RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Jefferson County >> Cottage Hill >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Cottage Hill, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Cottage Hill 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 Cottage Hill:
    • 33.482052, -86.978327
    • 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.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Cottage Hill
  • 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 Jefferson County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Jefferson County
    • Since Cottage Hill is near Shelby County and also Walker County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Shelby County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Walker 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Cottage Hill

Communities Also Named Cottage Hill ...

We found eleven communities that are also named Cottage Hill.

There are two communities within Alabama that are also named Cottage Hill.

Beyond Alabama, we know of nine communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Located In Alabama ...
    • Mobile County
      • This Cottage Hill is located in Mobile County and lies 207 miles [333.1 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Cottage Hill that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mobile County community of Cottage Hill.
    • Saint Clair 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 Alabama community of Cottage Hill [Saint Clair County].
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Arkansas
      • Benton 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 Arkansas community of Cottage Hill [Benton County].
    • Florida
      • Escambia County
      • This Cottage Hill is located in Escambia County and lies 197 miles [317 km]<1> to the south of the Cottage Hill that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Escambia County community of Cottage Hill.
    • Illinois
      • Putnam 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 Cottage Hill [Putnam County].
    • Indiana
      • Clay County
      • This Cottage Hill is located in Clay County and lies 416 miles [669.5 km]<1> to the north of the Cottage Hill that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clay County community of Cottage Hill.
    • Iowa
      • Dubuque County
      • This Cottage Hill is located in Dubuque County and lies 663 miles [1,067 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Cottage Hill that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dubuque County community of Cottage Hill.
    • Kansas
      • Marshall County
      • This Cottage Hill is located in Marshall County and lies 686 miles [1,104 km]<1> to the northwest of the Cottage Hill that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marshall County community of Cottage Hill.
    • Massachusetts
      • Suffolk County
      • This Cottage Hill is located in Suffolk County and lies 1,063 miles [1,710.7 km]<1> to the northeast of the Cottage Hill that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Suffolk County community of Cottage Hill.
    • Ohio
      • Muskingum County
      • This Cottage Hill is located in Muskingum County and lies 523 miles [841.7 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Cottage Hill that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Muskingum County community of Cottage Hill.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Clarion County
      • This Cottage Hill is located in Clarion County and lies 667 miles [1,073.4 km]<1> to the northeast of the Cottage Hill that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clarion County community of Cottage Hill.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Cottage Hill ...

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.

  • Booker Heights
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Booker Heights is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booker Heights
  • Bush
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Bush is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bush
  • Crescent Heights
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Crescent Heights is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent Heights
  • Dolomite
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Edgewater
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Edgewater is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater
  • Falls Junction
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Falls Junction is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Junction
  • Garywood
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Garywood is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garywood
  • Glenview
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Glenview is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenview
  • Gordon Heights
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Gordon Heights is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon Heights
  • Green Acres
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Green Acres is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
  • Hillman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Hillman is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillman
  • Hillman Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Hillman Gardens is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillman Gardens
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Hueytown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Industrial City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Industrial City is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industrial City
    • Ivanhoe
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Ivanhoe is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanhoe
    • Martins
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Martins is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins
    • Maytown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Maytown is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maytown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
    • Minor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Minor is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minor
    • Pleasant Grove
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Vineland Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Vineland Park is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineland Park
    • Walnut Grove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Walnut Grove is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove

How Far From Cottage Hill 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 Cottage Hill to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Birmingham, which is the Seat of Jefferson County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the east northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Cottage Hill to Birmingham, with an average speed<5> 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 85 miles [136.8 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 667 miles [1,073.4 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 38 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,560 miles [10,557.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,270 miles [11,699.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,146 miles [8,281.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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- Cottage Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Cottage Hill 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 Cottage Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Cottage Hill to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Cottage Hill. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.4821, Longitude: -86.9783       In this case, the coordinates for Cottage Hill have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.78 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.402 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.375 degrees.