Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gilroy, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gilroy and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gilroy
- 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 Gilroy:
- 37.009998, -121.570113
- 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 Gilroy
- 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 Santa Clara County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Santa Clara County
- Since Gilroy is near San Benito County and also Santa Cruz County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for San Benito County
- eBird sighting report for Santa Cruz 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 Gilroy ...
We found two communities that share the name Gilroy.
Within California, the name Gilroy is unique.
Beyond California, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Montana
- Tennessee
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gilroy ...
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.
- Aromas
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aromas
- Aromas is located in Monterey County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aromas <3>
- Corporal
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Cottage Corners
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cottage Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Corners
- Cottage Corners is located in San Benito County
- Coyote
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyote
- Coyote is located in Santa Clara County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coyote <3>
- Day Valley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day Valley
- Day Valley is located in Santa Cruz County
- Elkhorn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Elkhorn is located in Monterey County
- Freedom
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom
- Freedom is located in Santa Cruz County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freedom <3>
- Morse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south) - Mountain Home
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Home have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Mountain Home is located in Santa Clara County
- Murphy Crossing
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murphy Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy Crossing
- Murphy Crossing is located in Monterey County
How Far From Gilroy 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 city such as Gilroy to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Gilroy and extending to:
- San Jose, which is the Seat of Santa Clara County, lies 28 miles [45.1 km]<1> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Gilroy to San Jose, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
- Sacramento, which is the State Capital of California, lies 108 miles [173.8 km] to the north (N). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,404 miles [3,868.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 94 days and walking would take 137 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,448 miles [11,986.4 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,216 miles [13,222.4 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,258 miles [10,071.3 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Gilroy: www.ci.gilroy.ca.us/
The official website for Santa Clara County: www.sccgov.org/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.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- Gilroy) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gilroy. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.0100, Longitude: -121.5701 |
| <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 Gilroy, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 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. |
| <6> | 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 Gilroy to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 339.403 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 340.152 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 327.642 degrees. |