Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Highlands, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Highlands and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Highlands
- 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 Highlands:
- 33.298446, -86.919435
- 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 Highlands
- 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 Shelby County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Shelby County
- Since Highlands is near Jefferson County and also Tuscaloosa County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Jefferson County
- eBird sighting report for Tuscaloosa 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 Highlands ...
We found 47 communities that share the name Highlands.
There are three communities within Alabama that are also named Highlands.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another 44 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 44 communities, 46 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Located In Alabama ...
- Etowah County
- Madison County
- Tuscaloosa County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- British Columbia
- We haven't found the location of this community yet.
- California
- San Mateo County
- This Highlands is located in San Mateo County and lies 2,002 miles [3,221.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the San Mateo County community of Highlands.
- Santa Clara County
- This Highlands is located in Santa Clara County and lies 1,989 miles [3,201 km] to the west northwest of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Santa Clara County community of Highlands.
- Colorado
- Arapahoe County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Highlands [Arapahoe County].
- Denver County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Highlands [Denver County].
- Jefferson County
- This Highlands is located in Jefferson County and lies 1,100 miles [1,770.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Highlands.
- Delaware
- Florida
- Broward County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Florida community of Highlands [Broward County].
- Duval County
- This Highlands is located in Duval County and lies 365 miles [587.4 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Duval County community of Highlands.
- Georgia
- Cobb County
- This Highlands is located in Cobb County and lies 144 miles [231.7 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cobb County community of Highlands.
- Fayette County
- This Highlands is located in Fayette County and lies 135 miles [217.3 km] to the east of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Highlands.
- Paulding County
- This Highlands is located in Paulding County and lies 127 miles [204.4 km] to the east northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Paulding County community of Highlands.
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Cook County
- This Highlands is located in Cook County and lies 611 miles [983.3 km]<1> to the north of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cook County community of Highlands.
- DuPage County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Illinois community of Highlands [DuPage County].
- Kentucky
- Fayette County
- This Highlands is located in Fayette County and lies 357 miles [574.5 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Highlands.
- Jefferson County
- This Highlands is located in Jefferson County and lies 347 miles [558.4 km] to the north of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Highlands.
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Cumberland County
- This Highlands is located in Cumberland County and lies 1,145 miles [1,842.7 km]<1> to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cumberland County community of Highlands.
- Piscataquis County
- This Highlands is located in Piscataquis County and lies 1,245 miles [2,003.6 km] to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Piscataquis County community of Highlands.
- Maryland
- Anne Arundel County
- This Highlands is located in Anne Arundel County and lies 700 miles [1,126.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Anne Arundel County community of Highlands.
- Calvert County
- This Highlands is located in Calvert County and lies 688 miles [1,107.2 km] to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Calvert County community of Highlands.
- Cecil County
- This Highlands is located in Cecil County and lies 758 miles [1,219.9 km] to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cecil County community of Highlands.
- Montgomery County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Maryland community of Highlands [Montgomery County].
- Massachusetts
- Essex County
- This Highlands is located in Essex County and lies 1,079 miles [1,736.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Essex County community of Highlands.
- Hampden County
- This Highlands is located in Hampden County and lies 991 miles [1,594.9 km] to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hampden County community of Highlands.
- Middlesex County
- This Highlands is located in Middlesex County and lies 1,062 miles [1,709.1 km] to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Middlesex County community of Highlands.
- New Brunswick
- This Highlands lies 1,372 miles [2,208 km]<1> to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- This Highlands lies 1,772 miles [2,851.8 km]<1> to the northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- North Carolina
- Jackson County
- This Highlands is located in Jackson County and lies 244 miles [392.7 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Highlands.
- Orange County
- This Highlands is located in Orange County and lies 481 miles [774.1 km] to the east northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of Highlands.
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Berkeley County
- This Highlands is located in Berkeley County and lies 398 miles [640.5 km]<1> to the east of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Berkeley County community of Highlands.
- Greenville County
- This Highlands is located in Greenville County and lies 278 miles [447.4 km] to the east northeast of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greenville County community of Highlands.
- Horry County
- This Highlands is located in Horry County and lies 466 miles [750 km] to the east of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Horry County community of Highlands.
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Harris County
- This Highlands is located in Harris County and lies 535 miles [861 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Harris County community of Highlands.
- Hidalgo County
- This Highlands is located in Hidalgo County and lies 822 miles [1,322.9 km] to the west southwest of the Highlands that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hidalgo County community of Highlands.
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- British Columbia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Highlands ...
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.
- Chestnut Glen
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Glen have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Glen
- Chestnut Glen is located in Shelby County
- Eden Ridge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eden Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Ridge
- Eden Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Fox Haven
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Fox Trace
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest) - Greenwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Greenwood is located in Jefferson County
- Helena
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Helena is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,374 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helena <5>
- High Point
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for High Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
- High Point is located in Jefferson County
- Hilltop
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Hopewell
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north) - Loveless Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loveless Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loveless Park
- Loveless Park is located in Jefferson County
- Pleasant Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Hill is located in Jefferson County
- Rockdale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Continue List (7 more) ...
- Rolling Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Ridge
- Rolling Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Roy Ford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - Shades Run
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shades Run have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shades Run
- Shades Run is located in Jefferson County
- Shadywood
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - Summit Farm
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit Farm have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Farm
- Summit Farm is located in Jefferson County
- Weeping Oaks
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weeping Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeping Oaks
- Weeping Oaks is located in Shelby County
- Whispering Oaks
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whispering Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Oaks
- Whispering Oaks is located in Jefferson County
- Rolling Ridge
How Far From Highlands to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Highlands to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Highlands and extending to:
- Columbiana, which is the Seat of Shelby County, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<1> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Highlands to Columbiana, with an average speed<6> 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 6 hours.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 73 miles [117.5 km] to the south southeast (SSE). 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 672 miles [1,081.5 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<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,567 miles [10,568.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,275 miles [11,708 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,152 miles [8,291.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Highlands. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Shelby County: www.shelbycountyalabama.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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Highlands) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Highlands. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.2984, Longitude: -86.9194 In this case, the coordinates for Highlands have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Highlands could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Highlands, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Highlands to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.733 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.322 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.39 degrees. |