Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Colchester, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Colchester and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Colchester
- 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 Colchester:
- 40.427317, -90.792147
- 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 Colchester
- 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 McDonough County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for McDonough County
- Since Colchester is near Hancock County and also Schuyler County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Hancock County
- eBird sighting report for Schuyler 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 Colchester ...
We found five communities that share the name Colchester.
Within Illinois, the name Colchester is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another five communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these five communities, four are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- New York
- Delaware County
- This Colchester is located in Delaware County and lies 822 miles [1,322.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Colchester that is located in McDonough County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Delaware County community of Colchester.
- Ontario
- This Colchester lies 421 miles [677.5 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Colchester that is located in McDonough County.
- Vermont
- Chittenden County
- This Colchester is located in Chittenden County and lies 940 miles [1,512.8 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Colchester that is located in McDonough County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chittenden County community of Colchester.
- Virginia
- Fairfax County
- This Colchester is located in Fairfax County and lies 731 miles [1,176.4 km]<1> to the east of the Colchester that is located in McDonough County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fairfax County community of Colchester.
- Washington
- Kitsap County
- This Colchester is located in Kitsap County and lies 1,639 miles [2,637.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Colchester that is located in McDonough County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kitsap County community of Colchester.
- New York
Curious and Interesting Names Near Colchester ...
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.
- Fountain Green
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
- Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
- Good Hope
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Good Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
- Good Hope is located in McDonough County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Good Hope <3>
- Hills Grove ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hills Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Grove
- Hills Grove is located in McDonough County
- Industry
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
- Industry is located in McDonough County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Industry <3>
- Little Ireland ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Ireland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Ireland
- Little Ireland is located in McDonough County
- Plymouth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
- Plymouth is located in Hancock County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plymouth <3>
- Ragtown ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest) - Spring Creek Settlement ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Creek Settlement have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek Settlement
- Spring Creek Settlement is located in McDonough County
- Tennessee
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tennessee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennessee
- Tennessee is located in McDonough County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tennessee <3>
- University Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
- University Village is located in McDonough County
How Far From Colchester to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Colchester to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Colchester and extending to:
- Macomb, which is the Seat of McDonough County, lies just to the East Northeast.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 74 miles [119.1 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could drive a straight line from Colchester to Springfield, 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 738 miles [1,187.7 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 29 days and walking would take 42 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,369 miles [10,249.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,110 miles [11,442.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,995 miles [8,038.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Colchester. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Colchester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Colchester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.4273, Longitude: -90.7921 In this case, the coordinates for Colchester have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Colchester 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 316.526 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 313.521 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.51 degrees. |