Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Effingham, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Effingham and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Effingham
- 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 Effingham:
- 39.119978, -88.544889
- 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 Effingham
- 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 Effingham County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Effingham County
- Since Effingham is near Cumberland County and also Shelby County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Cumberland County
- eBird sighting report for Shelby 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 Effingham ...
We found five communities that share the name Effingham.
Within Illinois, the name Effingham 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 ...
- Kansas
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- Ontario
- This Effingham lies 552 miles [888.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Effingham that is located in Effingham County.
- South Carolina
Curious and Interesting Names Near Effingham ...
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.
- Elliottstown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elliottstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottstown
- Elliottstown is located in Effingham County
- Evers
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Funkhouser
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
- Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
- Green Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Creek
- Green Creek is located in Effingham County
- Heartville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartville
- Heartville is located in Effingham County
- Holland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest) - Island Grove ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Island Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Grove
- Island Grove is located in Jasper County
- Kingman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north) - Lillyville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lillyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lillyville
- Lillyville is located in Cumberland County
- Mason
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
- Mason is located in Effingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 333 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <3>
- Moccasin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
- Moccasin is located in Effingham County
How Far From Effingham 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 Effingham to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Effingham and extending to:
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 74 miles [119.1 km]<1> to the northwest (NW). If you could drive a straight line from Effingham 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 617 miles [993 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 25 days and walking would take 35 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,350 miles [10,219.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,083 miles [11,399 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,962 miles [7,985.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Effingham: www.effinghamil.com/
The official website for Effingham County: www.co.effingham.il.us/
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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Effingham) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Effingham. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1200, Longitude: -88.5449 |
| <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 Effingham 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 315.009 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.599 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.754 degrees. |