Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ottumwa, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ottumwa and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ottumwa
- 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 Ottumwa:
- 41.017793, -92.41082
- 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 Ottumwa
- 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 Wapello County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Wapello County
- Since Ottumwa is near Davis County and also Keokuk County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Davis County
- eBird sighting report for Keokuk 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 Ottumwa ...
We found two communities that share the name Ottumwa.
Within Iowa, the name Ottumwa is unique.
Beyond Iowa, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Kansas
- South Dakota
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ottumwa ...
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.
- Blackhawk
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest) - Business Corners ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Business Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Business Corners
- Business Corners is located in Van Buren County
- Carbon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Cedar
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar
- Cedar is located in Mahaska County
- Cliffland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffland
- Cliffland is located in Wapello County
- Drakesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drakesville
- Drakesville is located in Davis County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Drakesville <3>
- Dunnville ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south) - Frederic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west) - Kirkville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest) - Martinsburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
- Martinsburg is located in Keokuk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Pickwick
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Pleasant Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Corner
- Pleasant Corner is located in Monroe County
- Pleasant View ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Pleasant View is located in Davis County
- White Elm
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
How Far From Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ottumwa and extending to:
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 74 miles [119.1 km]<1> to the west northwest (WNW). If you could drive a straight line from Ottumwa to Des Moines, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 5 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 825 miles [1,327.7 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 33 days and walking would take 47 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,397 miles [10,295 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,142 miles [11,493.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,032 miles [8,098.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Ottumwa: www.ci.ottumwa.ia.us/
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- Ottumwa) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ottumwa. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.0178, Longitude: -92.4108 |
| <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 Ottumwa 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 317.637 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.877 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.175 degrees. |