RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Jefferson County >> Mill Run >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Mill Run, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Mill Run 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 Mill Run:
    • 33.420942, -86.841101
    • 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 Mill Run
  • 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 Jefferson County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Jefferson County
    • Since Mill Run is near Shelby County and also Tuscaloosa County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Shelby County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Tuscaloosa 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 Mill Run

Communities Also Named Mill Run ...

We found eleven communities that are also named Mill Run.

Within Alabama, the name Mill Run is unique.

Beyond Alabama, we know of eleven communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Maryland
      • Allegany County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Maryland community of Mill Run [Allegany County].
      • Talbot County
      • This Mill Run is located in Talbot County and lies 713 miles [1,147.5 km]<2> to the northeast of the Mill Run that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Talbot County community of Mill Run.
    • Ohio
      • Muskingum County
      • This Mill Run is located in Muskingum County and lies 524 miles [843.3 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Mill Run that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Muskingum County community of Mill Run.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Blair County
      • This Mill Run is located in Blair County and lies 673 miles [1,083.1 km]<2> to the northeast of the Mill Run that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Blair County community of Mill Run.
      • Clearfield County
      • This Mill Run is located in Clearfield County and lies 704 miles [1,133 km] to the northeast of the Mill Run that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clearfield County community of Mill Run.
      • Fayette County
      • This Mill Run is located in Fayette County and lies 608 miles [978.5 km] to the northeast of the Mill Run that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Mill Run.
      • Montgomery County
      • This Mill Run is located in Montgomery County and lies 798 miles [1,284.3 km] to the northeast of the Mill Run that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Mill Run.
    • Tennessee
      • Knox County
      • This Mill Run is located in Knox County and lies 248 miles [399.1 km]<2> to the northeast of the Mill Run that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Knox County community of Mill Run.
    • Virginia
      • Albemarle County
      • This Mill Run is located in Albemarle County and lies 571 miles [918.9 km]<2> to the northeast of the Mill Run that is located in Jefferson County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Albemarle County community of Mill Run.
    • West Virginia
      • Pocahontas 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 West Virginia community of Mill Run [Pocahontas County].
      • Tucker County
      • This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the West Virginia community of Mill Run [Tucker County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Mill Run ...

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.

  • Cedar Crest
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedar Crest is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Crest
  • Chapel Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Chapel Hill is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Hill
  • Chimney Hills
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Chimney Hills is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimney Hills
  • Crest
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Crest is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crest
  • Crossgate
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Crossgate is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossgate
  • Havenview
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Havenview is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havenview
  • Hillman Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hillman Park is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillman Park
  • Homewood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hoover
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hoover is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 85,959 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoover <4>
  • Imperial Forest
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Imperial Forest is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Imperial Forest
  • Ivy Chase
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Ivy Chase is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy Chase
  • Jones Valley
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jones Valley is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Valley
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Lakeview Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeview Park is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Park
    • Mason City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Mason City is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason City
    • Mountain Oaks
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Mountain Oaks is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Oaks
    • Panorama
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Panorama is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panorama
    • Plantation Point
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Plantation Point is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plantation Point
    • Polo Trace
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Polo Trace is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polo Trace
    • Rocky Ridge
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Ridge is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ridge
    • Shades Cliff
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Shades Cliff is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shades Cliff
    • Tanglewood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Tanglewood is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewood

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

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

  • Birmingham, which is the Seat of Jefferson County, lies just to the North Northeast.
  • Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 78 miles [125.5 km]<2> to the south southeast (SSE). If you could drive a straight line from Mill Run to Montgomery, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 5 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 664 miles [1,068.6 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 38 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,558 miles [10,554.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,266 miles [11,693.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,143 miles [8,276.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Mill Run 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.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mill Run) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Mill Run, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Mill Run 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 Mill Run. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.4209, Longitude: -86.8411       In this case, the coordinates for Mill Run have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.694 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.294 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.333 degrees.