Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Alford, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Alford and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Alford
- 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 Alford:
- 28.074300, -82.205500
- 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 Alford
- 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 Hillsborough County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Hillsborough County
- Since Alford is near Pasco County and also Polk County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Pasco County
- eBird sighting report for Polk 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 Alford ...
We found eight communities that share the name Alford.
There is one other community in Florida which is also named Alford.
Beyond Florida, we know of another seven communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In Florida ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Pennsylvania
Curious and Interesting Names Near Alford ...
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.
- Ancient Oak
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ancient Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ancient Oak
- Ancient Oak is located in Hillsborough County
- Badgers Lair
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Badgers Lair have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badgers Lair
- Badgers Lair is located in Hillsborough County
- Cedar Oaks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Oaks
- Cedar Oaks is located in Hillsborough County
- Cooks Cove
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooks Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Cove
- Cooks Cove is located in Hillsborough County
- Family Ranch
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Family Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Family Ranch
- Family Ranch is located in Hillsborough County
- Flint Lake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flint Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Lake
- Flint Lake is located in Hillsborough County
- Flowers
(Less than 2 miles to the north) - Four Pine Estates
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Pine Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Pine Estates
- Four Pine Estates is located in Hillsborough County
- Gator Trail
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gator Trail have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gator Trail
- Gator Trail is located in Hillsborough County
- Green Pastures
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Pastures have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pastures
- Green Pastures is located in Hillsborough County
- Lanes Corner
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lanes Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanes Corner
- Lanes Corner is located in Hillsborough County
- Lazy Oaks
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Continue List (12 more) ...
- Mark Hall Acres
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mark Hall Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mark Hall Acres
- Mark Hall Acres is located in Hillsborough County
- Martin Ranch
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin Ranch
- Martin Ranch is located in Hillsborough County
- Marys Woods
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marys Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marys Woods
- Marys Woods is located in Hillsborough County
- Michaelangelo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Michaelangelo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaelangelo
- Michaelangelo is located in Hillsborough County
- Pine Ridge
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
- Pine Ridge is located in Hillsborough County
- Pinker
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west) - Pondside Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pondside Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pondside Gardens
- Pondside Gardens is located in Hillsborough County
- Resting Place
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Resting Place have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Resting Place
- Resting Place is located in Hillsborough County
- Riverleaf
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest) - Serenity Oaks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Serenity Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serenity Oaks
- Serenity Oaks is located in Hillsborough County
- Shepherd
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast) - Windcall
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Mark Hall Acres
How Far From Alford 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 Alford to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Alford and extending to:
- Tampa, which is the Seat of Hillsborough County, lies 16 miles [25.7 km]<1> to the west southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Alford to Tampa, with an average speed<4> 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.
- Tallahassee, which is the State Capital of Florida, lies 205 miles [329.9 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 12 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 804 miles [1,293.9 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 32 days and walking would take 46 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,602 miles [10,624.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,270 miles [11,699.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,169 miles [8,318.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alford. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Hillsborough County: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/
The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/
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- Alford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.0743, Longitude: -82.2055 In this case, the coordinates for Alford 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 Alford 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> | 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 Alford to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.704 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.099 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.785 degrees. |