RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Vermilion County >> Newell >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Newell, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Newell 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 Newell:
    • 40.161387, -87.583995
    • 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 Newell
  • 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 Vermilion County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Vermilion County
    • Since Newell is near Warren County and also Vermillion County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Warren County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Vermillion 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 Newell

Communities Also Named Newell ...

We found thirteen communities that are also named Newell.

Within Illinois, the name Newell is unique.

Beyond Illinois, we know of thirteen communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Randolph County
      • This Newell is located in Randolph County and lies 479 miles [770.9 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of Newell.
    • Arkansas
      • Union County
      • This Newell is located in Union County and lies 561 miles [902.8 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Union County community of Newell.
    • California
      • Modoc County
      • This Newell is located in Modoc County and lies 1,752 miles [2,819.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Modoc County community of Newell.
    • Georgia
      • Charlton County
      • This Newell is located in Charlton County and lies 708 miles [1,139.4 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charlton County community of Newell.
    • Iowa
      • Buena Vista County
      • This Newell is located in Buena Vista County and lies 419 miles [674.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Buena Vista County community of Newell.
    • Kentucky
      • Pulaski 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 Kentucky community of Newell [Pulaski County].
    • North Carolina
      • Mecklenburg County
      • This Newell is located in Mecklenburg County and lies 503 miles [809.5 km]<1> to the southeast of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mecklenburg County community of Newell.
    • Ohio
      • Jefferson County
      • This Newell is located in Jefferson County and lies 355 miles [571.3 km]<1> to the east of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Newell.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Fayette County
      • This Newell is located in Fayette County and lies 405 miles [651.8 km]<1> to the east of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Newell.
    • South Carolina
      • Anderson County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Anderson County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Anderson County community of Newell.
    • South Dakota
      • Butte County
      • This Newell is located in Butte County and lies 864 miles [1,390.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Butte County community of Newell.
    • Tennessee
      • Gibson County
      • This Newell is located in Gibson County and lies 290 miles [466.7 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gibson County community of Newell.
    • West Virginia
      • Hancock County
      • This Newell is located in Hancock County and lies 368 miles [592.2 km]<1> to the east of the Newell that is located in Vermilion County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hancock County community of Newell.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Newell ...

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.

  • Belgium
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Belgium is located in Vermilion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgium
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 362 people
  • Bucktown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Bucktown is located in Vermilion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucktown
  • Danville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Denmark ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Flat Iron
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Flat Iron is located in Vermillion County (IN)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Iron
  • Glenburn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Grape Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Grape Creek is located in Vermilion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grape Creek
  • Hartshorn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hartshorn is located in Vermilion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartshorn
  • Hillery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Himrod
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Himrod is located in Vermilion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Himrod
  • Kellyville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Kellyville is located in Vermilion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellyville
  • Romine Corner
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Romine Corner is located in Warren County (IN)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romine Corner
  • Tree Spring
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Unionville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Unionville is located in Vermilion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville

How Far From Newell 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 Newell to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Newell and extending to:

  • Danville, which is the Seat of Vermilion County, lies just to the Southwest.
  • Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 112 miles [180.2 km]<1> to the west southwest (WSW). If you could drive a straight line from Newell to Springfield, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take about two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 7 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 5 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 568 miles [914.1 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 23 days and walking would take 33 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,263 miles [10,079.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,997 miles [11,260.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,877 miles [7,848.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

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 from Point A (ie- Newell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Newell 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 Newell, 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>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 Newell 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 Newell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.1614, Longitude: -87.5840       In this case, the coordinates for Newell have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.401 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.048 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.027 degrees.