RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Cook County >> Forest River >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Tidbits & Trivia

Introduction ...

Below is our collection of tidbits and odds 'n ends for Forest River.

Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Forest River:
    • 42.076695, -87.895067<1>
    • 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.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Forest River
  • 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 Cook County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Cook County
    • Since Forest River is near Lake County and also DuPage County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Lake County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for DuPage 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Forest River

Communities Also Named Forest River ...

We found three communities that are also named Forest River.

Within Illinois, the name Forest River is unique.

Beyond Illinois, we know of three communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Georgia
      • Forest River, Gwinnett County
      • This Forest River is located in Gwinnett County and lies 597 miles [960.8 km]<2> to the south southeast of the Forest River that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gwinnett County community of Forest River.
    • Massachusetts
      • Forest River, Essex 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 Massachusetts community of Forest River [Essex County].
    • North Dakota
      • Forest River, Walsh County
      • This Forest River is located in Walsh County and lies 629 miles [1,012.3 km]<2> to the northwest of the Forest River that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Walsh County community of Forest River.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Forest River ...

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.

  • Ancient Tree
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Ancient Tree is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ancient Tree
  • Arrowhead
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Arrowhead is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowhead
  • Birch Pond
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Birch Pond is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch Pond
  • Cobblewood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cobblewood is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobblewood
  • Covenant Village
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Covenant Village is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covenant Village
  • Cozy Corner
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cozy Corner is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cozy Corner
  • Edgewood Grove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Edgewood Grove is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood Grove
  • Fox Hedge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fox Hedge is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Hedge
  • Fox Run
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fox Run is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Run
  • Garden Court
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Garden Court is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Court
  • Glenview
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Heathercrest
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Heathercrest is also located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathercrest
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Indian Ridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Indian Ridge is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Ridge
    • Mallard Creek
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Mallard Creek is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallard Creek
    • Maple Ridge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Maple Ridge is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Ridge
    • Meadow Green
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Meadow Green is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Green
    • Norma
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Norma is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norma
    • Pheasant Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Pheasant Creek is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pheasant Creek
    • Regency Place
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Regency Place is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency Place
    • Royal Court
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Royal Court is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Court
    • Sanders Crossing
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Sanders Crossing is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanders Crossing
    • Sanders Prairie
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Sanders Prairie is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanders Prairie
    • Solar Grove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Solar Grove is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solar Grove
    • Sportmans Cove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Sportmans Cove is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sportmans Cove
    • Stonebrook
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Stonebrook is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonebrook
    • Stonegate
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Stonegate is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonegate
    • Summerhill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Summerhill is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerhill
    • Sunset Fields
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sunset Fields is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Fields
    • Willow Cove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Willow Cove is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Cove
    • Willow Creek
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Willow Creek is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek
    • Willow Wood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Willow Wood is also located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Wood

How Far From Forest River 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 included the distance from a community such as Forest River to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Chicago, which is the Seat of Cook County, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<2> to the southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Forest River to Chicago, with an average speed<5> 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 6 hours.
  • Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 182 miles [292.9 km] to the south southwest (SSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 610 miles [981.7 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 6,182 miles [9,949 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,922 miles [11,139.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,806 miles [7,734.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

Footnotes ...

<1>GPS Coordinates for Forest River:
     Decimal: 42.07669, -87.895067
     DDMMSS: 42° 4' 36", -87° 53' 42"
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Forest River) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock 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 Forest River 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>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 Forest River to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Forest River. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.0767, Longitude: -87.8951       In this case, the coordinates for Forest River have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.609 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.557 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.639 degrees.