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Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in The Downs, we use the following websites to find information relevant to The Downs 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 The Downs:
- 33.190397, -87.547506
- 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 The Downs
- 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 Tuscaloosa County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Tuscaloosa County
- Since The Downs is near Hale County and also Greene County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Hale County
- Open the eBird sighting report for Greene 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 The Downs
Communities Also Named The Downs ...
We found fourteen communities that are also named The Downs.
There is one other community in Alabama that is also named The Downs.
Beyond Alabama, we know of thirteen communities that are located in the United States.
- Communities Located In Alabama ...
- Macon County
- This The Downs is located in Macon County and lies 120 miles [193.1 km]<1> to the east southeast of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Macon County community of The Downs.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Georgia
- Warren County
- This The Downs is located in Warren County and lies 279 miles [449 km]<1> to the east of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Warren County community of The Downs.
- Washington County
- This The Downs is located in Washington County and lies 281 miles [452.2 km] to the east of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of The Downs.
- Illinois
- McLean County
- This The Downs is located in McLean County and lies 503 miles [809.5 km]<1> to the north of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the McLean County community of The Downs.
- Kansas
- Osborne County
- This The Downs is located in Osborne County and lies 750 miles [1,207 km]<1> to the northwest of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Osborne County community of The Downs.
- Maryland
- Anne Arundel County
- This The Downs is located in Anne Arundel County and lies 732 miles [1,178 km]<1> to the northeast of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Anne Arundel County community of The Downs.
- North Carolina
- Durham County
- This The Downs is located in Durham County and lies 520 miles [836.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Durham County community of The Downs.
- Oregon
- Marion County
- This The Downs is located in Marion County and lies 2,037 miles [3,278.2 km]<1> to the northwest of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marion County community of The Downs.
- South Carolina
- Greenwood 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 South Carolina community of The Downs [Greenwood County].
- Texas
- McLennan County
- This The Downs is located in McLennan County and lies 568 miles [914.1 km]<1> to the west of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the McLennan County community of The Downs.
- Utah
- Salt Lake County
- This The Downs is located in Salt Lake County and lies 1,430 miles [2,301.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Salt Lake County community of The Downs.
- Weber County
- This The Downs is located in Weber County and lies 1,448 miles [2,330.3 km] to the west northwest of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Weber County community of The Downs.
- Washington
- Lincoln County
- This The Downs is located in Lincoln County and lies 1,878 miles [3,022.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lincoln County community of The Downs.
- West Virginia
- Marion County
- This The Downs is located in Marion County and lies 593 miles [954.3 km]<1> to the northeast of the The Downs that is located in Tuscaloosa County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marion County community of The Downs.
Curious and Interesting Names Near The Downs ...
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.
- Cedar Crest
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cedar Crest is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Crest
- Cedar Knoll
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cedar Knoll is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Knoll
- Cherry Dale
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cherry Dale is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Dale
- Cloverdale
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cloverdale is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Dearing Place
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Dearing Place is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dearing Place
- Fairway Drive
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Fairway Drive is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairway Drive
- Forest Lake
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Forest Lake is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Lake
- Green Valley
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Green Valley is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
- Guilds Woods
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Guilds Woods is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilds Woods
- Hickory Forest
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Hickory Forest is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Forest
- Hillcrest
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Hillcrest is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
- Meadow Lawn
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Meadow Lawn is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Lawn
- Continue List (9 more) ...
- Meadowbrook
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Meadowbrook is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
- Rosedale
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Rosedale is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
- Rosedale Courts
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Rosedale Courts is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale Courts
- Rosewood
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Rosewood is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosewood
- South Park
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- South Park is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Park
- Springbrook
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Springbrook is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springbrook
- University
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- University is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University
- University Lane
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- University Lane is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Lane
- University Place
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- University Place is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Place
How Far From The Downs 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 The Downs to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in The Downs and extending to:
- Tuscaloosa, which is the Seat of Tuscaloosa County, lies just to the North Northwest.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 91 miles [146.5 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could drive a straight line from The Downs to Montgomery, with an average speed<3>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 most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 706 miles [1,136.2 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<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,598 miles [10,618.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,308 miles [11,761.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,184 miles [8,342.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'
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- The Downs) 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 Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's 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 The Downs 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> | 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 The Downs 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 The Downs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.1904, Longitude: -87.5475 In this case, the coordinates for The Downs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.104 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.737 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.664 degrees. |
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