Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Alton, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Alton and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Alton
- 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 Alton:
- 39.950233, -83.174527
- 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 Alton
- 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 Franklin County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Franklin County
- Since Alton is near Madison County and also Pickaway County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Madison County
- eBird sighting report for Pickaway 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 Alton ...
We found 35 communities that share the name Alton.
Within Ohio, the name Alton is unique.
Beyond Ohio, we know of another 35 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 35 communities, 33 are located in the United States and four are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Milton County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of Alton [Milton County].
- Tattnall County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of Alton [Tattnall County].
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Lyon County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Alton [Lyon County].
- Osborne County
- This Alton is located in Osborne County and lies 837 miles [1,347 km]<1> to the west of the Alton that is located in Franklin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Osborne County community of Alton.
- Sumner 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 Kansas community of Alton [Sumner County].
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Concordia Parish
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Louisiana community of Alton [Concordia Parish].
- Saint Tammany Parish
- This Alton is located in Saint Tammany Parish and lies 760 miles [1,223.1 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Alton that is located in Franklin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saint Tammany Parish community of Alton.
- Maine
- Michigan
- Delta County
- This Alton is located in Delta County and lies 450 miles [724.2 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Alton that is located in Franklin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Delta County community of Alton.
- Kent County
- This Alton is located in Kent County and lies 239 miles [384.6 km] to the north northwest of the Alton that is located in Franklin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kent County community of Alton.
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nova Scotia
- This Alton lies 1,069 miles [1,720.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Alton that is located in Franklin County.
- Ontario
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Denton County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Denton County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Denton County community of Alton.
- Hidalgo County
- This Alton is located in Hidalgo County and lies 1,283 miles [2,064.8 km]<1> to the southwest of the Alton that is located in Franklin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hidalgo County community of Alton.
- Utah
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Alton ...
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.
- Big Plain
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Columbus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Columbus is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 903,852 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Columbus <5>
- Georgesville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgesville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgesville
- Georgesville is located in Franklin County
- Grove City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
- Grove City is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 42,280 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grove City <5>
- Harrisburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Harrisburg is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrisburg <5>
- Highway ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Lilly Chapel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lilly Chapel have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly Chapel
- Lilly Chapel is located in Madison County
- Lincoln Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Village
- Lincoln Village is located in Franklin County
- Marble Cliff
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marble Cliff have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble Cliff
- Marble Cliff is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 799 people
- Mudsock ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Pleasant Corners
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Corners
- Pleasant Corners is located in Franklin County
- Sandy Corners ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Corners
- Sandy Corners is located in Franklin County
- Seagrove ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Willows ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
How Far From Alton 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 Alton to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Alton and extending to:
- Columbus, which is the Seat of Franklin County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Alton to Columbus, 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.
- Columbus, which is the State Capital of Ohio, lies 9 miles [14.5 km] to the east (E). The buggy would take a little over three hours and walking would take four to five hours.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 335 miles [539.1 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 19 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,103 miles [9,821.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,826 miles [10,985.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,702 miles [7,567.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Franklin County: www.co.franklin.oh.us/
The official website for State of Ohio: https://ohio.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- Alton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.9502, Longitude: -83.1745 |
| <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 Alton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock Creek 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 Alton 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. |
| <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 Alton 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 311.582 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 307.799 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.034 degrees. |