Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Colfax, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Colfax and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Colfax
- 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 Colfax:
- 40.566584, -88.616098
- 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 Colfax
- 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 McLean County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for McLean County
- Since Colfax is near Ford County and also Livingston County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Ford County
- eBird sighting report for Livingston 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 Colfax ...
We found 32 communities that share the name Colfax.
Within Illinois, the name Colfax is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another 32 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 32 communities, 31 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Bulloch 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 Georgia community of Colfax [Bulloch County].
- Marion 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 Georgia community of Colfax [Marion County].
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Chautauqua 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 Colfax [Chautauqua County].
- Elk 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 Colfax [Elk County].
- McPherson 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 Colfax [McPherson County].
- Montgomery 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 Colfax [Montgomery County].
- Osage 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 Colfax [Osage County].
- Osborne 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 Colfax [Osborne County].
- Wilson 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 Colfax [Wilson County].
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Bay 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 Michigan community of Colfax [Bay County].
- Mecosta 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 Michigan community of Colfax [Mecosta County].
- Oceana County
- This Colfax is located in Oceana County and lies 254 miles [408.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Colfax that is located in McLean County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oceana County community of Colfax.
- Minnesota
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Allegheny 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 Pennsylvania community of Colfax [Allegheny County].
- Huntingdon County
- This Colfax is located in Huntingdon County and lies 556 miles [894.8 km]<1> to the east of the Colfax that is located in McLean County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Huntingdon County community of Colfax.
- Saskatchewan
- This Colfax lies 977 miles [1,572.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Colfax that is located in McLean County.
- Texas
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Colfax ...
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.
- Anchor
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor
- Anchor is located in McLean County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anchor <4>
- Arrowsmith
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arrowsmith have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowsmith
- Arrowsmith is located in McLean County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arrowsmith <4>
- Clarksville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarksville have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville
- Clarksville is located in McLean County
- Cooksville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Cooksville is located in McLean County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cooksville <4>
- Derby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast) - Harpster
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast) - Holder
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest) - Pleasant Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Hill is located in McLean County
- Risk
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast) - Timber Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timber Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Ridge
- Timber Ridge is located in McLean County
How Far From Colfax 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 village such as Colfax to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Colfax and extending to:
- Bloomington, which is the Seat of McLean County, lies 20 miles [32.2 km]<1> to the west southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Colfax to Bloomington, 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 most of a day.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 76 miles [122.3 km] to the southwest (SW). 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 625 miles [1,005.8 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 25 days and walking would take 36 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,282 miles [10,109.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,019 miles [11,296 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,901 miles [7,887.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Colfax. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for McLean County: www.mclean.gov/
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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Colfax) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Colfax. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.5666, Longitude: -88.6161 In this case, the coordinates for Colfax have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Colfax, 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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 Colfax 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 Colfax 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 315.082 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.885 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.413 degrees. |