Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Sonoma, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Sonoma and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Sonoma
- 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 Sonoma:
- 38.291948, -122.457852
- 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 Sonoma
- 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 Sonoma County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Sonoma County
- Since Sonoma is near Napa County and also Marin County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Napa County
- eBird sighting report for Marin 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 Sonoma ...
We found five communities that share the name Sonoma.
Within California, the name Sonoma is unique.
Beyond California, we know of another five communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Maryland
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- Texas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Sonoma ...
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.
- Beltaine ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest) - Cuttings Wharf
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuttings Wharf have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuttings Wharf
- Cuttings Wharf is located in Napa County
- Enchanted Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enchanted Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enchanted Hills
- Enchanted Hills is located in Napa County
- Fairville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south) - Four Corners
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
- Four Corners is located in Sonoma County
- Glen Ellen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Ellen
- Glen Ellen is located in Sonoma County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glen Ellen <4>
- Haystack
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Lakeville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Mission Highlands
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Highlands
- Mission Highlands is located in Sonoma County
- Rocktram
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east) - Stanley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east) - Union
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Union is located in Napa County
- Vineburg
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineburg
- Vineburg is located in Sonoma County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vineburg <4>
- Wildwood ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
How Far From Sonoma 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 city such as Sonoma to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Sonoma and extending to:
- Santa Rosa, which is the Seat of Sonoma County, lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<1> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Sonoma to Santa Rosa, with an average speed<5> 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 five to six hours.
- Sacramento, which is the State Capital of California, lies 56 miles [90.1 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take over two days and walking would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,425 miles [3,902.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 95 days and walking would take 138 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,382 miles [11,880.2 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,148 miles [13,112.9 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,208 miles [9,990.8 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Sonoma: www.sonomacity.org/
The official website for Sonoma County: www.sonoma-county.org/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sonoma) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sonoma. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2919, Longitude: -122.4579 |
| <2> | 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 Sonoma, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Sonoma 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 340.29 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 341.285 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 328.19 degrees. |