Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Platform, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Platform and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Platform
- 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 Platform:
- 38.558416, -82.351262
- 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 Platform
- 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 Lawrence County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Lawrence County
- Since Platform is near Gallia County and also Cabell County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Gallia County
- eBird sighting report for Cabell 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
Curious and Interesting Names Near Platform ...
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.
- Cebee
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Clover
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Crown City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crown City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown City
- Crown City is located in Gallia County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Fair Place
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Place have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Place
- Fair Place is located in Lawrence County
- Good Hope
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast) - Greasy Ridge
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greasy Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greasy Ridge
- Greasy Ridge is located in Lawrence County
- Home Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south) - Ida ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Lock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south) - Polkadotte
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Polkadotte have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkadotte
- Polkadotte is located in Lawrence County
- Suiter
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Willow Wood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Wood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Wood
- Willow Wood is located in Lawrence County
How Far From Platform 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 Platform to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Platform and extending to:
- Ironton, which is the Seat of Lawrence County, lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<2> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Platform to Ironton, with an average speed<3> 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 five to six hours.
- Columbus, which is the State Capital of Ohio, lies 103 miles [165.8 km] to the north northwest (NNW). 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 287 miles [461.9 km] to the east (E). Driving would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 12 days and walking would take 17 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,133 miles [9,870.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,850 miles [11,024 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,725 miles [7,604.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Platform. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Ohio: https://ohio.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Platform) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Platform. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5584, Longitude: -82.3513 In this case, the coordinates for Platform have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Platform to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 311.096 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 307.04 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.109 degrees. |