Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Alvord, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Alvord and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Alvord
- 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 Alvord:
- 38.807588, -81.349009
- 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 Alvord
- 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 Roane County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Roane County
- Since Alvord is near Wirt County and also Calhoun County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Wirt County
- eBird sighting report for Calhoun 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 Alvord ...
We found three communities that share the name Alvord.
Within West Virginia, the name Alvord is unique.
Beyond West Virginia, we know of another three communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Iowa
- Missouri
- Texas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Alvord ...
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.
- Clover
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Grace
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Green Acres
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
- Green Acres is located in Roane County
- Leaning Oak
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leaning Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaning Oak
- Leaning Oak is located in Roane County
- Leo ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest) - Nancy Run
(Less than 2 miles to the north) - Quiet Vale
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quiet Vale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quiet Vale
- Quiet Vale is located in Roane County
- Reedyville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reedyville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedyville
- Reedyville is located in Roane County
- Speed
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Walnut Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walnut Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Walnut Grove is located in Roane County
How Far From Alvord 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 Alvord to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Alvord and extending to:
- Spencer, which is the Seat of Roane County, lies just to the South Southwest.
- Charleston, which is the State Capital of West Virginia, lies 35 miles [56.3 km]<1> to the south southwest (SSW). If you could walk a straight line from Alvord to Charleston, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just about two full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 231 miles [371.8 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 14 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,081 miles [9,786.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,796 miles [10,937.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,671 miles [7,517.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alvord. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Alvord) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alvord. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.8076, Longitude: -81.3490 In this case, the coordinates for Alvord have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Alvord, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 Alvord 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 310.479 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.372 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.592 degrees. |