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Outdoor Activities ...As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching). When in Rains, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rains 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 Rains:34.259816, -86.086086Once 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 Rains 
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 Rains ...We found three communities that share the name Rains. Within Alabama, the name Rains is unique. Beyond Alabama, we know of another three communities that are located throughout  in the United States. Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
Nevada
Eureka CountyThis community is historic<1> and although located in Eureka County, we don't know where within the county.For more information, please visit our profile page for the Eureka County community of Rains.South Carolina
Marion CountyThis Rains is located in Marion County and lies 386 miles [621.2 km]<2> to the east of the Rains that is located in DeKalb County.For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marion County community of Rains.Utah
Carbon CountyThis community is historic<1> and although located in Carbon County, we don't know where within the county.For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carbon County community of Rains.
 Curious and Interesting Names Near Rains ...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. 
Crossville(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
Double Bridges(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Double Bridges have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double BridgesDouble Bridges is located in Marshall CountyHustleville(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
 
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for HustlevilleHustleville is located in Marshall CountyKilpatrick(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kilpatrick have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for KilpatrickKilpatrick is located in DeKalb CountyLiberty(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LibertyLiberty is located in DeKalb CountyLiberty Hill(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty HillLiberty Hill is located in Etowah CountyLot ‑ Historic(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lot have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LotLot is located in Marshall CountyMarcus ‑ Historic(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marcus have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for MarcusMarcus is located in DeKalb CountyMarshall(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshall have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for MarshallMarshall is located in Marshall CountyPainter(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Painter have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for PainterPainter is located in DeKalb CountyPulltight(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
 
Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pulltight have been provided by the GNIS.<4>  The coordinates still need to be verified.Jump to our Gazetteer entry for PulltightPulltight is located in Etowah CountyRogers(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
 
Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rogers.  Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>Jump to our Gazetteer entry for RogersRogers is located in DeKalb County How Far From Rains 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 Rains 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 Rains once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Rains and extending to: 
Fort Payne, which is the Seat of DeKalb County, lies 24 miles [38.6 km]<2> to the east northeast.  If you could walk a straight line from Rains to Fort Payne, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip.  A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 130 miles [209.2 km] to the south (S).  Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour,  would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 8 days.The White House (Washington, DC) is 594 miles [956 km] to the northeast (NE).  Driving  would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 34 days.The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,486 miles [10,438.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,196 miles [11,580.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,072 miles [8,162.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10> 
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Rains, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |  | <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  drawn from Point A (ie- Rains) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rains.  The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.2598, Longitude: -86.0861        In this case, the coordinates for Rains have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |  | <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |  | <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> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates.  That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location.  A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |  | <6> | 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. |  | <7> | 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 Rains to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |  | <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.287 degrees. |  | <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.941 degrees. |  | <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.844 degrees. |  |  |