RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Erin, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Erin and the surrounding area.

  • 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 Erin:
    • 41.572222, -88.160278
    • 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 Erin
  • 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 Erin ...

We found thirteen communities that share the name Erin.

Within Illinois, the name Erin is unique.

Beyond Illinois, we know of another thirteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, twelve are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Clay County
      • This Erin is located in Clay County and lies 580 miles [933.4 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Erin that is located in Will County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clay County community of Erin.
    • Arkansas
      • Grant County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Erin [Grant County].
    • Georgia
      • Meriwether County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of Erin [Meriwether County].
    • Kansas
      • Washington County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Erin [Washington County].
    • Kentucky
      • Clay County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Erin [Clay County].
    • Minnesota
      • Rice County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Minnesota community of Erin [Rice County].
    • New York
      • Chemung County
      • This Erin is located in Chemung County and lies 591 miles [951.1 km]<1> to the east of the Erin that is located in Will County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chemung County community of Erin.
    • Ontario
      • This Erin lies 437 miles [703.3 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Erin that is located in Will County.
    • Tennessee
      • Houston County
      • This Erin is located in Houston County and lies 363 miles [584.2 km]<1> to the south of the Erin that is located in Will County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Houston County community of Erin.
    • Texas
      • Harris County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Texas community of Erin [Harris County].
      • Jasper County
      • This Erin is located in Jasper County and lies 812 miles [1,306.8 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Erin that is located in Will County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jasper County community of Erin.
    • West Virginia
      • McDowell County
      • This Erin is located in McDowell County and lies 447 miles [719.4 km]<1> to the southeast of the Erin that is located in Will County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the McDowell County community of Erin.
    • Wisconsin
      • Saint Croix County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Wisconsin community of Erin [Saint Croix County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Erin ...

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.

  • Crest Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crest Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crest Hill
    • Crest Hill is located in Will County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,209 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crest Hill <4>
  • Crystal Lawns
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crystal Lawns have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lawns
    • Crystal Lawns is located in Will County
  • Fox Meadow
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fox Meadow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Meadow
    • Fox Meadow is located in Will County
  • Grand Haven
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Haven have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Haven
    • Grand Haven is located in Will County
  • Grand Prairie
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Prairie
    • Grand Prairie is located in Will County
  • Pheasant Landing
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pheasant Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pheasant Landing
    • Pheasant Landing is located in Will County
  • Pleasant Knoll
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Knoll have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Knoll
    • Pleasant Knoll is located in Will County
  • Prairie Trail
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Trail have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Trail
    • Prairie Trail is located in Will County
  • Riverwalk
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverwalk have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverwalk
    • Riverwalk is located in Will County
  • Rockdale Junction
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockdale Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale Junction
    • Rockdale Junction is located in Will County
  • Squires Mill
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Squires Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squires Mill
    • Squires Mill is located in Will County
  • Sunset Ridge
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Ridge
    • Sunset Ridge is located in Will County
  • Vintage Harvest
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vintage Harvest have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vintage Harvest
    • Vintage Harvest is located in Will County
  • Winding Creek
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winding Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winding Creek
    • Winding Creek is located in Will County

How Far From Erin 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 community such as Erin to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Erin and extending to:

  • Joliet, which is the Seat of Will County, lies just to the Southeast.
  • Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 146 miles [235 km]<1> to the south southwest (SSW). If you could drive a straight line from Erin to Springfield, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 9 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 614 miles [988.1 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 35 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,216 miles [10,003.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,955 miles [11,193 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,839 miles [7,787.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Erin. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Will County: www.willcountyillinois.com/

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- Erin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Erin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.5722, Longitude: -88.1603       In this case, the coordinates for Erin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<2>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 Erin 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.
<3>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.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.
<6>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 Erin to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.787 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.688 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.915 degrees.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024