RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Saint Clair County >> Harrisburg >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Harrisburg, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg:
    • 33.592326, -86.289422
    • 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 Harrisburg
  • 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 Saint Clair County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Saint Clair County
    • Since Harrisburg is near Talladega County and also Shelby County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Talladega County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Shelby 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 Harrisburg

Communities Also Named Harrisburg ...

We found 44 communities that are also named Harrisburg.

There is one other community in Alabama that is also named Harrisburg.

Beyond Alabama, we know of 43 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 43 communities, 43 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Located In Alabama ...
    • Bibb County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Bibb County and lies 73 miles [117.5 km]<1> to the southwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bibb County community of Harrisburg.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Arizona
      • La Paz County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in La Paz County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the La Paz County community of Harrisburg.
      • Yuma County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arizona community of Harrisburg [Yuma County].
    • Arkansas
      • Poinsett County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Poinsett County and lies 286 miles [460.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Poinsett County community of Harrisburg.
    • California
      • Inyo County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Harrisburg [Inyo County].
    • Colorado
      • Arapahoe County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Harrisburg [Arapahoe County].
      • Washington County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in Washington County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Harrisburg.
    • Florida
      • Glades County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Glades County and lies 547 miles [880.3 km]<1> to the southeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Glades County community of Harrisburg.
    • Georgia
      • Baldwin County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Baldwin County and lies 179 miles [288.1 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Baldwin County community of Harrisburg.
      • Chattooga County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of Harrisburg [Chattooga County].
      • Walker County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Walker County and lies 86 miles [138.4 km] to the northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Walker County community of Harrisburg.
    • Idaho
      • Idaho County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Idaho County and lies 1,786 miles [2,874.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Idaho County community of Harrisburg.
    • Illinois
      • Saline County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Saline County and lies 312 miles [502.1 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saline County community of Harrisburg.
    • Indiana
      • Fayette County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Fayette County and lies 425 miles [684 km]<1> to the north of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Harrisburg.
    • Iowa
      • Van Buren County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Van Buren County and lies 580 miles [933.4 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Van Buren County community of Harrisburg.
    • Kansas
      • Lyon County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Harrisburg [Lyon County].
      • Ottawa 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 Kansas community of Harrisburg [Ottawa County].
    • Maryland
      • Kent County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Maryland community of Harrisburg [Kent County].
    • Michigan
      • Ottawa County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Ottawa County and lies 663 miles [1,067 km]<1> to the north of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ottawa County community of Harrisburg.
    • Missouri
      • Boone County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Boone County and lies 513 miles [825.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Boone County community of Harrisburg.
      • Lafayette County
      • Although located in Lafayette County, we don't know the location within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lafayette County community of Harrisburg.
    • Nebraska
      • Banner County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Banner County and lies 1,098 miles [1,767.1 km]<1> to the northwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Banner County community of Harrisburg.
    • New Mexico
      • Cibola County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Cibola County and lies 1,211 miles [1,948.9 km]<1> to the west of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cibola County community of Harrisburg.
    • New York
      • Cattaraugus County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Cattaraugus County and lies 717 miles [1,153.9 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cattaraugus County community of Harrisburg.
      • Lewis County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Lewis County and lies 910 miles [1,464.5 km] to the northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lewis County community of Harrisburg.
      • Warren County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Warren County and lies 944 miles [1,519.2 km] to the northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Warren County community of Harrisburg.
    • North Carolina
      • Cabarrus County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Cabarrus County and lies 342 miles [550.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cabarrus County community of Harrisburg.
    • North Dakota
      • Nelson County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the North Dakota community of Harrisburg [Nelson County].
    • Ohio
      • Franklin County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Franklin County and lies 462 miles [743.5 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Harrisburg.
      • Gallia County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Gallia County and lies 427 miles [687.2 km] to the north northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gallia County community of Harrisburg.
      • Montgomery County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ohio community of Harrisburg [Montgomery County].
      • Stark County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Stark County and lies 575 miles [925.4 km] to the north northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Stark County community of Harrisburg.
    • Oklahoma
      • Stephens County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Stephens County and lies 660 miles [1,062.2 km]<1> to the west of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Stephens County community of Harrisburg.
    • Ontario
      • This Harrisburg lies 741 miles [1,192.5 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
    • Oregon
      • Linn County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Linn County and lies 2,092 miles [3,366.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Linn County community of Harrisburg.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Dauphin County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Dauphin County and lies 694 miles [1,116.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dauphin County community of Harrisburg.
      • Philadelphia County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Philadelphia County and lies 765 miles [1,231.1 km] to the northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Philadelphia County community of Harrisburg.
    • South Carolina
      • Lexington County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Lexington County and lies 291 miles [468.3 km]<1> to the east of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lexington County community of Harrisburg.
    • South Dakota
      • Lincoln County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Lincoln County and lies 880 miles [1,416.2 km]<1> to the northwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lincoln County community of Harrisburg.
    • Tennessee
      • Sevier County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Sevier County and lies 223 miles [358.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sevier County community of Harrisburg.
    • Texas
      • Harris County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Harris County and lies 591 miles [951.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Harris County community of Harrisburg.
      • Jasper County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Jasper County and lies 477 miles [767.7 km] to the west southwest of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jasper County community of Harrisburg.
    • Utah
      • Washington County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Utah community of Harrisburg [Washington County].
    • Virginia
      • Charlotte County
      • This Harrisburg is located in Charlotte County and lies 486 miles [782.1 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Harrisburg that is located in Saint Clair County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charlotte County community of Harrisburg.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Harrisburg ...

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.

  • Coal City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
  • Colony
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Colony is located in Talladega County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
  • Dunrowin
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Dunrowin is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunrowin
  • Eden
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Eden is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
  • Enchanted Hills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Enchanted Hills is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enchanted Hills
  • England Isle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • England Isle is located in Talladega County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for England Isle
  • Glen City
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Glen City is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen City
  • Hunting Ridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hunting Ridge is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunting Ridge
  • Lakeview
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Lakeview is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
  • Park Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Park Hill is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Hill
  • Pine Orchard
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Pine Orchard is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Orchard

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

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

  • Ashville, which is the Seat of Saint Clair County, lies 16 miles [25.7 km]<1> to the north. If you could walk a straight line from Harrisburg to Ashville, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take five to six hours.
  • Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 83 miles [133.6 km] to the south (S). 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 631 miles [1,015.5 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 25 days and walking would take 36 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,526 miles [10,502.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,234 miles [11,642 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,111 miles [8,225.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Harrisburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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 Harrisburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 Harrisburg 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.
<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 Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.5923, Longitude: -86.2894       In this case, the coordinates for Harrisburg have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.373 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.947 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.075 degrees.