Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gifford, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gifford and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gifford
- 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 Gifford:
- 42.288539, -93.089343
- 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 Gifford
- 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 Hardin County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Hardin County
- Since Gifford is near Marshall County and also Grundy County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Marshall County
- eBird sighting report for Grundy 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 Gifford ...
We found fourteen communities that share the name Gifford.
Within Iowa, the name Gifford is unique.
Beyond Iowa, we know of another fourteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these fourteen communities, thirteen are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- British Columbia
- This Gifford lies 1,476 miles [2,375.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Gifford that is located in Hardin County.
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Missouri
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Washington
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gifford ...
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.
- Berlin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north) - Eagle City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle City
- Eagle City is located in Hardin County
- Hughs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest) - Illinois Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Illinois Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinois Grove
- Illinois Grove is located in Marshall County
- Lawn Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Minerva
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south) - Steamboat Rock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steamboat Rock
- Steamboat Rock is located in Hardin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Steamboat Rock <3>
- Union
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
How Far From Gifford to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Gifford to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Gifford and extending to:
- Eldora, which is the Seat of Hardin County, lies just to the North.
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 54 miles [86.9 km]<1> to the south southwest (SSW). If you could walk a straight line from Gifford to Des Moines, 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 over two days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 872 miles [1,403.3 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 34 days and walking would take 50 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,355 miles [10,227.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,104 miles [11,432.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,001 miles [8,048.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gifford. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gifford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gifford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2885, Longitude: -93.0893 |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Gifford to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 318.139 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.621 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.223 degrees. |