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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 Watkins, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Watkins 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 Watkins:
- 33.336500, -86.694153
- 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.
- Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Watkins
- 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:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Shelby County
- Since Watkins is near Jefferson County and also Talladega County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Jefferson County
- Open the eBird sighting report for Talladega 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:
- Open the Waymark.com report for Watkins
Communities Also Named Watkins ...
We found 26 communities that are also named Watkins.
Within Alabama, the name Watkins is unique.
Beyond Alabama, we know of 26 communities that are located in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- Boone County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Watkins [Boone County].
- White 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 Arkansas community of Watkins [White County].
- Colorado
- Adams County
- This Watkins is located in Adams County and lies 1,085 miles [1,746.1 km]<3> to the west northwest of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Watkins.
- Arapahoe 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 Colorado community of Watkins [Arapahoe County].
- Florida
- Hillsborough County
- This Watkins is located in Hillsborough County and lies 451 miles [725.8 km]<3> to the southeast of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of Watkins.
- Illinois
- De Witt County
- This Watkins is located in De Witt County and lies 491 miles [790.2 km]<3> to the north northwest of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the De Witt County community of Watkins.
- Iowa
- Benton County
- This Watkins is located in Benton County and lies 657 miles [1,057.3 km]<3> to the north northwest of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Benton County community of Watkins.
- Kansas
- Wabaunsee 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 Watkins [Wabaunsee County].
- Maryland
- Montgomery 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 Maryland community of Watkins [Montgomery County].
- Michigan
- Jackson 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 Watkins [Jackson County].
- Minnesota
- Meeker County
- This Watkins is located in Meeker County and lies 923 miles [1,485.4 km]<3> to the north northwest of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Meeker County community of Watkins.
- Missouri
- Dade County
- This community is historic<1> and although located in Dade County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dade County community of Watkins.
- Miller County
- This Watkins is located in Miller County and lies 459 miles [738.7 km]<3> to the northwest of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Miller County community of Watkins.
- Montana
- Madison County
- This Watkins is located in Madison County and lies 1,562 miles [2,513.8 km]<3> to the northwest of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of Watkins.
- McCone County
- This Watkins is located in McCone County and lies 1,386 miles [2,230.6 km] to the northwest of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the McCone County community of Watkins.
- North Carolina
- Vance County
- This Watkins is located in Vance County and lies 506 miles [814.3 km]<3> to the east northeast of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Vance County community of Watkins.
- Ohio
- Union County
- This Watkins is located in Union County and lies 511 miles [822.4 km]<3> to the north northeast of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Union County community of Watkins.
- Oklahoma
- Tulsa County
- This Watkins is located in Tulsa County and lies 559 miles [899.6 km]<3> to the west northwest of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tulsa County community of Watkins.
- Pennsylvania
- Cambria County
- This Watkins is located in Cambria County and lies 666 miles [1,071.8 km]<3> to the northeast of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cambria County community of Watkins.
- Tennessee
- Davidson County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Watkins [Davidson County].
- DeKalb County
- This Watkins is located in DeKalb County and lies 184 miles [296.1 km]<3> to the north northeast of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the DeKalb County community of Watkins.
- Texas
- Pecos 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 Texas community of Watkins [Pecos County].
- Terrell County
- This Watkins is located in Terrell County and lies 924 miles [1,487 km]<3> to the west of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Terrell County community of Watkins.
- Van Zandt County
- This Watkins is located in Van Zandt County and lies 543 miles [873.9 km] to the west of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Van Zandt County community of Watkins.
- Virginia
- Halifax County
- This Watkins is located in Halifax County and lies 512 miles [824 km]<3> to the east northeast of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Halifax County community of Watkins.
- West Virginia
- Tyler County
- This Watkins is located in Tyler County and lies 539 miles [867.4 km]<3> to the northeast of the Watkins that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tyler County community of Watkins.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Watkins ...
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.
- Fungo Hollow
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Fungo Hollow is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fungo Hollow
- Heritage Oaks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Heritage Oaks is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Oaks
- Hickory Ridge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hickory Ridge is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Ridge
- Hunters Glen ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hunters Glen is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Glen
- Indian Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Indian Hills is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
- Indian Springs Ranch
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Indian Springs Ranch is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs Ranch
- Indian Springs Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Springs Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,628 people
- Indian Valley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Valley is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Valley
- Meadow Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Meadow Ridge is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Ridge
- Meadowbrook
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Meadowbrook is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
- Quail Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Quail Run is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quail Run
- Riverwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Riverwood is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverwood
- Continue List (4 more) ...
- Shoal Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Shoal Run is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoal Run
- Sunnymeadows
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Sunnymeadows is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnymeadows
- Valley Station
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Valley Station is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Station
- Wine Ridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Wine Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wine Ridge
How Far From Watkins to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Watkins to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Watkins and extending to:
- Columbiana, which is the Seat of Shelby County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Watkins to Columbiana, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 70 miles [112.7 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 660 miles [1,062.2 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 38 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,555 miles [10,549.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- 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).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,140 miles [8,272 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'
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 Watkins, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 Watkins 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Watkins) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | 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 Watkins to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Watkins. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3365, Longitude: -86.6942 In this case, the coordinates for Watkins have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.60 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.174 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.292 degrees. |
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