Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Heather Downs, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Heather Downs and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Heather Downs
- 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 Heather Downs:
- 28.122900, -82.355000
- 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 Heather Downs
- 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 Heather Downs 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
Curious and Interesting Names Near Heather Downs ...
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.
- Carr Drive
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carr Drive have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carr Drive
- Carr Drive is located in Hillsborough County
- Cedar Cove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Cove
- Cedar Cove is located in Hillsborough County
- Clubview
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Cornerstone Ranch
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornerstone Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerstone Ranch
- Cornerstone Ranch is located in Hillsborough County
- Cross Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cross Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Creek
- Cross Creek is located in Hillsborough County
- Fox Chase
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - Fox Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Hammocks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Heritage Isles
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heritage Isles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Isles
- Heritage Isles is located in Hillsborough County
- Hidden Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hidden Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Creek
- Hidden Creek is located in Hillsborough County
- Hounds Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hounds Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hounds Run
- Hounds Run is located in Hillsborough County
- Hunters Green
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunters Green have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Green
- Hunters Green is located in Hillsborough County
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Live Oak
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Magnolia Chase
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnolia Chase have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Chase
- Magnolia Chase is located in Hillsborough County
- Maplehill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Montana Pines
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montana Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montana Pines
- Montana Pines is located in Hillsborough County
- Oak Hollow
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hollow
- Oak Hollow is located in Hillsborough County
- Park Forest
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Forest
- Park Forest is located in Hillsborough County
- Pebble Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pebble Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pebble Creek
- Pebble Creek is located in Hillsborough County
- Regalwoods
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regalwoods have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regalwoods
- Regalwoods is located in Hillsborough County
- Riveredge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south) - Suzie Trace
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suzie Trace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suzie Trace
- Suzie Trace is located in Hillsborough County
- Temple Hills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Temple Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple Hills
- Temple Hills is located in Hillsborough County
- Thousand Oaks
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thousand Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thousand Oaks
- Thousand Oaks is located in Hillsborough County
- University Woods
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Woods
- University Woods is located in Hillsborough County
- Vander Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vander Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vander Creek
- Vander Creek is located in Hillsborough County
- Live Oak
How Far From Heather Downs 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 Heather Downs to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Heather Downs and extending to:
- Tampa, which is the Seat of Hillsborough County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<2> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Heather Downs to Tampa, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
- Tallahassee, which is the State Capital of Florida, lies 197 miles [317 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<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,606 miles [10,631.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,276 miles [11,709.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,174 miles [8,326.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Heather Downs. 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> | 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. |
| <2> | 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 from Point A (ie- Heather Downs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Heather Downs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.1229, Longitude: -82.3550 In this case, the coordinates for Heather Downs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Heather Downs to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.787 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.201 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.822 degrees. |