RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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The Commemorative Quarter for West Virginia







Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Clay, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Clay and the surrounding area.

  • 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 Clay:
    • 38.461007, -81.084672
    • 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 Clay
  • 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 Clay ...

We found 22 communities that share the name Clay.

Within West Virginia, the name Clay is unique.

Beyond West Virginia, we know of another 22 communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Jefferson County
      • This Clay is located in Jefferson County and lies 450 miles [724.2 km]<1> to the southwest of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Clay.
    • Arkansas
      • White County
      • This Clay is located in White County and lies 626 miles [1,007.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the White County community of Clay.
    • California
      • Sacramento County
      • This Clay is located in Sacramento County and lies 2,151 miles [3,461.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sacramento County community of Clay.
    • Colorado
      • Jefferson County
      • This Clay is located in Jefferson County and lies 1,294 miles [2,082.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Clay.
    • Illinois
      • Livingston 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 Illinois community of Clay [Livingston County].
    • Iowa
      • Washington 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 Iowa community of Clay [Washington County].
    • Kentucky
      • Webster County
      • This Clay is located in Webster County and lies 372 miles [598.7 km]<1> to the west of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Webster County community of Clay.
    • Louisiana
      • Jackson Parish
      • This Clay is located in Jackson Parish and lies 772 miles [1,242.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson Parish community of Clay.
    • Michigan
      • Eaton 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 Michigan community of Clay [Eaton County].
      • Lenawee 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 Michigan community of Clay [Lenawee County].
    • Mississippi
      • Itawamba County
      • This Clay is located in Itawamba County and lies 496 miles [798.2 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Itawamba County community of Clay.
    • Missouri
      • Adair 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 Missouri community of Clay [Adair County].
      • Clay 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 Missouri community of Clay [Clay County].
    • New York
      • Onondaga County
      • This Clay is located in Onondaga County and lies 414 miles [666.3 km]<1> to the northeast of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Onondaga County community of Clay.
    • North Carolina
      • Granville County
      • This Clay is located in Granville County and lies 205 miles [329.9 km]<1> to the southeast of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Granville County community of Clay.
    • Ohio
      • Jackson County
      • This Clay is located in Jackson County and lies 86 miles [138.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Clay.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Lancaster County
      • This Clay is located in Lancaster County and lies 284 miles [457.1 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lancaster County community of Clay.
    • Tennessee
      • Shelby 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 Tennessee community of Clay [Shelby County].
    • Texas
      • Burleson County
      • This Clay is located in Burleson County and lies 1,030 miles [1,657.6 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Burleson County community of Clay.
    • Virginia
      • Bedford County
      • This Clay is located in Bedford County and lies 124 miles [199.6 km]<1> to the southeast of the Clay that is located in Clay County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bedford County community of Clay.
      • Lynchburg City
      • 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 Virginia community of Clay [Lynchburg City].
    • Wyoming
      • Weston 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 Wyoming community of Clay [Weston County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Clay ...

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.

  • Clay Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clay Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Junction
    • Clay Junction is located in Clay County
  • Hartland
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Hartland is located in Clay County
  • Ivydale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivydale have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivydale
    • Ivydale is located in Clay County
  • Jamestown ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Jamestown is located in Clay County
  • Little Italy
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Italy have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Italy
    • Little Italy is located in Clay County
  • Morocco ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morocco have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morocco
    • Morocco is located in Clay County
  • Sand Fork
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sand Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
    • Sand Fork is located in Clay County
  • Spread
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spread have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
    • Spread is located in Clay County
  • Two Run
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Two Run have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Two Run
    • Two Run is located in Clay County
  • Whetstone
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whetstone have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whetstone
    • Whetstone is located in Clay County

How Far From Clay 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 town such as Clay to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Clay and extending to:

  • Charleston, which is the State Capital of West Virginia, lies 30 miles [48.3 km]<1> to the west southwest (WSW). If you could walk a straight line from Clay to Charleston, with an average speed<5> 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 over a day.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 220 miles [354.1 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 13 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,086 miles [9,794.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,799 miles [10,941.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,674 miles [7,522.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clay. 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- Clay) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.4610, Longitude: -81.0847    
<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 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 Clay 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 Clay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 Clay 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 310.327 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.148 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.591 degrees.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024