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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in West Bay, we use the following websites to find information relevant to West Bay 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 West Bay:
    • 28.010300, -82.586200
    • 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 West Bay
  • 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 West Bay is near Pinellas County and also Pasco County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Pinellas County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Pasco 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 West Bay

Communities Also Named West Bay ...

We found six communities that are also named West Bay.

There are two communities within Florida that are also named West Bay.

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

  • Communities Located In Florida ...
    • Bay County
      • This West Bay is located in Bay County and lies 252 miles [405.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the West Bay that is located in Hillsborough County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bay County community of West Bay.
    • Duval 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 Florida community of West Bay [Duval County].
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • British Columbia
      • This West Bay lies 2,591 miles [4,169.8 km]<1> to the northwest of the West Bay that is located in Hillsborough County.
    • Newfoundland and Labrador
      • This West Bay lies 2,204 miles [3,547 km]<1> to the north northeast of the West Bay that is located in Hillsborough County.
    • Nova Scotia
      • This West Bay lies 1,558 miles [2,507.4 km]<1> to the north northeast of the West Bay that is located in Hillsborough County.
    • Ontario
      • This West Bay lies 1,230 miles [1,979.5 km]<1> to the north of the West Bay that is located in Hillsborough County.

Curious and Interesting Names Near West Bay ...

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.

  • Canal Shores
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Canal Shores is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canal Shores
  • Casa Blanca
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Casa Blanca is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casa Blanca
  • Copperfield
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Copperfield is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copperfield
  • Crestridge
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Crestridge is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crestridge
  • Cypress Tree
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Cypress Tree is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Tree
  • Edgewater Place
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Edgewater Place is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater Place
  • Fountain Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Fountain Park is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Park
  • Holiday Village
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Holiday Village is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Village
  • Holly Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Holly Park is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Park
  • Jane Terrace
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jane Terrace is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jane Terrace
  • Lane Farms
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Lane Farms is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane Farms
  • Meadow Brook
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Meadow Brook is located in Hillsborough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Oak Trace
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak Trace is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Trace
    • Ocean Harbor
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Ocean Harbor is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Harbor
    • Palm Bay
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Palm Bay is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palm Bay
    • Pebblebrook
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Pebblebrook is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pebblebrook
    • Pelican Island
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Pelican Island is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelican Island
    • Rainbow Court
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Rainbow Court is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow Court
    • Rocky Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Rocky Creek is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Creek
    • Rocky Ford
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Rocky Ford is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ford
    • Rocky Point Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Rocky Point Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point Village
    • Saltmarsh
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Saltmarsh is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltmarsh
    • Sandpiper
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Sandpiper is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandpiper
    • Sweetwater
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sweetwater is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
    • Sweetwater Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Sweetwater Creek is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater Creek
    • Sweetwater Farms
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sweetwater Farms is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater Farms
    • Sweetwater Terrace
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sweetwater Terrace is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater Terrace
    • Tarpon
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Tarpon is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarpon
    • Town Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Town Park is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Park
    • Twelve Oaks Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Twelve Oaks Village is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Oaks Village
    • Waterfront Cove
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Waterfront Cove is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterfront Cove
    • Wood Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Wood Lake is located in Hillsborough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Lake

How Far From West Bay 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 West Bay to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Tampa, which is the Seat of Hillsborough County, lies just to the East Southeast.
  • Tallahassee, which is the State Capital of Florida, lies 196 miles [315.4 km]<1> to the north northwest (NNW). If you could drive a straight line from West Bay to Tallahassee, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take a little over three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 12 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 8 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 816 miles [1,313.2 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 32 days and walking would take 47 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,622 miles [10,657.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,292 miles [11,735.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,190 miles [8,352.5 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- West Bay) 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 West Bay 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 West Bay 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 West Bay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 28.0103, Longitude: -82.5862       In this case, the coordinates for West Bay have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.901 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.317 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.919 degrees.