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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Mercury, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Mercury 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 Mercury:
    • 34.786204, -86.536435
    • 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 Mercury
  • 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 Mercury ...

We found two communities that share the name Mercury.

Within Alabama, the name Mercury is unique.

Beyond Alabama, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Nevada
      • Nye County
      • This Mercury is located in Nye County and lies 1,650 miles [2,655.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Mercury that is located in Madison County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nye County community of Mercury.
    • Texas
      • McCulloch County
      • This Mercury is located in McCulloch County and lies 765 miles [1,231.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Mercury that is located in Madison County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the McCulloch County community of Mercury.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Mercury ...

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.

  • Bell Factory
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell Factory have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Factory
    • Bell Factory is located in Madison County
  • Cavalry Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cavalry Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavalry Hill
    • Cavalry Hill is located in Madison County
  • Cedar Valley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Valley
    • Cedar Valley is located in Madison County
  • Chase
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Cherokee Hills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherokee Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Hills
    • Cherokee Hills is located in Madison County
  • Cherry Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
    • Cherry Creek is located in Madison County
  • Darwin Downs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Darwin Downs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darwin Downs
    • Darwin Downs is located in Madison County
  • Dug Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dug Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dug Hill
    • Dug Hill is located in Madison County
  • English Terrace
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for English Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Terrace
    • English Terrace is located in Madison County
  • Glen Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Park
    • Glen Park is located in Madison County
  • Greenhill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenhill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenhill
    • Greenhill is located in Madison County
  • Hillandale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillandale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillandale
    • Hillandale is located in Madison County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Huntsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lincoln
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Madison County
    • Longwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
      • Longwood is located in Madison County
    • Meadow Hills
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Hills
      • Meadow Hills is located in Madison County
    • Meridianville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Moontown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moontown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moontown
      • Moontown is located in Madison County
    • Mountain Brook
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Brook
      • Mountain Brook is located in Madison County
    • Normal
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Normal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normal
      • Normal is located in Madison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Normal <3>
    • Rolling Meadows
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Meadows
      • Rolling Meadows is located in Madison County
    • Scenic View
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scenic View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scenic View
      • Scenic View is located in Madison County
    • Shady Lane
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Lane have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Lane
      • Shady Lane is located in Madison County
    • Stag Run
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stag Run have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stag Run
      • Stag Run is located in Madison County
    • Terry Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Terry Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry Heights
      • Terry Heights is located in Madison County
    • Three Forks
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Forks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Forks
      • Three Forks is located in Madison County
    • Union Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Park
      • Union Park is located in Madison County
    • University Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Park
      • University Park is located in Madison County
    • Valley Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Park
      • Valley Park is located in Madison County

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

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

  • Huntsville, which is the Seat of Madison County, lies just to the Southwest.
  • Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 166 miles [267.2 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Mercury to Montgomery, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take about 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 596 miles [959.2 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 34 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,480 miles [10,428.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,193 miles [11,576 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,069 miles [8,157.8 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- Mercury) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mercury. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.7862, Longitude: -86.5364    
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Mercury to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.586 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.358 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.908 degrees.