RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Delaware >> New Castle County >> Odessa >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Odessa, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Odessa 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 Odessa:
    • 39.456457, -75.660600
    • 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 Odessa
  • 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 New Castle County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for New Castle County
    • Since Odessa is near Cecil County and also Kent County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Cecil County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Kent 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 Odessa

Communities Also Named Odessa ...

We found twenty communities that are also named Odessa.

Within Delaware, the name Odessa is unique.

Beyond Delaware, we know of twenty communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these twenty communities, eighteen are located in the United States and two are in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • California
      • Kings 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 California community of Odessa [Kings County].
    • Florida
      • Pasco County
      • This Odessa is located in Pasco County and lies 872 miles [1,403.3 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pasco County community of Odessa.
    • Georgia
      • Wayne County
      • This Odessa is located in Wayne County and lies 645 miles [1,038 km]<2> to the southwest of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Odessa.
    • Indiana
      • Benton 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 Indiana community of Odessa [Benton County].
    • Kansas
      • Jewell 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 Odessa [Jewell County].
    • Kentucky
      • Bath 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 Kentucky community of Odessa [Bath County].
    • Michigan
      • Oscoda 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 Michigan community of Odessa [Oscoda County].
    • Minnesota
      • Big Stone County
      • This Odessa is located in Big Stone County and lies 1,124 miles [1,808.9 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Big Stone County community of Odessa.
    • Missouri
      • Lafayette County
      • This Odessa is located in Lafayette County and lies 977 miles [1,572.3 km]<2> to the west of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lafayette County community of Odessa.
    • Nebraska
      • Buffalo County
      • This Odessa is located in Buffalo County and lies 1,245 miles [2,003.6 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Buffalo County community of Odessa.
    • New York
      • Schuyler County
      • This Odessa is located in Schuyler County and lies 207 miles [333.1 km]<2> to the north northwest of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Schuyler County community of Odessa.
    • North Carolina
      • Pender 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 North Carolina community of Odessa [Pender County].
    • Ohio
      • Henry County
      • This community is historic<1> and although located in Henry County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henry County community of Odessa.
    • Ontario
      • This Odessa lies 337 miles [542.3 km]<2> to the north of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Clearfield 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 Pennsylvania community of Odessa [Clearfield County].
    • Saskatchewan
      • This Odessa lies 1,552 miles [2,497.7 km]<2> to the northwest of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
    • South Dakota
      • Brookings 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 South Dakota community of Odessa [Brookings County].
    • Texas
      • Ector County
      • This Odessa is located in Ector County and lies 1,580 miles [2,542.8 km]<2> to the west of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ector County community of Odessa.
    • Washington
      • Lincoln County
      • This Odessa is located in Lincoln County and lies 2,196 miles [3,534.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lincoln County community of Odessa.
    • West Virginia
      • Clay County
      • This Odessa is located in Clay County and lies 307 miles [494.1 km]<2> to the west of the Odessa that is located in New Castle County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clay County community of Odessa.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Odessa ...

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.

  • Blackbird
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Blackbird Landing
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Blackbird Landing is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackbird Landing
  • Dutch Neck Farms
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Dutch Neck Farms is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Neck Farms
  • Evergreen Farms
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Evergreen Farms is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Farms
  • Gander Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Gander Hill is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gander Hill
  • Greylag
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Greylag is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greylag
  • Meadow Vista
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Meadow Vista is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Vista
  • Mount Pleasant
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Pleasant is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
  • Pine Tree Corners
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Pine Tree Corners is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tree Corners
  • Point Breeze
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Point Breeze is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Breeze
  • Sugar Loaf Chase
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sugar Loaf Chase is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Loaf Chase
  • Sycamore Farms
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Sycamore Farms is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Farms
  • Thorntown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Thorntown is located in New Castle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorntown

How Far From Odessa to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a town such as Odessa to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Odessa and extending to:

  • Wilmington, which is the Seat of New Castle County, lies 20 miles [32.2 km]<2> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Odessa to Wilmington, with an average speed<4> 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.
  • Dover, which is the State Capital of Delaware, lies 21 miles [33.8 km] to the south southeast (SSE). The buggy would take most of a day and walking would take just over a day.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 83 miles [133.6 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,815 miles [9,358.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,520 miles [10,492.9 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,397 miles [7,076.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<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 Odessa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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- Odessa) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 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 Odessa 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>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 Odessa 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 Odessa. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4565, Longitude: -75.6606    
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.039 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 302.559 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 303.912 degrees.