Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gretna, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gretna and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gretna
- 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 Gretna:
- 41.898085, -88.101458
- 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 Gretna
- 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 DuPage County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for DuPage County
- Since Gretna is near Cook County and also Kane County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Cook County
- eBird sighting report for Kane 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 Gretna ...
We found thirteen communities that share the name Gretna.
Within Illinois, the name Gretna is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another thirteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, eleven are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Florida
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Manitoba
- This Gretna lies 670 miles [1,078.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New York
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Gretna lies 582 miles [936.6 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gretna ...
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.
- Churchville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Churchville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchville
- Churchville is located in DuPage County
- Cloverdale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Cloverdale is located in DuPage County
- Downers Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downers Grove
- Downers Grove is located in DuPage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48,727 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Downers Grove <3>
- Flowerfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flowerfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowerfield
- Flowerfield is located in DuPage County
- Geneva Road
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva Road have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva Road
- Geneva Road is located in DuPage County
- Jewell Road
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell Road have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell Road
- Jewell Road is located in DuPage County
- Ontarioville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ontarioville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontarioville
- Ontarioville is located in DuPage County
- Prince Crossing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prince Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prince Crossing
- Prince Crossing is located in DuPage County
- Saddlewood
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saddlewood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saddlewood
- Saddlewood is located in DuPage County
- Swift
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
How Far From Gretna 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 Gretna to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Gretna and extending to:
- Wheaton, which is the Seat of DuPage County, lies just to the South.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 167 miles [268.8 km]<1> to the south southwest (SSW). If you could drive a straight line from Gretna to Springfield, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take about three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 10 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 617 miles [993 km] to the east southeast (ESE). 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 6,198 miles [9,974.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,938 miles [11,165.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,822 miles [7,760.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gretna. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for DuPage County: www.dupageco.org/
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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gretna) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gretna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8981, Longitude: -88.1015 In this case, the coordinates for Gretna have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Gretna 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 314.747 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.689 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.794 degrees. |