RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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The Commemorative Quarter for Arkansas







Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in West, we use the following websites to find information relevant to West 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 West:
    • 35.124808, -92.944059
    • 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 West
  • 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 West ...

We found thirteen communities that share the name West.

Within Arkansas, the name West is unique.

Beyond Arkansas, we know of another thirteen communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Randolph County
      • This West is located in Randolph County and lies 448 miles [721 km]<1> to the east southeast of the West that is located in Conway County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of West.
    • Kansas
      • Miami 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 West [Miami County].
    • Maryland
      • Somerset 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 West [Somerset County].
    • Mississippi
      • Holmes County
      • This West is located in Holmes County and lies 224 miles [360.5 km]<1> to the southeast of the West that is located in Conway County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Holmes County community of West.
      • Lauderdale 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 Mississippi community of West [Lauderdale County].
    • New Jersey
      • Essex 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 Jersey community of West [Essex County].
    • New York
      • Cattaraugus 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 West [Cattaraugus County].
    • North Carolina
      • Columbus 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 North Carolina community of West [Columbus County].
    • Oregon
      • Clatsop County
      • This West is located in Clatsop County and lies 1,776 miles [2,858.2 km]<1> to the northwest of the West that is located in Conway County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clatsop County community of West.
    • Tennessee
      • Davidson County
      • This West is located in Davidson County and lies 348 miles [560.1 km]<1> to the east northeast of the West that is located in Conway County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Davidson County community of West.
      • Gibson County
      • This West is located in Gibson County and lies 240 miles [386.2 km] to the east northeast of the West that is located in Conway County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gibson County community of West.
    • Texas
      • McLennan County
      • This West is located in McLennan County and lies 331 miles [532.7 km]<1> to the southwest of the West that is located in Conway County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the McLennan County community of West.
    • West Virginia
      • Wetzel County
      • This West is located in Wetzel County and lies 742 miles [1,194.1 km]<1> to the east northeast of the West that is located in Conway County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wetzel County community of West.

Curious and Interesting Names Near West ...

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.

  • Cotton Town
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotton Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
    • Cotton Town is located in Yell County
  • Divide ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Divide have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
    • Divide is located in Conway County
  • Fowler
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fowler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowler
    • Fowler is located in Yell County
  • Gold Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gold Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
    • Gold Hill is located in Pope County
  • Holla Bend
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holla Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holla Bend
    • Holla Bend is located in Pope County
  • Homewood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homewood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
    • Homewood is located in Perry County
  • Index ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Index have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Index
    • Index is located in Conway County
  • Lakeview
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Lakeview is located in Yell County
  • Libby Ferry
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Libby Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libby Ferry
    • Libby Ferry is located in Conway County
  • Pontoon
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pontoon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoon
    • Pontoon is located in Conway County
  • Reeds Ferry
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reeds Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Ferry
    • Reeds Ferry is located in Pope County

How Far From West 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 West 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<4> community of West once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in West and extending to:

  • Morrilton, which is the Seat of Conway County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from West to Morrilton, with an average speed<5> 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.
  • Little Rock, which is the State Capital of Arkansas, lies 46 miles [74 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take most of two days and walking would take about three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 913 miles [1,469.3 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of two days, a buggy would take 36 days and walking would take 52 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,717 miles [10,810 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,448 miles [11,986.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,326 miles [8,571.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

The official website for State of Arkansas: https://portal.arkansas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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- West) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.1248, Longitude: -92.9441       In this case, the coordinates for West 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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek 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 West 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>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.
<4>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 West, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 West 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 317.649 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.109 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 312.605 degrees.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024