Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Laurel, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Laurel and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Laurel
- 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 Laurel:
- 37.117538, -121.965415
- 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 Laurel
- 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 Cruz County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Santa Cruz County
- Since Laurel is near Santa Clara County and also Monterey County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Santa Clara County
- eBird sighting report for Monterey 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 Laurel ...
We found 40 communities that share the name Laurel.
There are two communities within California that are also named Laurel.
Beyond California, we know of another 38 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 38 communities, 38 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Located In California ...
- Alameda County
- San Mateo County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Greenup 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 Kentucky community of Laurel [Greenup County].
- Lawrence County
- This Laurel is located in Lawrence County and lies 2,142 miles [3,447.2 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lawrence County community of Laurel.
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New York
- North Carolina
- Franklin County
- This Laurel is located in Franklin County and lies 2,404 miles [3,868.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Laurel.
- Madison 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 Carolina community of Laurel [Madison County].
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Laurel lies 2,216 miles [3,566.3 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Allegheny 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 Laurel [Allegheny County].
- Chester County
- This Laurel is located in Chester County and lies 2,474 miles [3,981.5 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chester County community of Laurel.
- Cumberland 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 Pennsylvania community of Laurel [Cumberland County].
- York County
- This Laurel is located in York County and lies 2,438 miles [3,923.6 km] to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the York County community of Laurel.
- Quebec
- This Laurel lies 2,491 miles [4,008.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Anderson County
- This Laurel is located in Anderson County and lies 2,081 miles [3,349 km]<1> to the east of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Anderson County community of Laurel.
- Sevier County
- This Laurel is located in Sevier County and lies 2,128 miles [3,424.7 km] to the east of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sevier County community of Laurel.
- Texas
- Newton County
- Although located in Newton County, we don't know the location within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Newton County community of Laurel.
- Virginia
- Henrico County
- This Laurel is located in Henrico County and lies 2,416 miles [3,888.2 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henrico County community of Laurel.
- Russell County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Virginia community of Laurel [Russell County].
- Wise County
- This Laurel is located in Wise County and lies 2,142 miles [3,447.2 km] to the east of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wise County community of Laurel.
- Washington
- Klickitat County
- This Laurel is located in Klickitat County and lies 610 miles [981.7 km]<1> to the north of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Klickitat County community of Laurel.
- Whatcom County
- This Laurel is located in Whatcom County and lies 810 miles [1,303.6 km] to the north of the Laurel that is located in Santa Cruz County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Whatcom County community of Laurel.
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Laurel ...
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.
- Boulder Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder Creek
- Boulder Creek is located in Santa Cruz County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boulder Creek <4>
- English Town
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for English Town have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Town
- English Town is located in Santa Clara County
- Forest Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Park have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Park
- Forest Park is located in Santa Cruz County
- Greystone ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast) - Guadalupe ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Highland ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast) - Holy City ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Magnetic Spring ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnetic Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnetic Spring
- Magnetic Spring is located in Santa Cruz County
- Mission Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Springs
- Mission Springs is located in Santa Cruz County
- Mountain Home
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Home have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Mountain Home is located in Santa Clara County
- Paradise Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Park
- Paradise Park is located in Santa Cruz County
- Twin Creeks
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Creeks have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Creeks
- Twin Creeks is located in Santa Clara County
- Wildwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
How Far From Laurel to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Laurel to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Laurel and extending to:
- Santa Cruz, which is the Seat of Santa Cruz County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Laurel to Santa Cruz, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Sacramento, which is the State Capital of California, lies 104 miles [167.4 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take 4 days and walking would take 6 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,422 miles [3,897.8 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 95 days and walking would take 138 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,449 miles [11,988 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
- 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).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,263 miles [10,079.3 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Laurel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Santa Cruz County: www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Laurel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Laurel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1175, Longitude: -121.9654 |
| <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 Laurel 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 Laurel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <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 Laurel 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 339.749 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 340.575 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 327.884 degrees. |