Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Collins, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Collins and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Collins
- 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 Collins:
- 41.902861, -93.305689
- 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 Collins
- 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 Story County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Story County
- Since Collins is near Jasper County and also Marshall County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Jasper County
- eBird sighting report for Marshall 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 Collins ...
We found 41 communities that share the name Collins.
Within Iowa, the name Collins is unique.
Beyond Iowa, we know of another 41 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 41 communities, 40 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Calhoun County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Collins [Calhoun County].
- Jefferson County
- This Collins is located in Jefferson County and lies 678 miles [1,091.1 km]<2> to the south southeast of the Collins that is located in Story County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Collins.
- Arkansas
- California
- Fresno County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Collins [Fresno County].
- Napa County
- This Collins is located in Napa County and lies 1,544 miles [2,484.8 km]<2> to the west of the Collins that is located in Story County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Napa County community of Collins.
- San Bernardino County
- This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Collins [San Bernardino County].
- Florida
- Georgia
- Columbia 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 Georgia community of Collins [Columbia County].
- Tattnall County
- This Collins is located in Tattnall County and lies 910 miles [1,464.5 km]<2> to the southeast of the Collins that is located in Story County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tattnall County community of Collins.
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Kankakee County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Illinois community of Collins [Kankakee County].
- Randolph County
- This Collins is located in Randolph County and lies 321 miles [516.6 km]<2> to the southeast of the Collins that is located in Story County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of Collins.
- Will 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 Illinois community of Collins [Will County].
- Winnebago 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 Illinois community of Collins [Winnebago County].
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Ionia County
- This Collins is located in Ionia County and lies 431 miles [693.6 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Collins that is located in Story County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ionia County community of Collins.
- Oceana 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 Michigan community of Collins [Oceana County].
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Collins lies 607 miles [976.9 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Collins that is located in Story County.
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Grundy County
- This Collins is located in Grundy County and lies 613 miles [986.5 km]<2> to the southeast of the Collins that is located in Story County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grundy County community of Collins.
- Hawkins 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 Tennessee community of Collins [Hawkins County].
- Texas
- Jasper County
- This Collins is located in Jasper County and lies 753 miles [1,211.8 km]<2> to the south of the Collins that is located in Story County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jasper County community of Collins.
- Nueces 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 Texas community of Collins [Nueces County].
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Albany County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Wyoming community of Collins [Albany County].
- Carbon 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 Wyoming community of Collins [Carbon County].
- Laramie 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 Wyoming community of Collins [Laramie County].
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Collins ...
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.
- Clyde
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Edenville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Green Castle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Castle
- Green Castle is located in Jasper County
- Iowa Center
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Center
- Iowa Center is located in Story County
- Ira
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Ira is located in Jasper County
- Malta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Maxwell
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Maxwell is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 908 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maxwell <5>
- Melbourne
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melbourne
- Melbourne is located in Marshall County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 796 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melbourne <5>
- Mingo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingo
- Mingo is located in Jasper County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mingo <5>
- Nevada
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevada
- Nevada is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,682 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nevada <5>
How Far From Collins 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 Collins to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Collins and extending to:
- Nevada, which is the Seat of Story County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<2> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Collins to Nevada, with an average speed<6> 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.
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest (SW). The buggy would take just over a day and walking would take just about two full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 878 miles [1,413 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of two days, a buggy would take 35 days and walking would take 50 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,382 miles [10,270.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,131 miles [11,476.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,027 miles [8,090.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Collins. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Story County: www.storycounty.com/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Collins, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Collins) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Collins. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9029, Longitude: -93.3057 |
| <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 Collins 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> | 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 Collins 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 318.278 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.73 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.426 degrees. |