Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Jacksonville, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Jacksonville and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Jacksonville
- 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 Jacksonville:
- 41.645266, -95.149993
- 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 Jacksonville
- 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 Shelby County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Shelby County
- Since Jacksonville is near Audubon County and also Pottawattamie County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Audubon County
- eBird sighting report for Pottawattamie 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 Jacksonville ...
We found 55 communities that share the name Jacksonville.
There are two communities within Iowa that are also named Jacksonville.
Beyond Iowa, we know of another 53 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 53 communities, 53 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Located In Iowa ...
- Chickasaw County
- This Jacksonville is located in Chickasaw County and lies 181 miles [291.3 km]<1> to the northeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chickasaw County community of Jacksonville.
- Clarke 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 Iowa community of Jacksonville [Clarke County].
- Chickasaw County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Calhoun County
- This Jacksonville is located in Calhoun County and lies 744 miles [1,197.4 km]<1> to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Calhoun County community of Jacksonville.
- Arkansas
- Pulaski County
- This Jacksonville is located in Pulaski County and lies 494 miles [795 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pulaski County community of Jacksonville.
- California
- Tuolumne 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 California community of Jacksonville [Tuolumne County].
- Florida
- Duval County
- This Jacksonville is located in Duval County and lies 1,082 miles [1,741.3 km]<1> to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Duval County community of Jacksonville.
- Georgia
- Greene County
- This Jacksonville is located in Greene County and lies 861 miles [1,385.6 km]<1> to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greene County community of Jacksonville.
- Telfair County
- This Jacksonville is located in Telfair County and lies 954 miles [1,535.3 km] to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Telfair County community of Jacksonville.
- Towns County
- This Jacksonville is located in Towns County and lies 767 miles [1,234.4 km] to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Towns County community of Jacksonville.
- Illinois
- Morgan County
- This Jacksonville is located in Morgan County and lies 289 miles [465.1 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Morgan County community of Jacksonville.
- Indiana
- Switzerland County
- This Jacksonville is located in Switzerland County and lies 566 miles [910.9 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Switzerland County community of Jacksonville.
- Vermillion 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 Indiana community of Jacksonville [Vermillion County].
- Kansas
- Cherokee 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 Kansas community of Jacksonville [Cherokee County].
- Jefferson 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 Jacksonville [Jefferson County].
- Neosho 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 Jacksonville [Neosho County].
- Smith 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 Jacksonville [Smith County].
- Kentucky
- Bourbon County
- This Jacksonville is located in Bourbon County and lies 615 miles [989.7 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bourbon County community of Jacksonville.
- Shelby County
- This Jacksonville is located in Shelby County and lies 584 miles [939.9 km] to the east southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shelby County community of Jacksonville.
- Louisiana
- Calcasieu Parish
- 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 Louisiana community of Jacksonville [Calcasieu Parish].
- Vernon Parish
- 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 Louisiana community of Jacksonville [Vernon Parish].
- Maine
- Washington County
- This Jacksonville is located in Washington County and lies 1,406 miles [2,262.7 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Jacksonville.
- Maryland
- Baltimore County
- This Jacksonville is located in Baltimore County and lies 983 miles [1,582 km]<1> to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Baltimore County community of Jacksonville.
- Somerset 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 Maryland community of Jacksonville [Somerset County].
- Mississippi
- Kemper 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 Mississippi community of Jacksonville [Kemper County].
- Missouri
- Gentry County
- Although located in Gentry County, we don't know the location within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gentry County community of Jacksonville.
- Laclede County
- This Jacksonville is located in Laclede County and lies 317 miles [510.2 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Laclede County community of Jacksonville.
- Randolph County
- This Jacksonville is located in Randolph County and lies 199 miles [320.3 km] to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of Jacksonville.
- Sullivan County
- This Jacksonville is located in Sullivan County and lies 142 miles [228.5 km] to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sullivan County community of Jacksonville.
- Nevada
- Nye County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Nye County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nye County community of Jacksonville.
- New Brunswick
- This Jacksonville lies 1,394 miles [2,243.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- New Jersey
- Burlington County
- This Jacksonville is located in Burlington County and lies 1,068 miles [1,718.8 km]<1> to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Burlington County community of Jacksonville.
- Morris County
- This Jacksonville is located in Morris County and lies 1,078 miles [1,734.9 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Morris County community of Jacksonville.
