Introduction ...
Below is our collection of tidbits, odds 'n ends for Oran.
This page contains eight sections:
- Outdoor Activities ...
- How Far From Oran ...
- Communities Also Named Oran ...
- Unique Names Near Oran ...
- Notable Births & Deaths ...
Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Oran, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Oran and the surrounding area.
Weather ...
Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
The National Weather Service forecast for Oran and surrounding area.
Astronomy ...
Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help amateurs find their way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website lists the visible planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their track 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 the location for Oran. Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude for your actual position.
The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Oran.
Bird Watching ...
We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website to find local sighting reports and hotspots.
The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Fayette County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
The Fayette County sighting report from eBird.
Since Oran is near Bremer County and also Buchanan County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
Sighting report for Bremer County
Sighting report for Buchanan 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:
The Waymark.com website, centered on Oran.
How Far From Oran 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 Oran to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Oran and extending to:
- West Union [Map], which is the Seat of Fayette County, lies 22 miles [35.4 km] to the Northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Oran to West Union, with an average speed<2> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
- Des Moines [Map], which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 109 miles [175.4 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 [Map]) is 827 miles [1,330.9 km] to the East Southeast (ESE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 33 days and walking would take 47 days.
- The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock [Map]) is 6,299 miles [10,137.3 km] and it lies to the Northeast (NE).<4>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba [Map]) is 7,048 miles [11,342.7 km] and it lies to the Northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican [Map]) is 4,943 miles [7,955 km] and it lies to the Northeast (NE).<6>
Communities Also Named Oran ...
We have found 7 communities that share the name Oran.
While the name Oran is unique within Iowa, we know of another 7 communities with the same name in the United States.
Communities Outside of Iowa
Jump ahead to ...
| Florida | New York | ||
| Georgia | Ohio | ||
| Missouri | Texas | ||
| New Mexico | |||
Florida
Hillsborough County
Our profile page for Oran, Hillsborough County [Map]
Distance: About 1,149 miles [1,849.1 km] to the South Southeast.
Georgia
Murray County
Our profile page for Oran, Murray County [Map]
Distance: About 672 miles [1,081.5 km] to the Southeast.
Missouri
Scott County
Our profile page for Oran, Scott County [Map]
Distance: About 408 miles [656.6 km] to the South Southeast.
New Mexico
Otero County
Our profile page for Oran, Otero County
This community is historic.<7>
Although located in Otero County, we don't know the location of this community within the county.
New York
Onondaga County
Our profile page for Oran, Onondaga County [Map]
Distance: About 816 miles [1,313.2 km] to the East.
Ohio
Shelby County
Our profile page for Oran, Shelby County [Map]
Distance: About 433 miles [696.8 km] to the East Southeast.
Texas
Palo Pinto County
Our profile page for Oran, Palo Pinto County [Map]
Distance: About 749 miles [1,205.4 km] to the South Southwest.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Oran ...
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 talk about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
Big Rock - 15 miles [24.1 km] to the Southwest of Oran [Map]
Edwards (Historic) - 13 miles [20.9 km] to the Southwest [Map]
Glasgow (Historic) - 15 miles [24.1 km] to the Southwest [Map]
Klinger - 7 miles [11.3 km] to the Southwest [Map]
Littleton - 11 miles [17.7 km] to the South [Map]
Miner - Less than 2 miles to the Northwest [Map]
Otterville - 14 miles [22.5 km] to the Southeast [Map]
Spring Fountain - 10 miles [16.1 km] to the Northwest [Map]
Stanley - 13 miles [20.9 km] to the East [Map]
Tripoli - 11 miles [17.7 km] to the Northwest [Map]
Wise - 15 miles [24.1 km] to the South [Map]
Notable Births & Deaths ...
This is a new section for us and we are still collecting data.
Below is our list of notable people who were born, died or were buried in the area surrounding Oran. Please note that while we are collecting data on an ongoing basis, it's a big task and it's unlikely that our list will ever be more than a sample.
Fran Allison
Actress. She was born in La Porte City (Iowa) on Wednesday November 20, 1907 and died on Tueday June 13, 1989 at an age of 81. She was buried at Mt. Calvary Cemetery (Linn County, Iowa) [Map].
La Porte City [Map] is located 27 miles [43.5 km] to the south of Oran
Find-A-Grave Memorial: Fran Allison<8>
Lou Hoover
Wife and First Lady to the Presidency of Herbert Hoover (1929 - 1933). She was born in Waterloo (Iowa) on Sunday March 29, 1874 and died in New York (New York) on Friday January 7, 1944 at an age of 69.
Waterloo [Map] is located 20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest of Oran
Find-A-Grave Memorial: Lou Hoover
Reggie Roby
Professional football. He was born in Waterloo (Iowa) on Sunday July 30, 1961 and died in Nashville (Tennessee) on Tueday February 22, 2005 at an age of 43. He was buried at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens (Davidson County, Tennessee) [Map].
Waterloo [Map] is located 20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest of Oran
Find-A-Grave Memorial: Reggie Roby
Other Roadside Stops ...
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Oran. 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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Oran) to Point B. If you need the driving distance, we recommend that you use one of the Mapping Services listed on our Map Page for Oran. Since we usually use Google Maps, we've provided the following link for your convenience: Google Map and Driving Directions starting from Oran Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oran. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.7014, Longitude: -92.0746 [Map]. In this case, the coordinates for Oran have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Oran to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <4> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 317.445 degrees. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.882 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.595 degrees. |
| <7> | 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 Oran, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <8> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |