Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Francis, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Francis and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Francis
- 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 Francis:
- 37.899769, -88.453104
- 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 Francis
- 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 Saline County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Saline County
- Since Francis is near Hamilton County and also White County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Hamilton County
- eBird sighting report for White 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 Francis ...
We found 23 communities that share the name Francis.
Within Illinois, the name Francis is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another 23 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 23 communities, 22 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Calhoun County
- This Francis is located in Calhoun County and lies 315 miles [506.9 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Francis that is located in Saline County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Calhoun County community of Francis.
- Saint Clair 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 Alabama community of Francis [Saint Clair County].
- Arkansas
- California
- Florida
- Hillsborough County
- This Francis is located in Hillsborough County and lies 767 miles [1,234.4 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Francis that is located in Saline County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of Francis.
- Putnam County
- This Francis is located in Putnam County and lies 689 miles [1,108.8 km] to the southeast of the Francis that is located in Saline County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Putnam County community of Francis.
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Audrain 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 Missouri community of Francis [Audrain County].
- Pulaski 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 Missouri community of Francis [Pulaski County].
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Eddy County
- Although located in Eddy County, we don't know the location within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Eddy County community of Francis.
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Saskatchewan
- This Francis lies 1,133 miles [1,823.4 km]<1> to the northwest of the Francis that is located in Saline County.
- Texas
- Utah
- West Virginia
- Harrison County
- This Francis is located in Harrison County and lies 454 miles [730.6 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Francis that is located in Saline County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Harrison County community of Francis.
- Raleigh 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 West Virginia community of Francis [Raleigh County].
- Wyoming
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Francis ...
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.
- Cornerville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerville
- Cornerville is located in Saline County
- Dale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dale have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
- Dale is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dale <5>
- Elba
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast) - Eldorado
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldorado have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorado
- Eldorado is located in Saline County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,837 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eldorado <5>
- Long Branch
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
- Long Branch is located in Saline County
- Middlepoint
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlepoint have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlepoint
- Middlepoint is located in White County
- Muddy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddy
- Muddy is located in Saline County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Muddy <5>
- Nipper Corner
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nipper Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nipper Corner
- Nipper Corner is located in Hamilton County
- Red Bud ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Saline City
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saline City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline City
- Saline City is located in Saline County
- Texas City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas City
- Texas City is located in Saline County
- Tuckers Corners
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuckers Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckers Corners
- Tuckers Corners is located in Hamilton County
- University
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University
- University is located in Hamilton County
How Far From Francis 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 community such as Francis to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Francis and extending to:
- Harrisburg, which is the Seat of Saline County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Francis to Harrisburg, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 145 miles [233.4 km] to the north northwest (NNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 9 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 621 miles [999.4 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 6,406 miles [10,309.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,135 miles [11,482.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,012 miles [8,066 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Francis. 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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Francis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Francis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.8998, Longitude: -88.4531 In this case, the coordinates for Francis 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 Francis 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> | 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 Francis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Francis 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 314.914 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.321 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.012 degrees. |