Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Francis, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Francis and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Francis
- 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 Francis:
- 29.634413, -81.707862
- 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 Francis
- 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 Putnam County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Putnam County
- Since Francis is near Saint Johns County and also Flagler County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Saint Johns County
- eBird sighting report for Flagler 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 Francis ...
We found 23 communities that share the name Francis.
There is one other community in Florida which is also named Francis.
Beyond Florida, we know of another 22 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 22 communities, 22 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Located In Florida ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Calhoun County
- This Francis is located in Calhoun County and lies 382 miles [614.8 km]<1> to the northwest of the Francis that is located in Putnam County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Calhoun County community of Francis.
- Saint Clair 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 Alabama community of Francis [Saint Clair County].
- Arkansas
- California
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Audrain 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 Missouri community of Francis [Audrain County].
- Pulaski 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 Missouri community of Francis [Pulaski County].
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Eddy County
- Although located in Eddy County, we don't know the location within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Eddy County community of Francis.
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Saskatchewan
- This Francis lies 1,823 miles [2,933.8 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Francis that is located in Putnam County.
- Texas
- Utah
- West Virginia
- Harrison County
- This Francis is located in Harrison County and lies 679 miles [1,092.7 km]<1> to the north of the Francis that is located in Putnam County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Harrison County community of Francis.
- Raleigh 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 West Virginia community of Francis [Raleigh County].
- Wyoming
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Francis ...
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.
- Buffalo Bluff
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Bluff
- Buffalo Bluff is located in Putnam County
- Cypress Point
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cypress Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Point
- Cypress Point is located in Putnam County
- Grandview
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Hunter
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - J Summeral Grant
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for J Summeral Grant have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for J Summeral Grant
- J Summeral Grant is located in Putnam County
- Job Wiggins Grant
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Job Wiggins Grant have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Job Wiggins Grant
- Job Wiggins Grant is located in Putnam County
- John Broward Grant
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for John Broward Grant have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Broward Grant
- John Broward Grant is located in Putnam County
- John Faulk Grant
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for John Faulk Grant have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Faulk Grant
- John Faulk Grant is located in Putnam County
- Orange Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Mills
- Orange Mills is located in Putnam County
- Pecan
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - Possum Bluff
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Possum Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Bluff
- Possum Bluff is located in Putnam County
- Rice Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Creek
- Rice Creek is located in Putnam County
- Rodman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
How Far From Francis 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 Francis to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Francis and extending to:
- Palatka, which is the Seat of Putnam County, lies just to the East Northeast.
- Tallahassee, which is the State Capital of Florida, lies 163 miles [262.3 km]<1> to the west northwest (WNW). If you could drive a straight line from Francis to Tallahassee, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 10 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 692 miles [1,113.7 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 40 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,509 miles [10,475.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,183 miles [11,559.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,078 miles [8,172.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Francis. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Putnam County: www.putnam-fl.com/
The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Francis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Francis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.6344, Longitude: -81.7079 In this case, the coordinates for Francis 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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock 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 Francis 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> | 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 Francis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <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 Francis 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 310.542 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.127 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.283 degrees. |