Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Madison, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Madison and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Madison
- 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 Madison:
- 34.709995, -86.751702
- 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 Madison
- 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 Madison County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Madison County
- Since Madison is near Limestone County and also Colbert County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Limestone County
- eBird sighting report for Colbert 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:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Madison ...
We found 41 communities that share the name Madison.
There are two communities within Alabama that are also named Madison.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another 39 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 39 communities, 40 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Located In Alabama ...
- Jefferson County
- Montgomery County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Clay 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 Kansas community of Madison [Clay County].
- Greenwood County
- This Madison is located in Greenwood County and lies 572 miles [920.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greenwood County community of Madison.
- Riley 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 Madison [Riley County].
- Maine
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Calhoun 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 Michigan community of Madison [Calhoun County].
- Lenawee 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 Michigan community of Madison [Lenawee County].
- Livingston 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 Michigan community of Madison [Livingston County].
- Minnesota
- Lac qui Parle County
- This Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County and lies 868 miles [1,396.9 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lac qui Parle County community of Madison.
- Mower County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Mower County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mower County community of Madison.
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Jackson 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 Ohio community of Madison [Jackson County].
- Lake County
- This Madison is located in Lake County and lies 576 miles [927 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lake County community of Madison.
- Richland 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 Ohio community of Madison [Richland County].
- Pennsylvania
- Saskatchewan
- This Madison lies 1,589 miles [2,557.2 km]<1> to the northwest of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- South Carolina
- Aiken County
- This Madison is located in Aiken County and lies 293 miles [471.5 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Aiken County community of Madison.
- Oconee County
- This Madison is located in Oconee County and lies 201 miles [323.5 km] to the east of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oconee County community of Madison.
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Madison County
- This Madison is located in Madison County and lies 534 miles [859.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of Madison.
- Orange 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 Virginia community of Madison [Orange County].
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Madison ...
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.
- French Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Hill
- French Hill is located in Limestone County
- Green Acres
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
- Green Acres is located in Madison County
- Grove Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Park
- Grove Park is located in Madison County
- Hillandale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillandale have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillandale
- Hillandale is located in Madison County
- Huntsville Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntsville Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville Park
- Huntsville Park is located in Madison County
- Indian Hills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
- Indian Hills is located in Madison County
- Maplewood
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Oak Leaf
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east) - Pea Ridge
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east) - Rainbow
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Rideout Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rideout Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rideout Village
- Rideout Village is located in Madison County
- Rolling Meadows
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Meadows
- Rolling Meadows is located in Madison County
- Continue List (4 more) ...
- Rolling Woods
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Woods
- Rolling Woods is located in Madison County
- Summit Place
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit Place have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Place
- Summit Place is located in Madison County
- Union Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Park
- Union Park is located in Madison County
- University Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Park
- University Park is located in Madison County
- Rolling Woods
How Far From Madison 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 city such as Madison to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Madison and extending to:
- Huntsville, which is the Seat of Madison County, lies just to the East.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 163 miles [262.3 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Madison to Montgomery, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 10 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 609 miles [980.1 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 35 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,492 miles [10,447.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,206 miles [11,596.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,081 miles [8,177.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Madison: www.ci.madison.al.us/
The official website for Madison County: www.co.madison.al.us/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Madison) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Madison. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.7100, Longitude: -86.7517 In this case, the coordinates for Madison have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 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 Madison 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 Madison, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <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 Madison to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.713 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.495 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.015 degrees. |