Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Watkins, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Watkins and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Watkins
- 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 Watkins:
- 41.891433, -91.986335
- 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 Watkins
- 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 Benton County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Benton County
- Since Watkins is near Iowa County and also Linn County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Iowa County
- eBird sighting report for Linn 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 Watkins ...
We found 26 communities that share the name Watkins.
Within Iowa, the name Watkins is unique.
Beyond Iowa, we know of another 26 communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Boone 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 Arkansas community of Watkins [Boone County].
- White 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 Arkansas community of Watkins [White County].
- Colorado
- Adams County
- This Watkins is located in Adams County and lies 675 miles [1,086.3 km]<1> to the west of the Watkins that is located in Benton County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Watkins.
- Arapahoe 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 Colorado community of Watkins [Arapahoe County].
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Dade County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Dade County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dade County community of Watkins.
- Miller County
- This Watkins is located in Miller County and lies 261 miles [420 km]<1> to the south of the Watkins that is located in Benton County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Miller County community of Watkins.
- Montana
- Madison County
- This Watkins is located in Madison County and lies 1,009 miles [1,623.8 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Watkins that is located in Benton County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of Watkins.
- McCone County
- This Watkins is located in McCone County and lies 775 miles [1,247.2 km] to the northwest of the Watkins that is located in Benton County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the McCone County community of Watkins.
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Davidson 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 Tennessee community of Watkins [Davidson County].
- DeKalb County
- This Watkins is located in DeKalb County and lies 527 miles [848.1 km]<1> to the southeast of the Watkins that is located in Benton County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the DeKalb County community of Watkins.
- Texas
- Pecos 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 Texas community of Watkins [Pecos County].
- Terrell County
- This Watkins is located in Terrell County and lies 990 miles [1,593.3 km]<1> to the southwest of the Watkins that is located in Benton County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Terrell County community of Watkins.
- Van Zandt County
- This Watkins is located in Van Zandt County and lies 682 miles [1,097.6 km] to the south southwest of the Watkins that is located in Benton County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Van Zandt County community of Watkins.
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Watkins ...
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.
- Cedar Rapids
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Rapids
- Cedar Rapids is located in Linn County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 134,027 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cedar Rapids <4>
- Dover
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west) - Eden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north) - Geneva
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest) - Grand View Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand View Village have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand View Village
- Grand View Village is located in Linn County
- Homestead
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homestead have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homestead
- Homestead is located in Iowa County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homestead <4>
- Keystone
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keystone have been provided by the GNIS.<5> 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 <4>
- Lincolnway Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincolnway Village have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnway Village
- Lincolnway Village is located in Linn County
- Redman ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west) - Swisher
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swisher have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swisher
- Swisher is located in Johnson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 959 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Swisher <4>
How Far From Watkins 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 Watkins to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Watkins and extending to:
- Vinton, which is the Seat of Benton County, lies 18 miles [29 km]<1> to the north. If you could walk a straight line from Watkins to Vinton, with an average speed<6> 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 five to six hours.
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 86 miles [138.4 km] to the west southwest (WSW). 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 811 miles [1,305.2 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 32 days and walking would take 46 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,337 miles [10,198.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,084 miles [11,400.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,976 miles [8,008.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Watkins. 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- Watkins) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Watkins. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8914, Longitude: -91.9863 |
| <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 Watkins, 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 Watkins 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 Watkins 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 317.37 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.687 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.752 degrees. |