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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Melvin, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Melvin 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 Melvin:
    • 34.926475, -87.842531
    • 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 Melvin
  • 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 Lauderdale County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Lauderdale County
    • Since Melvin is near Wayne County and also Colbert County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Wayne County
    • Open the 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Melvin

Communities Also Named Melvin ...

We found sixteen communities that are also named Melvin.

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

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

  • Communities Located In Alabama ...
    • Choctaw County
      • This Melvin is located in Choctaw County and lies 209 miles [336.4 km]<1> to the south of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Choctaw County community of Melvin.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • California
      • Fresno County
      • This Melvin is located in Fresno County and lies 1,779 miles [2,863 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fresno County community of Melvin.
    • Colorado
      • Arapahoe 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 Colorado community of Melvin [Arapahoe County].
    • Florida
      • Hamilton 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 Florida community of Melvin [Hamilton County].
    • Illinois
      • Ford County
      • This Melvin is located in Ford County and lies 390 miles [627.6 km]<1> to the north of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ford County community of Melvin.
    • Iowa
      • Osceola County
      • This Melvin is located in Osceola County and lies 710 miles [1,142.6 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Osceola County community of Melvin.
    • Kentucky
      • Floyd County
      • This Melvin is located in Floyd County and lies 332 miles [534.3 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Floyd County community of Melvin.
    • Michigan
      • Sanilac County
      • This Melvin is located in Sanilac County and lies 629 miles [1,012.3 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sanilac County community of Melvin.
    • Minnesota
      • Polk County
      • This Melvin is located in Polk County and lies 980 miles [1,577.2 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Polk County community of Melvin.
    • Missouri
      • Benton County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Benton County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Benton County community of Melvin.
    • Nevada
      • White Pine 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 Nevada community of Melvin [White Pine County].
    • Ohio
      • Clinton County
      • This Melvin is located in Clinton County and lies 387 miles [622.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clinton County community of Melvin.
    • Oklahoma
      • Cherokee 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 Oklahoma community of Melvin [Cherokee County].
    • Ontario
      • 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 Ontario community of Melvin.
    • Pennsylvania
      • McKean 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 Pennsylvania community of Melvin [McKean County].
    • Texas
      • McCulloch County
      • This Melvin is located in McCulloch County and lies 725 miles [1,166.8 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Melvin that is located in Lauderdale County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the McCulloch County community of Melvin.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Melvin ...

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.

  • Cloverdale
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Cloverdale is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
  • Cypress Forest
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress Forest is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Forest
  • Cypress Inn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Cypress Inn is located in Wayne County (TN)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Inn
  • Dart
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dart is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dart
  • Doubleheads Village ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Doubleheads Village is located in Colbert County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doubleheads Village
  • Georgetown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Georgetown is located in Colbert County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
  • Gravelly Springs
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Gravelly Springs is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravelly Springs
  • Green Tree ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Green Tree is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Tree
  • Keys Chapel ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Keys Chapel is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keys Chapel
  • Lovelace Crossroads
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lovelace Crossroads is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelace Crossroads
  • Mansion View
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mansion View is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mansion View
  • Murphy Cross Roads
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Murphy Cross Roads is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy Cross Roads
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Petersville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Petersville is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersville
    • Ransom Stand
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Ransom Stand is located in Wayne County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransom Stand
    • Stoney Point ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Stoney Point is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Point
    • Terrace View
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Terrace View is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrace View
    • Twin Oaks
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Twin Oaks is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Oaks

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Melvin once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Melvin and extending to:

  • Florence, which is the Seat of Lauderdale County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Melvin to Florence, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
  • Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 197 miles [317 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 12 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 656 miles [1,055.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 38 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 7,244 miles [11,658.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,119 miles [8,238.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

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 from Point A (ie- Melvin) 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 Melvin 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 Melvin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 Melvin 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 Melvin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.9265, Longitude: -87.8425       In this case, the coordinates for Melvin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.394 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 310.311 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.423 degrees.