RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Georgia >> Oconee County >> Rutherford >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Rutherford, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rutherford 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 Rutherford:
    • 33.850119, -83.303212
    • 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 Rutherford
  • 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 Oconee County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Oconee County
    • Since Rutherford is near Clarke County and also Oglethorpe County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Clarke County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Oglethorpe 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 Rutherford

Communities Also Named Rutherford ...

We found fifteen communities that are also named Rutherford.

Within Georgia, the name Rutherford is unique.

Beyond Georgia, we know of fifteen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these fifteen communities, fourteen are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Russell County
      • This Rutherford is located in Russell County and lies 163 miles [262.3 km]<1> to the southwest of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Russell County community of Rutherford.
    • Arizona
      • Yavapai County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in Yavapai County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yavapai County community of Rutherford.
    • Arkansas
      • Independence County
      • This Rutherford is located in Independence County and lies 484 miles [778.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Independence County community of Rutherford.
    • California
      • Napa County
      • This Rutherford is located in Napa County and lies 2,187 miles [3,519.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Napa County community of Rutherford.
    • Delaware
      • New Castle County
      • This Rutherford is located in New Castle County and lies 582 miles [936.6 km]<1> to the northeast of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the New Castle County community of Rutherford.
    • Illinois
      • Champaign County
      • This Rutherford is located in Champaign County and lies 500 miles [804.7 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Champaign County community of Rutherford.
    • Kentucky
      • Harlan County
      • This Rutherford is located in Harlan County and lies 210 miles [338 km]<1> to the north of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Harlan County community of Rutherford.
    • Mississippi
      • Attala County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Mississippi community of Rutherford [Attala County].
    • New Jersey
      • Bergen County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the New Jersey community of Rutherford [Bergen County].
    • Ontario
      • This Rutherford lies 611 miles [983.3 km]<1> to the north of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Dauphin County
      • This Rutherford is located in Dauphin County and lies 570 miles [917.3 km]<1> to the northeast of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dauphin County community of Rutherford.
    • Tennessee
      • Gibson County
      • This Rutherford is located in Gibson County and lies 358 miles [576.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gibson County community of Rutherford.
    • Virginia
      • Fairfax County
      • This Rutherford is located in Fairfax County and lies 480 miles [772.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fairfax County community of Rutherford.
      • Rockingham County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Virginia community of Rutherford [Rockingham County].
    • West Virginia
      • Ritchie County
      • This Rutherford is located in Ritchie County and lies 384 miles [618 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Rutherford that is located in Oconee County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ritchie County community of Rutherford.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Rutherford ...

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.

  • Cedar Bluff
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Bluff is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
  • Cedar Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Creek is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
  • Cherokee Corner ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cherokee Corner is located in Oglethorpe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Corner
  • Crossties
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Crossties is located in Oconee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossties
  • Green Acres
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Acres is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
  • Hickory Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory Hill is located in Oconee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
  • Hickory Point
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Hickory Point is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Point
  • Hunters Ridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Hunters Ridge is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Ridge
  • Old Mill Chase
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Old Mill Chase is located in Oconee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Mill Chase
  • Pioneer Woods
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Pioneer Woods is located in Oconee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer Woods
  • Red Fox
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Fox is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Fox
  • Rock and Shoals
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock and Shoals is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock and Shoals
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Rose Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Rose Hill is located in Oconee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
    • Shadow Moss
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Shadow Moss is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shadow Moss
    • Snapfinger
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Snapfinger is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snapfinger
    • University Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • University Heights is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Heights

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Rutherford once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Rutherford and extending to:

  • Watkinsville, which is the Seat of Oconee County, lies just to the West.
  • Atlanta, which is the State Capital of Georgia, lies 62 miles [99.8 km]<1> to the west (W). If you could walk a straight line from Rutherford to Atlanta, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of three days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take about three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 492 miles [791.8 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of a day, a buggy would take 20 days and walking would take 28 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,388 miles [10,280.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,088 miles [11,407 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,967 miles [7,993.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

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 from Point A (ie- Rutherford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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 Rutherford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's 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 Rutherford 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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8501, Longitude: -83.3032       In this case, the coordinates for Rutherford have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 311.623 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.966 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.839 degrees.