Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Aurora, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Aurora and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Aurora
- 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 Aurora:
- 42.620108, -91.729452
- 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 Aurora
- 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 Buchanan County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Buchanan County
- Since Aurora is near Fayette County and also Delaware County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Fayette County
- eBird sighting report for Delaware 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 Aurora ...
We found 43 communities that share the name Aurora.
There is one other community in Iowa which is also named Aurora.
Beyond Iowa, we know of another 42 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 42 communities, 43 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Located In Iowa ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Alaska
- This Aurora lies 2,626 miles [4,226.1 km]<1> to the northwest of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Brevard County
- This Aurora is located in Brevard County and lies 1,175 miles [1,891 km]<1> to the southeast of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brevard County community of Aurora.
- Hillsborough County
- This Aurora is located in Hillsborough County and lies 1,135 miles [1,826.6 km] to the south southeast of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of Aurora.
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Clark 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 Aurora [Clark County].
- Cloud County
- This Aurora is located in Cloud County and lies 372 miles [598.7 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cloud County community of Aurora.
- Coffey 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 Aurora [Coffey County].
- Cowley 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 Aurora [Cowley County].
- Jewell 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 Aurora [Jewell County].
- Norton 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 Aurora [Norton County].
- Osage 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 Aurora [Osage County].
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Saint Louis County
- This Aurora is located in Saint Louis County and lies 340 miles [547.2 km]<1> to the north of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saint Louis County community of Aurora.
- Steele 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 Minnesota community of Aurora [Steele County].
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Colfax County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Colfax County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Colfax County community of Aurora.
- Mora 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 Mexico community of Aurora [Mora County].
- San Miguel County
- This Aurora is located in San Miguel County and lies 898 miles [1,445.2 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the San Miguel County community of Aurora.
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Aurora lies 622 miles [1,001 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Jefferson County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Jefferson County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Aurora.
- Wise County
- This Aurora is located in Wise County and lies 731 miles [1,176.4 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wise County community of Aurora.
- Utah
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Florence County
- This Aurora is located in Florence County and lies 282 miles [453.8 km]<1> to the northeast of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Florence County community of Aurora.
- Washington County
- This Aurora is located in Washington County and lies 181 miles [291.3 km] to the east northeast of the Aurora that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Aurora.
- Wyoming
Curious and Interesting Names Near Aurora ...
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.
- Doris
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Dundee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundee have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
- Dundee is located in Delaware County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dundee <5>
- Forestville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Forestville is located in Delaware County
- Gatesville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gatesville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatesville
- Gatesville is located in Buchanan County
- Independence
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Independence is located in Buchanan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,203 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Independence <5>
- Maryville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryville
- Maryville is located in Fayette County
- Otterville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otterville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterville
- Otterville is located in Buchanan County
- Stanley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Strawberry Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Point
- Strawberry Point is located in Clayton County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,193 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Strawberry Point <5>
How Far From Aurora 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 city such as Aurora to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Aurora and extending to:
- Independence, which is the Seat of Buchanan County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Aurora to Independence, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 119 miles [191.5 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 809 miles [1,302 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 32 days and walking would take 46 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,291 miles [10,124.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,039 miles [11,328.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,934 miles [7,940.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Aurora. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Buchanan County: www.buchanancounty.com/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Aurora) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Aurora. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.6201, Longitude: -91.7295 In this case, the coordinates for Aurora 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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 Aurora 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 Aurora, 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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Aurora to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 317.206 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.598 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.437 degrees. |