Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Helena, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Helena and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Helena
- 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 Helena:
- 41.920827, -92.474356
- 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 Helena
- 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 Tama County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Tama County
- Since Helena is near Poweshiek County and also Benton County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Poweshiek County
- eBird sighting report for Benton 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 Helena ...
We found 35 communities that share the name Helena.
Within Iowa, the name Helena is unique.
Beyond Iowa, we know of another 35 communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- San Diego 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 California community of Helena [San Diego County].
- Trinity County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Helena [Trinity County].
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Adams County
- This Helena is located in Adams County and lies 1,225 miles [1,971.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Helena that is located in Tama County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Helena.
- Washington 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 Idaho community of Helena [Washington County].
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Antrim 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 Michigan community of Helena [Antrim County].
- Huron County
- This Helena is located in Huron County and lies 511 miles [822.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Helena that is located in Tama County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Huron County community of Helena.
- Marquette County
- This Helena is located in Marquette County and lies 393 miles [632.5 km] to the northeast of the Helena that is located in Tama County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marquette County community of Helena.
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Andrew County
- This Helena is located in Andrew County and lies 179 miles [288.1 km]<1> to the southwest of the Helena that is located in Tama County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Andrew County community of Helena.
- Pettis County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Pettis County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pettis County community of Helena.
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- Lander County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Lander County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lander County community of Helena.
- Nye 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 Nevada community of Helena [Nye County].
- New York
- North Carolina
- Durham 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 North Carolina community of Helena [Durham County].
- Person 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 North Carolina community of Helena [Person County].
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Guernsey County
- This Helena is located in Guernsey County and lies 582 miles [936.6 km]<1> to the east of the Helena that is located in Tama County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Guernsey County community of Helena.
- Sandusky County
- This Helena is located in Sandusky County and lies 475 miles [764.4 km] to the east of the Helena that is located in Tama County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sandusky County community of Helena.
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Helena ...
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.
- Dover
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast) - Guernsey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guernsey have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guernsey
- Guernsey is located in Poweshiek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guernsey <5>
- Haven
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Keystone
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keystone have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
- Keystone is located in Benton County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keystone <5>
- Long Point
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Point
- Long Point is located in Tama County
- Potter
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west) - Quarry
(18 miles [29 km] to the west) - Redman ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east) - Rogersville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogersville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogersville
- Rogersville is located in Benton County
How Far From Helena to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Helena to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Helena and extending to:
- Toledo, which is the Seat of Tama County, lies just to the Northwest.
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 62 miles [99.8 km]<1> to the west southwest (WSW). If you could walk a straight line from Helena to Des Moines, with an average speed<6> 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 836 miles [1,345.4 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 33 days and walking would take 48 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,353 miles [10,224.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,100 miles [11,426.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,994 miles [8,037.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Helena. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Tama County: www.tamacounty.org/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
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- Helena) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Helena. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9208, Longitude: -92.4744 In this case, the coordinates for Helena 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 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 Helena 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 Helena, 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 Helena 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 317.706 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.076 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.994 degrees. |