RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Florida >> Saint Johns County >> Hastings >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Hastings, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Hastings 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 Hastings:
    • 29.719048, -81.508276
    • 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 Hastings
  • 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 Saint Johns County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Saint Johns County
    • Since Hastings is near Putnam County and also Flagler County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Putnam County
    • Open the 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Hastings

Communities Also Named Hastings ...

We found 32 communities that are also named Hastings.

There is one other community in Florida that is also named Hastings.

Beyond Florida, we know of 31 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 31 communities, 30 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.

  • Communities Located In Florida ...
    • Hillsborough County
      • This Hastings is located in Hillsborough County and lies 121 miles [194.7 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of Hastings.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Colorado
      • Las Animas 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 Colorado community of Hastings [Las Animas County].
    • Georgia
      • Clayton County
      • This Hastings is located in Clayton County and lies 306 miles [492.5 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clayton County community of Hastings.
    • Illinois
      • Cook County
      • This Hastings is located in Cook County and lies 901 miles [1,450 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cook County community of Hastings.
      • Kane County
      • This Hastings is located in Kane County and lies 928 miles [1,493.5 km] to the north northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kane County community of Hastings.
      • Vermilion County
      • This Hastings is located in Vermilion County and lies 790 miles [1,271.4 km] to the north northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Vermilion County community of Hastings.
    • Indiana
      • Kosciusko County
      • This Hastings is located in Kosciusko County and lies 842 miles [1,355.1 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kosciusko County community of Hastings.
    • Iowa
      • Mills County
      • This Hastings is located in Mills County and lies 1,106 miles [1,779.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mills County community of Hastings.
    • Kansas
      • Graham 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 Kansas community of Hastings [Graham County].
      • Thomas 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 Kansas community of Hastings [Thomas County].
    • Maine
      • Oxford County
      • This Hastings is located in Oxford County and lies 1,162 miles [1,870.1 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oxford County community of Hastings.
    • Massachusetts
      • Middlesex County
      • This Hastings is located in Middlesex County and lies 1,042 miles [1,676.9 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Middlesex County community of Hastings.
    • Michigan
      • Barry County
      • This Hastings is located in Barry County and lies 917 miles [1,475.8 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Barry County community of Hastings.
      • Oakland 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 Michigan community of Hastings [Oakland County].
    • Minnesota
      • Dakota County
      • This Hastings is located in Dakota County and lies 1,207 miles [1,942.5 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dakota County community of Hastings.
    • Nebraska
      • Adams County
      • This Hastings is located in Adams County and lies 1,209 miles [1,945.7 km]<1> to the northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Hastings.
    • New Hampshire
      • Merrimack County
      • This Hastings is located in Merrimack County and lies 1,079 miles [1,736.5 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Merrimack County community of Hastings.
    • New York
      • Oswego County
      • This Hastings is located in Oswego County and lies 988 miles [1,590 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oswego County community of Hastings.
      • Westchester 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 New York community of Hastings [Westchester County].
    • North Carolina
      • Ashe 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 North Carolina community of Hastings [Ashe County].
    • North Dakota
      • Barnes County
      • This Hastings is located in Barnes County and lies 1,470 miles [2,365.7 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Barnes County community of Hastings.
    • Nova Scotia
      • 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 Nova Scotia community of Hastings.
    • Ohio
      • Richland County
      • This Hastings is located in Richland County and lies 756 miles [1,216.7 km]<1> to the north of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Richland County community of Hastings.
    • Oklahoma
      • Jefferson County
      • This Hastings is located in Jefferson County and lies 1,019 miles [1,639.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Hastings.
    • Ontario
      • This Hastings lies 1,026 miles [1,651.2 km]<1> to the north of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Allegheny 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 Pennsylvania community of Hastings [Allegheny County].
      • Cambria County
      • This Hastings is located in Cambria County and lies 772 miles [1,242.4 km]<1> to the north of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cambria County community of Hastings.
      • Forest County
      • This Hastings is located in Forest County and lies 831 miles [1,337.4 km] to the north of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Forest County community of Hastings.
    • Tennessee
      • Henry 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 Tennessee community of Hastings [Henry County].
    • Texas
      • Brazoria County
      • This Hastings is located in Brazoria County and lies 824 miles [1,326.1 km]<1> to the west of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brazoria County community of Hastings.
      • Kendall 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 Texas community of Hastings [Kendall County].
    • West Virginia
      • Wetzel County
      • This Hastings is located in Wetzel County and lies 680 miles [1,094.4 km]<1> to the north of the Hastings that is located in Saint Johns County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wetzel County community of Hastings.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Hastings ...

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.

  • Clay Landing
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Clay Landing is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Landing
  • Cypress Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Cypress Point is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Point
  • Federal Point
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Gopher Ridge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Gopher Ridge is located in Saint Johns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gopher Ridge
  • Grandview
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Grandview is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
  • John Faulk Grant
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • John Faulk Grant is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Faulk Grant
  • John Heurtas Grant
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • John Heurtas Grant is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Heurtas Grant
  • Orange Mills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Orange Mills is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Mills
  • Spuds
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Spuds is located in Saint Johns County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spuds

How Far From Hastings 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 town such as Hastings to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Saint Augustine, which is the Seat of Saint Johns County, lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<1> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Hastings to Saint Augustine, with an average speed<3> 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 172 miles [276.8 km] to the west northwest (WNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 10 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 682 miles [1,097.6 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 39 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,496 miles [10,454.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,170 miles [11,539 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,065 miles [8,151.3 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hastings) 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 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 Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.7190, Longitude: -81.5083    
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.44 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.021 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.197 degrees.