Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Mason, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Mason and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Mason
- 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 Mason:
- 38.953449, -88.624769
- 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 Mason
- 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 Effingham County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Effingham County
- Since Mason is near Clay County and also Fayette County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Clay County
- eBird sighting report for Fayette 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 Mason ...
We found 38 communities that share the name Mason.
There is one other community in Illinois which is also named Mason.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another 37 communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In Illinois ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Lassen 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 California community of Mason [Lassen County].
- San Francisco 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 California community of Mason [San Francisco County].
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Grant County
- This Mason is located in Grant County and lies 219 miles [352.4 km]<1> to the east of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grant County community of Mason.
- Magoffin County
- This Mason is located in Magoffin County and lies 313 miles [503.7 km] to the east southeast of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Magoffin County community of Mason.
- Louisiana
- Franklin Parish
- This Mason is located in Franklin Parish and lies 509 miles [819.2 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin Parish community of Mason.
- Tangipahoa Parish
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Louisiana community of Mason [Tangipahoa Parish].
- Michigan
- Delta 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 Mason [Delta County].
- Houghton County
- This Mason is located in Houghton County and lies 565 miles [909.3 km]<1> to the north of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Houghton County community of Mason.
- Ingham County
- This Mason is located in Ingham County and lies 332 miles [534.3 km] to the northeast of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ingham County community of Mason.
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Carbon 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 Montana community of Mason [Carbon County].
- Custer 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 Montana community of Mason [Custer County].
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Mason County
- This Mason is located in Mason County and lies 824 miles [1,326.1 km]<1> to the southwest of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mason County community of Mason.
- Sabine County
- This Mason is located in Sabine County and lies 606 miles [975.3 km] to the south southwest of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sabine County community of Mason.
- Virginia
- Fairfax 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 Mason [Fairfax County].
- Sussex County
- This Mason is located in Sussex County and lies 630 miles [1,013.9 km]<1> to the east of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of Mason.
- Washington
- Mason 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 Washington community of Mason [Mason County].
- Spokane County
- This Mason is located in Spokane County and lies 1,567 miles [2,521.8 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Mason that is located in Effingham County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Spokane County community of Mason.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Mason ...
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.
- Bible Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bible Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bible Grove
- Bible Grove is located in Clay County
- Elliottstown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elliottstown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottstown
- Elliottstown is located in Effingham County
- Evers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast) - Farina
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farina have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farina
- Farina is located in Fayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 495 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farina <5>
- Funkhouser
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
- Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
- Heartville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartville
- Heartville is located in Effingham County
- Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Hoosier
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast) - Hord
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast) - Howards Point ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howards Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
- Howards Point is located in Fayette County
- Loogootee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loogootee have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loogootee
- Loogootee is located in Fayette County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loogootee <5>
How Far From Mason 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 town such as Mason to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Mason and extending to:
- Effingham, which is the Seat of Effingham County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Mason to Effingham, 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 79 miles [127.1 km] to the northwest (NW). 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 622 miles [1,001 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 6,361 miles [10,237 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,094 miles [11,416.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,973 miles [8,003.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Mason. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Effingham County: www.co.effingham.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 '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- Mason) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mason. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.9534, Longitude: -88.6248 |
| <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 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 Mason 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 Mason, 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 Mason 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 315.057 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.631 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.833 degrees. |