Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Charleston, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Charleston and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Charleston
- 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 Charleston:
- 39.484334, -88.177033
- 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 Charleston
- 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 Coles County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Coles County
- Since Charleston is near Cumberland County and also Clark County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Cumberland County
- eBird sighting report for Clark 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 Charleston ...
We found 42 communities that share the name Charleston.
Within Illinois, the name Charleston is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another 42 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 42 communities, 38 are located in the United States and six are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arizona
- Cochise County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arizona community of Charleston [Cochise County].
- Arkansas
- Franklin County
- This Charleston is located in Franklin County and lies 432 miles [695.2 km]<2> to the southwest of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Charleston.
- California
- San Joaquin County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Charleston [San Joaquin County].
- Florida
- Suwannee 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 Florida community of Charleston [Suwannee County].
- Iowa
- Lee County
- This Charleston is located in Lee County and lies 193 miles [310.6 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lee County community of Charleston.
- Kansas
- Gray County
- This Charleston is located in Gray County and lies 676 miles [1,087.9 km]<2> to the west of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gray County community of Charleston.
- Greenwood 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 Charleston [Greenwood County].
- Washington 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 Charleston [Washington County].
- Kentucky
- Clark County
- This Charleston is located in Clark County and lies 240 miles [386.2 km]<2> to the east southeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clark County community of Charleston.
- Hopkins County
- This Charleston is located in Hopkins County and lies 158 miles [254.3 km] to the south of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hopkins County community of Charleston.
- Maine
- Penobscot County
- This Charleston is located in Penobscot County and lies 1,048 miles [1,686.6 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Penobscot County community of Charleston.
- Michigan
- Sanilac County
- This Charleston is located in Sanilac County and lies 404 miles [650.2 km]<2> to the northeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sanilac County community of Charleston.
- Mississippi
- Tallahatchie County
- This Charleston is located in Tallahatchie County and lies 392 miles [630.9 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tallahatchie County community of Charleston.
- Missouri
- Clark County
- Although located in Clark County, we don't know the location within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clark County community of Charleston.
- Mississippi County
- This Charleston is located in Mississippi County and lies 188 miles [302.6 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mississippi County community of Charleston.
- Nebraska
- Johnson County
- This community is historic<1> and although located in Johnson County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Johnson County community of Charleston.
- Nevada
- Elko County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Nevada community of Charleston [Elko County].
- Nye County
- This community is historic 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 Charleston.
- New Brunswick
- This Charleston lies 1,137 miles [1,829.8 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- New Jersey
- Burlington County
- This Charleston is located in Burlington County and lies 705 miles [1,134.6 km]<2> to the east of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Burlington County community of Charleston.
- New York
- Montgomery County
- This Charleston is located in Montgomery County and lies 754 miles [1,213.4 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Charleston.
- Richmond County
- This Charleston is located in Richmond County and lies 740 miles [1,190.9 km] to the east of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Richmond County community of Charleston.
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- This Charleston lies 1,804 miles [2,903.3 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- North Carolina
- Halifax County
- This Charleston is located in Halifax County and lies 632 miles [1,017.1 km]<2> to the east southeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Halifax County community of Charleston.
- Nova Scotia
- This Charleston lies 1,247 miles [2,006.9 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- Ohio
- Brown County
- This community is historic<1> and although located in Brown County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brown County community of Charleston.
- Clermont County
- This community is historic and although located in Clermont County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clermont County community of Charleston.
- Hamilton County
- This community is historic and although located in Hamilton County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hamilton County community of Charleston.
- Ross 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 Ohio community of Charleston [Ross County].
- Oklahoma
- Harper County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Oklahoma community of Charleston [Harper County].
- Ontario
- 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 Ontario community of Charleston.
- Oregon
- Coos County
- This Charleston is located in Coos County and lies 1,876 miles [3,019.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Coos County community of Charleston.
- Pennsylvania
- Mercer County
- This Charleston is located in Mercer County and lies 428 miles [688.8 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mercer County community of Charleston.
- Tioga County
- This Charleston is located in Tioga County and lies 593 miles [954.3 km] to the east northeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tioga County community of Charleston.
- South Carolina
- Charleston County
- This Charleston is located in Charleston County and lies 650 miles [1,046.1 km]<2> to the southeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charleston County community of Charleston.
- Tennessee
- Bradley County
- This Charleston is located in Bradley County and lies 345 miles [555.2 km]<2> to the south southeast of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bradley County community of Charleston.
- Tipton County
- This Charleston is located in Tipton County and lies 284 miles [457.1 km] to the south southwest of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tipton County community of Charleston.
- Texas
- Dallas 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 Charleston [Dallas County].
- Delta County
- This Charleston is located in Delta County and lies 586 miles [943.1 km]<2> to the southwest of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Delta County community of Charleston.
- Utah
- Wasatch County
- This Charleston is located in Wasatch County and lies 1,230 miles [1,979.5 km]<2> to the west of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wasatch County community of Charleston.
- Washington
- Kitsap County
- This Charleston is located in Kitsap County and lies 1,797 miles [2,892 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kitsap County community of Charleston.
- West Virginia
- Kanawha County
- This Charleston is located in Kanawha County and lies 360 miles [579.4 km]<2> to the east of the Charleston that is located in Coles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kanawha County community of Charleston.
- Arizona
Curious and Interesting Names Near Charleston ...
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.
- Embarrass
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Halls Ford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halls Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Ford
- Halls Ford is located in Coles County
- Humboldt
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humboldt
- Humboldt is located in Coles County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 414 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Humboldt <5>
- Janesville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Janesville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janesville
- Janesville is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Janesville <5>
- Johnstown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Johnstown is located in Cumberland County
- Jones
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west) - Magnet
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet
- Magnet is located in Coles County
- Maple Point
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Point
- Maple Point is located in Cumberland County
- Oilfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oilfield
- Oilfield is located in Clark County
- Rocky Ford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ford
- Rocky Ford is located in Cumberland County
- Rolling Green
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Green have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Green
- Rolling Green is located in Coles County
- Timothy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south) - Union Center
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
- Union Center is located in Cumberland County
How Far From Charleston 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 city such as Charleston to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Charleston and extending to:
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 81 miles [130.4 km]<2> to the west northwest (WNW). If you could drive a straight line from Charleston to Springfield, with an average speed<6>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 597 miles [960.8 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 34 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,319 miles [10,169.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,052 miles [11,349.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,931 miles [7,935.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Charleston: www.charlestonillinois.org/
The official website for Coles County: www.co.coles.il.us/
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Charleston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Charleston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Charleston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4843, Longitude: -88.1770 |
| <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 Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's 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 Charleston 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> | 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 Charleston 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 314.778 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.385 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.488 degrees. |