Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Valley Junction, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Valley Junction and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Valley Junction
- 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 Valley Junction:
- 33.077342, -86.825821
- 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 Valley Junction
- 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 Valley Junction is near Chilton County and also Bibb County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Chilton 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 Valley Junction ...
We found eleven communities that share the name Valley Junction.
Within Alabama, the name Valley Junction is unique.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another eleven communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- Drew County
- This Valley Junction is located in Drew County and lies 287 miles [461.9 km]<1> to the west of the Valley Junction that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Drew County community of Valley Junction.
- Illinois
- Saint Clair 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 Valley Junction [Saint Clair County].
- Iowa
- Polk County
- This Valley Junction is located in Polk County and lies 697 miles [1,121.7 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Valley Junction that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Polk County community of Valley Junction.
- North Dakota
- LaMoure 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 North Dakota community of Valley Junction [LaMoure County].
- Ohio
- Hamilton County
- This Valley Junction is located in Hamilton County and lies 435 miles [700.1 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Valley Junction that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hamilton County community of Valley Junction.
- Tuscarawas County
- This Valley Junction is located in Tuscarawas County and lies 598 miles [962.4 km] to the north northeast of the Valley Junction that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscarawas County community of Valley Junction.
- Oregon
- Polk County
- This Valley Junction is located in Polk County and lies 2,114 miles [3,402.2 km]<1> to the northwest of the Valley Junction that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Polk County community of Valley Junction.
- Pennsylvania
- Lackawanna 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 Pennsylvania community of Valley Junction [Lackawanna County].
- York County
- This Valley Junction is located in York County and lies 721 miles [1,160.3 km]<1> to the northeast of the Valley Junction that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the York County community of Valley Junction.
- Texas
- Robertson County
- This Valley Junction is located in Robertson County and lies 594 miles [956 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Valley Junction that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Robertson County community of Valley Junction.
- Wisconsin
- Monroe County
- This Valley Junction is located in Monroe County and lies 782 miles [1,258.5 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Valley Junction that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Valley Junction.
- Arkansas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Valley Junction ...
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.
- Dry Valley
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dry Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Valley
- Dry Valley is located in Shelby County
- Elliotsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elliotsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliotsville
- Elliotsville is located in Shelby County
- Glen Forest
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Forest
- Glen Forest is located in Shelby County
- Ivanhoe
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Longview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north) - Mars Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Meadow Green
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Green have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Green
- Meadow Green is located in Shelby County
- Mission Hills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Hills
- Mission Hills is located in Shelby County
- Oak Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast) - Continue List (6 more) ...
- Pea Ridge
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest) - Roberta
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - Rocky Mount
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Mount have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Mount
- Rocky Mount is located in Chilton County
- Springs Junction
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springs Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springs Junction
- Springs Junction is located in Shelby County
- Stems
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Willow Glen
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Glen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Glen
- Willow Glen is located in Shelby County
- Pea Ridge
How Far From Valley Junction 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 Valley Junction to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Valley Junction and extending to:
- Columbiana, which is the Seat of Shelby County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the east northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Valley Junction to Columbiana, 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 57 miles [91.7 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take over two days and walking would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 678 miles [1,091.1 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<5> 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).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,280 miles [11,716 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,157 miles [8,299.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Valley Junction. 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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Valley Junction) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Valley Junction. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.0773, Longitude: -86.8258 In this case, the coordinates for Valley Junction 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 Valley Junction 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> | 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 Valley Junction 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 313.662 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.21 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.399 degrees. |