- New York
- Onondaga County
- This Jacksonville is located in Onondaga County and lies 958 miles [1,541.8 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Onondaga County community of Jacksonville.
- Tompkins County
- This Jacksonville is located in Tompkins County and lies 949 miles [1,527.3 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tompkins County community of Jacksonville.
- North Carolina
- Onslow County
- This Jacksonville is located in Onslow County and lies 1,072 miles [1,725.2 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Onslow County community of Jacksonville.
- Nova Scotia
- This Jacksonville lies 1,721 miles [2,769.7 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- Ohio
- Adams County
- This Jacksonville is located in Adams County and lies 644 miles [1,036.4 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Jacksonville.
- Athens County
- This Jacksonville is located in Athens County and lies 701 miles [1,128.2 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Athens County community of Jacksonville.
- Clark County
- This Jacksonville is located in Clark County and lies 600 miles [965.6 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clark County community of Jacksonville.
- Crawford County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Crawford County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Crawford County community of Jacksonville.
- Jefferson County
- This Jacksonville is located in Jefferson County and lies 761 miles [1,224.7 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Jacksonville.
- Oregon
- Jackson County
- This Jacksonville is located in Jackson County and lies 1,422 miles [2,288.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Jacksonville.
- Pennsylvania
- Bucks County
- This Jacksonville is located in Bucks County and lies 1,050 miles [1,689.8 km]<1> to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bucks County community of Jacksonville.
- Centre County
- This Jacksonville is located in Centre County and lies 908 miles [1,461.3 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Centre County community of Jacksonville.
- Indiana County
- This Jacksonville is located in Indiana County and lies 828 miles [1,332.5 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Indiana County community of Jacksonville.
- Lancaster County
- This Jacksonville is located in Lancaster County and lies 1,002 miles [1,612.6 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lancaster County community of Jacksonville.
- Lehigh County
- This Jacksonville is located in Lehigh County and lies 1,004 miles [1,615.8 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lehigh County community of Jacksonville.
- Northampton County
- This Jacksonville is located in Northampton County and lies 1,025 miles [1,649.6 km] to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Northampton County community of Jacksonville.
- South Carolina
- Aiken County
- This Jacksonville is located in Aiken County and lies 918 miles [1,477.4 km]<1> to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Aiken County community of Jacksonville.
- Tennessee
- Obion County
- This Jacksonville is located in Obion County and lies 483 miles [777.3 km]<1> to the southeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Obion County community of Jacksonville.
- Texas
- Cherokee County
- This Jacksonville is located in Cherokee County and lies 668 miles [1,075 km]<1> to the south of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cherokee County community of Jacksonville.
- Washington County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Washington County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Jacksonville.
- Vermont
- Windham County
- This Jacksonville is located in Windham County and lies 1,141 miles [1,836.3 km]<1> to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Windham County community of Jacksonville.
- West Virginia
- Lewis County
- This Jacksonville is located in Lewis County and lies 794 miles [1,277.8 km]<1> to the east of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lewis County community of Jacksonville.
- Wisconsin
- Monroe County
- This Jacksonville is located in Monroe County and lies 281 miles [452.2 km]<1> to the northeast of the Jacksonville that is located in Shelby County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Jacksonville.
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Jacksonville ...
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.
- Audubon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Audubon
- Audubon is located in Audubon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,878 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Audubon <4>
- Defiance
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest) - Elk Horn
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Horn have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Horn
- Elk Horn is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 601 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elk Horn <4>
- Gray
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gray have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray
- Gray is located in Audubon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gray <4>
- Irwin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irwin have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
- Irwin is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 308 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irwin <4>
- Poplar
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - Red Line
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north) - Walnut
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
How Far From Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Jacksonville and extending to:
- Harlan, which is the Seat of Shelby County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Jacksonville to Harlan, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 79 miles [127.1 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 971 miles [1,562.7 km] to the east (E). Driving would take most of two days, a buggy would take 38 days and walking would take 56 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,458 miles [10,393.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,210 miles [11,603.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,109 miles [8,222.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Jacksonville. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Shelby County: www.shco.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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Jacksonville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Jacksonville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.6453, Longitude: -95.1500 In this case, the coordinates for Jacksonville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Jacksonville, 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 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 Jacksonville 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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <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 Jacksonville 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 319.552 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 317.161 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 312.438 degrees. |