Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Mertz, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Mertz and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Mertz
- 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 Mertz:
- 32.905403, -87.375279
- 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 Mertz
- 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 Bibb County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Bibb County
- Since Mertz is near Hale County and also Perry County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Hale County
- eBird sighting report for Perry 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 Mertz ...
We found three communities that share the name Mertz.
There is one other community in Alabama which is also named Mertz.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In Alabama ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Kansas
- Ohio
Curious and Interesting Names Near Mertz ...
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.
- Choctaw Hills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Choctaw Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw Hills
- Choctaw Hills is located in Bibb County
- Egypt ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Goodson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east) - Harrisburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Harrisburg is located in Bibb County
- Ironville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south) - Jamesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
- Jamesville is located in Bibb County
- Little Hope
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Hope
- Little Hope is located in Bibb County
- Pleasant Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Hill is located in Bibb County
- Pondville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
How Far From Mertz 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 Mertz to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Mertz and extending to:
- Centreville, which is the Seat of Bibb County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Mertz to Centreville, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 72 miles [115.9 km] to the east southeast (ESE). 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 4 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 710 miles [1,142.6 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 28 days and walking would take 41 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,605 miles [10,629.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,313 miles [11,769.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,189 miles [8,350.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Mertz. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Bibb County: www.co.bibb.ga.us/
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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mertz) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mertz. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.9054, Longitude: -87.3753 In this case, the coordinates for Mertz have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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 Mertz, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | 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 Mertz to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.98 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.554 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.653 degrees. |