Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Madison, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Madison and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Madison
- 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 Madison:
- 38.677711, -90.110545
- 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 Madison
- 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 Madison County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Madison County
- Since Madison is near Saint Clair County and also Saint Louis County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Saint Clair County
- eBird sighting report for Saint Louis 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 Madison ...
We found 41 communities that share the name Madison.
Within Illinois, the name Madison is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another 41 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 41 communities, 40 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Jefferson County
- This Madison is located in Jefferson County and lies 402 miles [647 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Madison.
- Madison County
- This Madison is located in Madison County and lies 331 miles [532.7 km] to the southeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of Madison.
- Montgomery County
- This Madison is located in Montgomery County and lies 483 miles [777.3 km] to the south southeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Madison.
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- 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 Kansas community of Madison [Clay County].
- Greenwood County
- This Madison is located in Greenwood County and lies 328 miles [527.9 km]<1> to the west of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greenwood County community of Madison.
- Riley 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 Kansas community of Madison [Riley County].
- Maine
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Calhoun 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 Michigan community of Madison [Calhoun County].
- Lenawee 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 Michigan community of Madison [Lenawee County].
- Livingston 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 Michigan community of Madison [Livingston County].
- Minnesota
- Lac qui Parle County
- This Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County and lies 537 miles [864.2 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lac qui Parle County community of Madison.
- Mower County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Mower County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mower County community of Madison.
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Jackson 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 Ohio community of Madison [Jackson County].
- Lake County
- This Madison is located in Lake County and lies 522 miles [840.1 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lake County community of Madison.
- Richland 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 Ohio community of Madison [Richland County].
- Pennsylvania
- Saskatchewan
- This Madison lies 1,259 miles [2,026.2 km]<1> to the northwest of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- South Carolina
- Aiken County
- This Madison is located in Aiken County and lies 582 miles [936.6 km]<1> to the southeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Aiken County community of Madison.
- Oconee County
- This Madison is located in Oconee County and lies 473 miles [761.2 km] to the southeast of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oconee County community of Madison.
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Madison County
- This Madison is located in Madison County and lies 640 miles [1,030 km]<1> to the east of the Madison that is located in Madison County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of Madison.
- Orange 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 Virginia community of Madison [Orange County].
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Madison ...
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.
- Bunkum
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunkum
- Bunkum is located in Saint Clair County
- Caseyville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caseyville
- Caseyville is located in Saint Clair County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,115 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caseyville <4>
- Cedar Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Park have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Park
- Cedar Park is located in Madison County
- Eagle Park
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Park have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Park
- Eagle Park is located in Madison County
- Four Corners
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
- Four Corners is located in Madison County
- French Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Village have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Village
- French Village is located in Saint Clair County
- Golden Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gardens
- Golden Gardens is located in Saint Clair County
- Granite City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granite City
- Granite City is located in Madison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,959 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Granite City <4>
- Hilltop
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Continue List (6 more) ...
- Jeff Vander Lou
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jeff Vander Lou have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeff Vander Lou
- Jeff Vander Lou is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Meadow Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Heights
- Meadow Heights is located in Madison County
- Mitchell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Mitchell is located in Madison County
- National City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for National City have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for National City
- National City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for National City <4>
- Pontoon Beach
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pontoon Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoon Beach
- Pontoon Beach is located in Madison County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,655 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pontoon Beach <4>
- Rose Lake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jeff Vander Lou
How Far From Madison 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 city such as Madison to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Madison and extending to:
- Edwardsville, which is the Seat of Madison County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Madison to Edwardsville, 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 80 miles [128.7 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 703 miles [1,131.4 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 28 days and walking would take 40 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,431 miles [10,349.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,166 miles [11,532.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,046 miles [8,120.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Madison. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Madison County: www.co.madison.il.us/
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- Madison) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Madison. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6777, Longitude: -90.1105 In this case, the coordinates for Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <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 Madison 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 316.017 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.697 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.596 degrees. |