Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Sumter, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Sumter and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Sumter
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Sumter:
- 33.353446, -87.127774
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Sumter
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Jefferson County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Jefferson County
- Since Sumter is near Tuscaloosa County and also Bibb County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Tuscaloosa County
- eBird sighting report for Bibb County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Sumter ...
We found four communities that share the name Sumter.
Within Alabama, the name Sumter is unique.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Georgia
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- South Carolina
Curious and Interesting Names Near Sumter ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Black Diamond
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Diamond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
- Black Diamond is located in Jefferson County
- Bucksville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bucksville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucksville
- Bucksville is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Johns
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - Lake View
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Mud Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Red Hill Heights
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Hill Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill Heights
- Red Hill Heights is located in Jefferson County
- Valley Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Creek
- Valley Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Virginia
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
How Far From Sumter to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Sumter to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Sumter and extending to:
- Birmingham, which is the Seat of Jefferson County, lies 22 miles [35.4 km]<1> to the east northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Sumter to Birmingham, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 82 miles [132 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 680 miles [1,094.4 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 39 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,573 miles [10,578.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,282 miles [11,719.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,158 miles [8,301 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sumter. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Jefferson County: www.jeffcointouch.com/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sumter) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sumter. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3534, Longitude: -87.1278 In this case, the coordinates for Sumter have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <4> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Sumter to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.862 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.479 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.462 degrees. |