Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Mechanicsburg, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Mechanicsburg and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Mechanicsburg
- 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 Mechanicsburg:
- 39.809746, -89.396973
- 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 Mechanicsburg
- 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 Sangamon County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Sangamon County
- Since Mechanicsburg is near Christian County and also Logan County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Christian County
- eBird sighting report for Logan 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 Mechanicsburg ...
We found fifteen communities that share the name Mechanicsburg.
Within Illinois, the name Mechanicsburg is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another fifteen communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Indiana
- Boone County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Boone County and lies 156 miles [251.1 km]<1> to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Boone County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Clay County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Clay County and lies 123 miles [197.9 km] to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clay County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Decatur County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Decatur County and lies 216 miles [347.6 km] to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Decatur County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Henry County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Henry County and lies 203 miles [326.7 km] to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henry County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Madison 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 Indiana community of Mechanicsburg [Madison County].
- Mississippi
- Yazoo County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Yazoo County and lies 499 miles [803.1 km]<1> to the south of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yazoo County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Missouri
- Macon County
- Although located in Macon County, we don't know the location within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Macon County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Ohio
- Champaign County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Champaign County and lies 309 miles [497.3 km]<1> to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Champaign County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Crawford County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Crawford County and lies 356 miles [572.9 km] to the east northeast of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Crawford County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Monroe County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Monroe County and lies 441 miles [709.7 km] to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Wayne County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Wayne County and lies 396 miles [637.3 km] to the east northeast of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Pennsylvania
- Beaver County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Beaver County and lies 477 miles [767.7 km]<1> to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Beaver County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Cumberland County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Cumberland County and lies 655 miles [1,054.1 km] to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cumberland County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Virginia
- Bland County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Bland County and lies 492 miles [791.8 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bland County community of Mechanicsburg.
- West Virginia
- Hampshire County
- This Mechanicsburg is located in Hampshire County and lies 564 miles [907.7 km]<1> to the east of the Mechanicsburg that is located in Sangamon County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hampshire County community of Mechanicsburg.
- Indiana
Curious and Interesting Names Near Mechanicsburg ...
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.
- Berry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Blueville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south) - Bolivia
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivia
- Bolivia is located in Christian County
- Buffalo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
- Buffalo is located in Sangamon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 473 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buffalo <4>
- Cascade
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Clear Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
- Clear Lake is located in Sangamon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Cornland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornland
- Cornland is located in Logan County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cornland <4>
- Edinburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edinburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edinburg
- Edinburg is located in Christian County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,006 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edinburg <4>
- Grandview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west) - Grove City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
- Grove City is located in Christian County
- Lake Fork
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Fork
- Lake Fork is located in Logan County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Fork <4>
- Lanesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lanesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
- Lanesville is located in Sangamon County
- Peabody
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest) - Shale Bluff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shale Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shale Bluff
- Shale Bluff is located in Sangamon County
How Far From Mechanicsburg 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 village such as Mechanicsburg to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Mechanicsburg and extending to:
- Springfield, which is the Seat of Sangamon County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Mechanicsburg to Springfield, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 13 miles [20.9 km] to the west (W). The buggy would take four to five hours and walking would take 6 hours.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 662 miles [1,065.4 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 38 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,348 miles [10,216.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,085 miles [11,402.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,966 miles [7,992 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Mechanicsburg. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Sangamon County: www.co.sangamon.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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Mechanicsburg) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mechanicsburg. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8097, Longitude: -89.3970 |
| <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 Mechanicsburg 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> | 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. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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 Mechanicsburg to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 315.583 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.354 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.985 degrees. |