RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Houston County >> Bell - Merrill >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Bell - Merrill:
    • 31.212398, -85.411600
    • 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 Bell - Merrill
  • 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 Bell - Merrill ...

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.

  • Chickasaw Heights
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chickasaw Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chickasaw Heights
    • Chickasaw Heights is located in Houston County
  • Clark Crossroads
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clark Crossroads have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark Crossroads
    • Clark Crossroads is located in Houston County
  • Cottondale
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cottondale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottondale
    • Cottondale is located in Houston County
  • Forest Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Park
    • Forest Park is located in Houston County
  • Green Acres
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
    • Green Acres is located in Houston County
  • Griffin Heights
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Griffin Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin Heights
    • Griffin Heights is located in Houston County
  • Jones Crossroads
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones Crossroads have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Crossroads
    • Jones Crossroads is located in Houston County
  • Melody Heights
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melody Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melody Heights
    • Melody Heights is located in Houston County
  • Parish
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parish have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parish
    • Parish is located in Houston County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parish <2>
  • Peach Tree Hills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peach Tree Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peach Tree Hills
    • Peach Tree Hills is located in Houston County
  • Peterman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peterman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterman
    • Peterman is located in Houston County
  • Rock Creek Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Creek Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek Park
    • Rock Creek Park is located in Houston County
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Shady Heights
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Heights
      • Shady Heights is located in Houston County
    • Silver Meadows
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Meadows
      • Silver Meadows is located in Houston County
    • Stadium Place
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stadium Place have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stadium Place
      • Stadium Place is located in Houston County
    • Tabernacle
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tabernacle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
      • Tabernacle is located in Houston County
    • Whispering Pines
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whispering Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Pines
      • Whispering Pines is located in Houston County
    • Wiregrass Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiregrass Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiregrass Hills
      • Wiregrass Hills is located in Houston County
    • Young America
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Young America have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young America
      • Young America is located in Houston County

How Far From Bell - Merrill 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 Bell - Merrill to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Bell - Merrill and extending to:

  • Dothan, which is the Seat of Houston County, lies just to the Northeast.
  • Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 95 miles [152.9 km]<3> to the north northwest (NNW). If you could drive a straight line from Bell - Merrill to Montgomery, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 6 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 710 miles [1,142.6 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 28 days and walking would take 41 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,601 miles [10,623.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,296 miles [11,741.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,178 miles [8,333.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bell - Merrill) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bell - Merrill. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.2124, Longitude: -85.4116       In this case, the coordinates for Bell - Merrill have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Bell - Merrill 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 312.704 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 307.844 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.241 degrees.