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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 Gretna, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gretna 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 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.
- Open 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:
- Open the 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:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Cook County
- Open the 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:
- Open the Waymark.com report for Gretna
Communities Also Named Gretna ...
We found thirteen communities that are also named Gretna.
Within Illinois, the name Gretna is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of thirteen communities that are located 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
- Gadsden County
- This Gretna is located in Gadsden County and lies 801 miles [1,289.1 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gadsden County community of Gretna.
- Kansas
- Phillips County
- This Gretna is located in Phillips County and lies 598 miles [962.4 km]<1> to the west of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Phillips County community of Gretna.
- Louisiana
- Jefferson Parish
- This Gretna is located in Jefferson Parish and lies 834 miles [1,342.2 km]<1> to the south of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson Parish community of Gretna.
- Manitoba
- This Gretna lies 670 miles [1,078.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- Mississippi
- Wayne County
- This Gretna is located in Wayne County and lies 700 miles [1,126.5 km]<1> to the south of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Gretna.
- Missouri
- Taney County
- This Gretna is located in Taney County and lies 454 miles [730.6 km]<1> to the southwest of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Taney County community of Gretna.
- Nebraska
- Sarpy County
- This Gretna is located in Sarpy County and lies 423 miles [680.8 km]<1> to the west of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sarpy County community of Gretna.
- New York
- Dutchess County
- This Gretna is located in Dutchess County and lies 732 miles [1,178 km]<1> to the east of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dutchess County community of Gretna.
- Ohio
- Logan County
- This Gretna is located in Logan County and lies 245 miles [394.3 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Logan County community of Gretna.
- Ontario
- This Gretna lies 582 miles [936.6 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- Pennsylvania
- Washington County
- This Gretna is located in Washington County and lies 421 miles [677.5 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Gretna.
- South Dakota
- Edmunds County
- This Gretna is located in Edmunds County and lies 619 miles [996.2 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Edmunds County community of Gretna.
- Virginia
- Pittsylvania County
- This Gretna is located in Pittsylvania County and lies 577 miles [928.6 km]<1> to the southeast of the Gretna that is located in DuPage County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pittsylvania County community of Gretna.
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)
- Churchville is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchville
- Cloverdale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Cloverdale is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Downers Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Flowerfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Flowerfield is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowerfield
- Geneva Road
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Geneva Road is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva Road
- Jewell Road
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jewell Road is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell Road
- Ontarioville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Ontarioville is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontarioville
- Prince Crossing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Prince Crossing is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prince Crossing
- Saddlewood
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Saddlewood is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saddlewood
- Swift
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Swift is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift
How Far From Gretna 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 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<3>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<4> 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).<5>
- 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).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,822 miles [7,760.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' 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. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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.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). |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.747 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.689 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.794 degrees. |
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