Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Nelson, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Nelson and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Nelson
- 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 Nelson:
- 33.215393, -86.581094
- 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 Nelson
- 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 Shelby County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Shelby County
- Since Nelson is near Talladega County and also Coosa County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Talladega County
- eBird sighting report for Coosa 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 Nelson ...
We found 52 communities that share the name Nelson.
There are two communities within Alabama that are also named Nelson.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another 50 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 50 communities, 49 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Located In Alabama ...
- Chambers County
- Mobile County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arizona
- Pima County
- This Nelson is located in Pima County and lies 1,430 miles [2,301.4 km]<1> to the west of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pima County community of Nelson.
- Yavapai County
- This Nelson is located in Yavapai County and lies 1,527 miles [2,457.5 km] to the west northwest of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yavapai County community of Nelson.
- Arkansas
- British Columbia
- This Nelson lies 1,926 miles [3,099.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- California
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Clearwater 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 Idaho community of Nelson [Clearwater County].
- Oneida 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 Idaho community of Nelson [Oneida County].
- Shoshone 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 Idaho community of Nelson [Shoshone County].
- Illinois
- Iroquois 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 Illinois community of Nelson [Iroquois County].
- Lee County
- This Nelson is located in Lee County and lies 615 miles [989.7 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lee County community of Nelson.
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Cloud 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 Nelson [Cloud County].
- Crawford 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 Nelson [Crawford County].
- Kentucky
- Clark 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 Kentucky community of Nelson [Clark County].
- Muhlenberg County
- This Nelson is located in Muhlenberg County and lies 285 miles [458.7 km]<1> to the north of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Muhlenberg County community of Nelson.
- Wolfe County
- This Nelson is located in Wolfe County and lies 355 miles [571.3 km] to the north northeast of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wolfe County community of Nelson.
- Louisiana
- Manitoba
- Maryland
- Charles County
- This Nelson is located in Charles County and lies 645 miles [1,038 km]<1> to the northeast of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charles County community of Nelson.
- Somerset County
- This Nelson is located in Somerset County and lies 685 miles [1,102.4 km] to the east northeast of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Somerset County community of Nelson.
- Michigan
- Cheboygan 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 Nelson [Cheboygan County].
- Saginaw County
- This Nelson is located in Saginaw County and lies 710 miles [1,142.6 km]<1> to the north of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saginaw County community of Nelson.
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Fergus 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 Montana community of Nelson [Fergus County].
- Lewis and Clark County
- This Nelson is located in Lewis and Clark County and lies 1,619 miles [2,605.5 km]<1> to the northwest of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lewis and Clark County community of Nelson.
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Madison County
- This Nelson is located in Madison County and lies 889 miles [1,430.7 km]<1> to the northeast of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of Nelson.
- Steuben 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 New York community of Nelson [Steuben County].
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Morgan 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 Nelson [Morgan County].
- Portage County
- This Nelson is located in Portage County and lies 635 miles [1,021.9 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Portage County community of Nelson.
- Oklahoma
- Ontario
- This Nelson lies 790 miles [1,271.4 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Mecklenburg County
- This Nelson is located in Mecklenburg County and lies 502 miles [807.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mecklenburg County community of Nelson.
- York 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 Nelson [York County].
- Washington
- Kittitas County
- This Nelson is located in Kittitas County and lies 2,035 miles [3,275 km]<1> to the northwest of the Nelson that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kittitas County community of Nelson.
- Skamania 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 Washington community of Nelson [Skamania County].
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Arizona
Curious and Interesting Names Near Nelson ...
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.
- Fourmile
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Homestead
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Indian Shoals
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Shoals have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Shoals
- Indian Shoals is located in Shelby County
- Joinertown
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joinertown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joinertown
- Joinertown is located in Shelby County
- Kingdom Crossroads
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingdom Crossroads have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingdom Crossroads
- Kingdom Crossroads is located in Shelby County
- Mount Sharon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sharon
- Mount Sharon is located in Talladega County
- Spring Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
- Spring Creek is located in Shelby County
- Springs Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springs Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springs Junction
- Springs Junction is located in Shelby County
- Sulphur Spring
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Spring
- Sulphur Spring is located in Talladega County
- Valentine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
How Far From Nelson to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Nelson to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Nelson and extending to:
- Columbiana, which is the Seat of Shelby County, lies just to the South Southwest.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 60 miles [96.6 km]<1> to the south southeast (SSE). If you could walk a straight line from Nelson to Montgomery, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of three days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take about three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 661 miles [1,063.8 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, 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 6,557 miles [10,552.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,263 miles [11,688.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,140 miles [8,272 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Nelson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Shelby County: www.shelbycountyalabama.com/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Nelson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Nelson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.2154, Longitude: -86.5811 In this case, the coordinates for Nelson 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 Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's 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 Nelson 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 Nelson, 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 Nelson 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 313.525 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.07 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.273 degrees. |