RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Calhoun County >> Betta - Life >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Betta - Life, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Betta - Life 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 Betta - Life:
    • 33.805657, -85.769409
    • 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 Betta - Life
  • 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 Betta - Life ...

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.

  • Angel
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel
    • Angel is located in Calhoun County
  • Bonny Brook
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonny Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonny Brook
    • Bonny Brook is located in Calhoun County
  • Cedar Springs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Springs
    • Cedar Springs is located in Calhoun County
  • Couch
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Couch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couch
    • Couch is located in Calhoun County
  • Four Mile
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Mile have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
    • Four Mile is located in Calhoun County
  • Halls Chapel
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halls Chapel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Chapel
    • Halls Chapel is located in Calhoun County
  • Hillcrest
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillcrest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
    • Hillcrest is located in Calhoun County
  • Jenkins
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jenkins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenkins
    • Jenkins is located in Calhoun County
  • June Bug ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for June Bug have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for June Bug
    • June Bug is located in Calhoun County
  • Maxwellborn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maxwellborn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwellborn
    • Maxwellborn is located in Calhoun County
  • Mink ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mink have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mink
    • Mink is located in Calhoun County
  • Possum Trot
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Possum Trot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Trot
    • Possum Trot is located in Calhoun County
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Post Oak
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Post Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak
      • Post Oak is located in Calhoun County
    • Sulphur Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
      • Sulphur Springs is located in Calhoun County
    • Union
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Calhoun County
    • Weaver
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weaver have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaver
      • Weaver is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,030 people

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Betta - Life and extending to:

  • Anniston, which is the Seat of Calhoun County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<2> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Betta - Life to Anniston, with an average speed<3> 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.
  • Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 103 miles [165.8 km] to the south southwest (SSW). 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 599 miles [964 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 34 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,495 miles [10,452.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,202 miles [11,590.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,078 miles [8,172.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Betta - Life) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Betta - Life. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8057, Longitude: -85.7694       In this case, the coordinates for Betta - Life 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 Betta - Life 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 313.074 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.632 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.82 degrees.