Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ryan, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ryan and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ryan
- 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 Ryan:
- 33.167895, -86.866656
- 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 Ryan
- 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 Ryan is near Bibb County and also Jefferson County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Bibb County
- eBird sighting report for Jefferson 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 Ryan ...
We found 23 communities that share the name Ryan.
Within Alabama, the name Ryan is unique.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another 23 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 23 communities, 21 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- British Columbia
- This Ryan lies 1,855 miles [2,985.3 km]<2> to the northwest of the Ryan that is located in Shelby County.
- California
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Doniphan County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Ryan [Doniphan County].
- Ford 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 Ryan [Ford County].
- Rush 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 Ryan [Rush County].
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Ontario
- Texas
- McLennan County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Texas community of Ryan [McLennan County].
- Presidio County
- This Ryan is located in Presidio County and lies 1,039 miles [1,672.1 km]<2> to the west of the Ryan that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Presidio County community of Ryan.
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ryan ...
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.
- Alabaster
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alabaster have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabaster
- Alabaster is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 33,701 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alabaster <5>
- Dry Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dry Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Valley
- Dry Valley is located in Shelby County
- Elliotsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elliotsville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliotsville
- Elliotsville is located in Shelby County
- Glen Carbon
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Carbon have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Carbon
- Glen Carbon is located in Shelby County
- Glen Forest
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Forest
- Glen Forest is located in Shelby County
- Ivanhoe
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Longview
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Meadow Green
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Green have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Green
- Meadow Green is located in Shelby County
- Mission Hills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Hills
- Mission Hills is located in Shelby County
- Navajo Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navajo Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navajo Hills
- Navajo Hills is located in Shelby County
- Navajo Pines
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navajo Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navajo Pines
- Navajo Pines is located in Shelby County
- Pea Ridge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Continue List (6 more) ...
- Roberta
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Sawmill Town
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawmill Town have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmill Town
- Sawmill Town is located in Shelby County
- Stems
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Superior
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Valley Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Junction
- Valley Junction is located in Shelby County
- Willow Glen
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Glen have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Glen
- Willow Glen is located in Shelby County
- Roberta
How Far From Ryan 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 Ryan to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ryan and extending to:
- Columbiana, which is the Seat of Shelby County, lies 15 miles [24.1 km]<2> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Ryan to Columbiana, with an average speed<6> 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 four to five hours.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 63 miles [101.4 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 about three full days and walking would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 675 miles [1,086.3 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<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,571 miles [10,575 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,278 miles [11,712.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,155 miles [8,296.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ryan. 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> | 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 Ryan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Ryan) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ryan. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.1679, Longitude: -86.8667 In this case, the coordinates for Ryan have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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 Ryan 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. |
| <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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Ryan 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 313.693 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.258 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.396 degrees. |