RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Russell County >> Hirsch >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Hirsch, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Hirsch 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 Hirsch:
    • 32.171819, -85.121878
    • 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 Hirsch
  • 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 Russell County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Russell County
    • Since Hirsch is near Stewart County and also Barbour County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Stewart County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Barbour 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 Hirsch

Communities Also Named Hirsch ...

We found three communities that are also named Hirsch.

Within Alabama, the name Hirsch is unique.

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

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Montana
      • Yellowstone County
      • This Hirsch is located in Yellowstone County and lies 1,555 miles [2,502.5 km]<1> to the northwest of the Hirsch that is located in Russell County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yellowstone County community of Hirsch.
    • Saskatchewan
      • This Hirsch lies 1,480 miles [2,381.8 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Hirsch that is located in Russell County.
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake County
      • This Hirsch is located in Salt Lake County and lies 1,590 miles [2,558.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Hirsch that is located in Russell County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Salt Lake County community of Hirsch.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Hirsch ...

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.

  • Childs Place
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Childs Place is located in Stewart County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs Place
  • Florence
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Florence is located in Stewart County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
  • Glenville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Glenville is located in Russell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenville
  • Heard Place
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Heard Place is located in Stewart County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heard Place
  • Holy Trinity
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Holy Trinity is located in Russell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Trinity
  • Hooks
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hooks is located in Russell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooks
  • Persons
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Persons is located in Russell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persons
  • Power Place
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Power Place is located in Stewart County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Power Place
  • Spring Grove ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Spring Grove is located in Stewart County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove

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

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

  • Phenix City, which is the Seat of Russell County, lies 20 miles [32.2 km]<1> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Hirsch to Phenix City, with an average speed<2> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
  • Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 70 miles [112.7 km] to the west northwest (WNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 649 miles [1,044.5 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 37 days.
  • The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,544 miles [10,531.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<4>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,242 miles [11,654.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,122 miles [8,243.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>'

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hirsch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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.
<3>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 Hirsch 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 Hirsch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.1718, Longitude: -85.1219       In this case, the coordinates for Hirsch have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 312.60 degrees.
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 307.857 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.931 degrees.