Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Thornton, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Thornton and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Thornton
- 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 Thornton:
- 34.770921, -87.303353
- 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 Thornton
- 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 Lauderdale County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Lauderdale County
- Since Thornton is near Lawrence County and also Limestone County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Lawrence County
- eBird sighting report for Limestone 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 Thornton ...
We found 28 communities that share the name Thornton.
There is one other community in Alabama which is also named Thornton.
Beyond Alabama, we know of another 27 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 27 communities, 27 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Located In Alabama ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Kootenai 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 Thornton [Kootenai County].
- Madison County
- This Thornton is located in Madison County and lies 1,444 miles [2,323.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Thornton that is located in Lauderdale County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of Thornton.
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Thornton lies 769 miles [1,237.6 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Thornton that is located in Lauderdale County.
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Curious and Interesting Names Near Thornton ...
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.
- Brickhouse Ford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brickhouse Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickhouse Ford
- Brickhouse Ford is located in Lawrence County
- Confluence
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Confluence have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Confluence
- Confluence is located in Lauderdale County
- Egypt Ford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Egypt Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt Ford
- Egypt Ford is located in Lawrence County
- Elk Shores
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Shores
- Elk Shores is located in Lauderdale County
- Ferry Shores
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Shores
- Ferry Shores is located in Lauderdale County
- Fishermans Resort
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishermans Resort have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishermans Resort
- Fishermans Resort is located in Lawrence County
- Jerusalem
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Lambs Ferry
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lambs Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambs Ferry
- Lambs Ferry is located in Lauderdale County
- Lock Three
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lock Three have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lock Three
- Lock Three is located in Lauderdale County
- Oliver
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - Red Bank
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
- Red Bank is located in Lawrence County
- Rocky Hill ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Hill
- Rocky Hill is located in Lawrence County
- Rogersville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogersville
- Rogersville is located in Lauderdale County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,293 people
- Former name for Rogersville:
- Rodgersville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogersville <5>
- Romine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
How Far From Thornton 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 Thornton to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Thornton and extending to:
- Florence, which is the Seat of Lauderdale County, lies 21 miles [33.8 km]<1> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Thornton to Florence, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day 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 175 miles [281.6 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 10 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 634 miles [1,020.3 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 25 days and walking would take 36 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,512 miles [10,480 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,227 miles [11,630.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,102 miles [8,210.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Thornton. 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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Thornton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Thornton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.7709, Longitude: -87.3034 In this case, the coordinates for Thornton 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 Thornton 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 Thornton, 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'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 Thornton 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 314.053 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.896 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.23 degrees. |