIcon});
+            var icon_name = dataset.icon ? dataset.icon : 'default';
+            smallIcon = CustomMarkers.getMarker(icon_name, dataset.style.color);
+            return L.marker(latlng,{icon: smallIcon});
         };
     }
     newLayer.on("mouseover", function(e) {
diff --git a/buildtools/optimize-js.sh b/buildtools/optimize-js.sh
index 645910f..a10464f 100755
--- a/buildtools/optimize-js.sh
+++ b/buildtools/optimize-js.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ touch ./start.js
 
 echo "load_map_data(\"topojson\");" >> ./start.js
 
-uglifyjs --prefix relative --output ${outpath}main.${now}.min.js --screw-ie8 --mangle --compress dead_code,loops,warnings,join_vars --reserved '$,L,map,window,data_obj' --stats --verbose -- ../assets/jquery-1.11.2/jquery.min.js ../assets/spin-2.1.0/spin.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/Leaflet.vector-markers.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet-providers.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet-pip.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.spin.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.geojsoncss.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/l.control.geosearch.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/l.geosearch.provider.openstreetmap.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.Pan.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.ZoomBox.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.defaultextent.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.groupedlayercontrol.min.js ../assets/topojson-1.0/topojson.v1.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.TopoJSON.min.js ../assets/main.js ./start.js
+uglifyjs --prefix relative --output ${outpath}main.${now}.min.js --screw-ie8 --mangle --compress dead_code,loops,warnings,join_vars --reserved '$,L,map,window,data_obj' --stats --verbose -- ../assets/jquery-1.11.2/jquery.min.js ../assets/spin-2.1.0/spin.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/Leaflet.vector-markers.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet-providers.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet-pip.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.spin.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.geojsoncss.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/l.control.geosearch.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/l.geosearch.provider.openstreetmap.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.Pan.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.ZoomBox.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.defaultextent.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.groupedlayercontrol.min.js ../assets/topojson-1.0/topojson.v1.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.TopoJSON.min.js ../assets/main.js ../assets/CustomMarkers.js ./start.js
 # --source-map ${outpath}main.${now}.min.js.map --source-map-root http://localhost:8000/assets --source-map-url
 
 # IE 8
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ touch ./start-ie8.js
 
 echo "load_map_data(\"geojson\");" >> ./start-ie8.js
 
-uglifyjs --prefix relative --output ${outpath}main.ie8.${now}.min.js --mangle --compress dead_code,loops,warnings,join_vars --reserved '$,L,map,window,data_obj' --stats --verbose -- ../assets/ie8_polyfills.js ../assets/jquery-1.11.2/jquery.min.js ../assets/spin-2.1.0/spin.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/Leaflet.vector-markers.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet-providers.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet-pip.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.spin.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.geojsoncss.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/l.control.geosearch.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/l.geosearch.provider.openstreetmap.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.Pan.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.ZoomBox.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.defaultextent.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.groupedlayercontrol.min.js ../assets/main.js ./start-ie8.js
+uglifyjs --prefix relative --output ${outpath}main.ie8.${now}.min.js --mangle --compress dead_code,loops,warnings,join_vars --reserved '$,L,map,window,data_obj' --stats --verbose -- ../assets/ie8_polyfills.js ../assets/jquery-1.11.2/jquery.min.js ../assets/spin-2.1.0/spin.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/Leaflet.vector-markers.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet-providers.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet-pip.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.spin.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.geojsoncss.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/l.control.geosearch.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/l.geosearch.provider.openstreetmap.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.Pan.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.ZoomBox.min.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.defaultextent.js ../assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/leaflet.groupedlayercontrol.min.js ../assets/main.js ../assets/CustomMarkers.js ./start-ie8.js
 # --source-map ${outpath}main.ie8.${now}.min.js.map --source-map-root http://localhost:8000/assets --source-map-url
 
 # Datasets Credits
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index 3c11f67..1fb21c6 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@
 <script src="assets/leaflet-0.7.3/js/L.Control.Locate.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 -->
 <script src="assets/main.js"></script>
+<script src="assets/CustomMarkers.js"></script>
 <!--[if lt IE 9]>
 <script>
     // Load data into layers: IE 8