Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Minooka, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Minooka and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Minooka
- 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 Minooka:
- 33.048732, -86.759431
- 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 Minooka
- 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 Chilton County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Chilton County
- Since Minooka is near Shelby County and also Bibb County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Shelby County
- eBird sighting report for Bibb 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 Minooka ...
We found two communities that share the name Minooka.
Within Alabama, the name Minooka is unique.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Illinois
- Pennsylvania
Curious and Interesting Names Near Minooka ...
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.
- Dry Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dry Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Valley
- Dry Valley is located in Shelby County
- Ivanhoe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north) - Mars Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Oak Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Roberta
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Rocky Mount
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Mount have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Mount
- Rocky Mount is located in Chilton County
- Springs Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springs Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springs Junction
- Springs Junction is located in Shelby County
- Stems
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Union Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
- Union Grove is located in Chilton County
- Valley Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Junction
- Valley Junction is located in Shelby County
How Far From Minooka 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 Minooka to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Minooka and extending to:
- Clanton, which is the Seat of Chilton County, lies 16 miles [25.7 km]<1> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Minooka to Clanton, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take five to six hours.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 53 miles [85.3 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take over two days and walking would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 676 miles [1,087.9 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 39 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,572 miles [10,576.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,279 miles [11,714.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,156 miles [8,297.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Minooka. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
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- Minooka) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Minooka. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.0487, Longitude: -86.7594 In this case, the coordinates for Minooka have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 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. |
| <4> | 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 Minooka to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.621 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.158 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.379 degrees. |