RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Florida >> Hillsborough County >> Bella Vista >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Bella Vista, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Bella Vista and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Bella Vista:
    • 28.092800, -82.483000
    • 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 Bella Vista
  • 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:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Hillsborough County
    • Since Bella Vista is near Pasco County and also Pinellas County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Pasco County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Pinellas 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 Bella Vista

Communities Also Named Bella Vista ...

We found ten communities that are also named Bella Vista.

Within Florida, the name Bella Vista is unique.

Beyond Florida, we know of ten communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Arkansas
      • Benton County
      • This Bella Vista is located in Benton County and lies 897 miles [1,443.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Bella Vista that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Benton County community of Bella Vista.
    • California
      • Contra Costa 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 California community of Bella Vista [Contra Costa County].
      • Los Angeles County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Bella Vista [Los Angeles County].
      • Shasta County
      • This Bella Vista is located in Shasta County and lies 2,403 miles [3,867.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Bella Vista that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shasta County community of Bella Vista.
      • Tulare County
      • This Bella Vista is located in Tulare County and lies 2,152 miles [3,463.3 km] to the west northwest of the Bella Vista that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tulare County community of Bella Vista.
    • Delaware
      • New Castle County
      • This Bella Vista is located in New Castle County and lies 894 miles [1,438.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Bella Vista that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the New Castle County community of Bella Vista.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Lycoming County
      • This Bella Vista is located in Lycoming County and lies 961 miles [1,546.6 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Bella Vista that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lycoming County community of Bella Vista.
      • Philadelphia County
      • This Bella Vista is located in Philadelphia County and lies 918 miles [1,477.4 km] to the north northeast of the Bella Vista that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Philadelphia County community of Bella Vista.
    • Texas
      • Starr County
      • This Bella Vista is located in Starr County and lies 1,010 miles [1,625.4 km]<1> to the west of the Bella Vista that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Starr County community of Bella Vista.
    • Virginia
      • Pulaski County
      • This Bella Vista is located in Pulaski County and lies 630 miles [1,013.9 km]<1> to the north of the Bella Vista that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pulaski County community of Bella Vista.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Bella Vista ...

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.

  • Calm Harbour
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Calm Harbour is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calm Harbour
  • Cedarwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Cedarwood is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarwood
  • Cherry Creek
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Cherry Creek is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
  • Coventry
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Coventry is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventry
  • Crystal Cove
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Crystal Cove is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Cove
  • Curry Cove
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Curry Cove is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curry Cove
  • Cypress Head
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Cypress Head is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Head
  • Cypress Meadows
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Cypress Meadows is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Meadows
  • Cypress Run
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cypress Run is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Run
  • Cypress Trace
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Cypress Trace is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Trace
  • Deer Creek
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Deer Creek is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Creek
  • Dill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dill is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dill
  • Continue List   (34 more) ...
    • Elysian Fields
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Elysian Fields is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elysian Fields
    • Emerald Cove
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Emerald Cove is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Cove
    • Flora Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Flora Park is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flora Park
    • Floral Gardens
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Floral Gardens is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floral Gardens
    • Golf View Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Golf View Heights is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golf View Heights
    • Griffin
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Griffin is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
    • High Pines
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • High Pines is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Pines
    • Hounds Hollow
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Hounds Hollow is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hounds Hollow
    • Hunters Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Hunters Lake is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Lake
    • Indian Head
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Indian Head is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Head
    • Indian Mound Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Indian Mound Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Mound Village
    • Joshuas Bend
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Joshuas Bend is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joshuas Bend
    • Lake Charles
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Lake Charles is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Charles
    • Lake Ellen
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Lake Ellen is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ellen
    • Lake Ellen Walk
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Ellen Walk is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ellen Walk
    • Manor Oaks
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Manor Oaks is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor Oaks
    • Marigold Gardens
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Marigold Gardens is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marigold Gardens
    • Marilyn Shores
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Marilyn Shores is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marilyn Shores
    • Paddock Square
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Paddock Square is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paddock Square
    • Pine Hollow
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Pine Hollow is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hollow
    • Rolling Green Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Rolling Green Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Green Village
    • Settlers Pointe
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Settlers Pointe is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Settlers Pointe
    • Shady Pines
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Shady Pines is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Pines
    • Shagbark
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Shagbark is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shagbark
    • Sunny Pines
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Sunny Pines is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Pines
    • Sunny Shores
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Sunny Shores is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Shores
    • Sunshine Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Sunshine Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine Village
    • Tall Pines
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Tall Pines is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tall Pines
    • Top of the Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Top of the Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Top of the Village
    • Tuxedo Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Tuxedo Park is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuxedo Park
    • Waterbridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Waterbridge is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbridge
    • Whisper Sound
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Whisper Sound is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whisper Sound
    • Wildwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Wildwood is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
    • Willow Creek
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Willow Creek is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek

How Far From Bella Vista 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 community such as Bella Vista to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Tampa, which is the Seat of Hillsborough County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from Bella Vista to Tampa, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
  • Tallahassee, which is the State Capital of Florida, lies 194 miles [312.2 km] to the north northwest (NNW). 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 11 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 808 miles [1,300.3 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<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,614 miles [10,644.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,283 miles [11,720.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,182 miles [8,339.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bella Vista) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Bella Vista 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>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.
<4>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 Bella Vista 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 Bella Vista. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.0928, Longitude: -82.4830       In this case, the coordinates for Bella Vista have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.852 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.273 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.869 degrees.