RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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The Commemorative Quarter for Illinois





Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Oak Forest, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Oak Forest and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Oak Forest:
    • 41.606055, -87.753463
    • 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 Oak Forest
  • 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 Oak Forest ...

We found 26 communities that share the name Oak Forest.

Within Illinois, the name Oak Forest is unique.

Beyond Illinois, we know of another 26 communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Jefferson County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Jefferson County and lies 555 miles [893.2 km]<1> to the south of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Oak Forest.
    • Arkansas
      • Lee County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Lee County and lies 499 miles [803.1 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lee County community of Oak Forest.
      • Lonoke County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Lonoke County and lies 512 miles [824 km] to the south southwest of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lonoke County community of Oak Forest.
      • Phillips County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Phillips County and lies 512 miles [824 km] to the south southwest of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Phillips County community of Oak Forest.
      • Pulaski County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Pulaski County and lies 534 miles [859.4 km] to the south southwest of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pulaski County community of Oak Forest.
    • Florida
      • Hillsborough County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Hillsborough County and lies 985 miles [1,585.2 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of Oak Forest.
    • Georgia
      • Chatham County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Chatham County and lies 757 miles [1,218.3 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chatham County community of Oak Forest.
      • Clayton County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Clayton County and lies 580 miles [933.4 km] to the south southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clayton County community of Oak Forest.
    • Indiana
      • Franklin County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Franklin County and lies 207 miles [333.1 km]<1> to the southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Oak Forest.
    • Kentucky
      • Allen County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Allen County and lies 349 miles [561.7 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allen County community of Oak Forest.
    • Louisiana
      • East Baton Rouge Parish
      • This Oak Forest is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and lies 789 miles [1,269.8 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the East Baton Rouge Parish community of Oak Forest.
      • Terrebonne Parish
      • This Oak Forest is located in Terrebonne Parish and lies 845 miles [1,359.9 km] to the south southwest of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Terrebonne Parish community of Oak Forest.
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Baltimore County and lies 600 miles [965.6 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Baltimore County community of Oak Forest.
    • North Carolina
      • Buncombe County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Buncombe County and lies 507 miles [815.9 km]<1> to the southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Buncombe County community of Oak Forest.
      • Iredell 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 North Carolina community of Oak Forest [Iredell County].
      • Johnston County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Johnston County and lies 662 miles [1,065.4 km] to the southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Johnston County community of Oak Forest.
      • Wayne County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Wayne County and lies 682 miles [1,097.6 km] to the southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Oak Forest.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Greene County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Greene County and lies 411 miles [661.4 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greene County community of Oak Forest.
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Charleston County and lies 742 miles [1,194.1 km]<1> to the southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charleston County community of Oak Forest.
      • Florence County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Florence County and lies 668 miles [1,075 km] to the southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Florence County community of Oak Forest.
      • Spartanburg County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Spartanburg County and lies 557 miles [896.4 km] to the southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Spartanburg County community of Oak Forest.
    • Texas
      • Gonzales County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Gonzales County and lies 1,000 miles [1,609.3 km]<1> to the southwest of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gonzales County community of Oak Forest.
      • Harris County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Harris County and lies 919 miles [1,479 km] to the south southwest of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Harris County community of Oak Forest.
    • Virginia
      • Chesterfield County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Chesterfield County and lies 624 miles [1,004.2 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chesterfield County community of Oak Forest.
      • Cumberland County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Cumberland County and lies 580 miles [933.4 km] to the east southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cumberland County community of Oak Forest.
      • Hanover County
      • This Oak Forest is located in Hanover County and lies 615 miles [989.7 km] to the east southeast of the Oak Forest that is located in Cook County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hanover County community of Oak Forest.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Oak Forest ...

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.

  • Alpine
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
    • Alpine is located in Cook County
  • Flossmoor
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flossmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flossmoor
    • Flossmoor is located in Cook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,018 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flossmoor <4>
  • Harvey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Hazel Green
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel Green have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Green
    • Hazel Green is located in Cook County
  • Homewood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mount Greenwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Greenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Greenwood
    • Mount Greenwood is located in Cook County
  • Robbins
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Worth
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Worth have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worth
    • Worth is located in Cook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,334 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Worth <4>

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

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

  • Chicago, which is the Seat of Cook County, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<1> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Oak Forest to Chicago, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 hours.
  • Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 160 miles [257.5 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 9 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 594 miles [956 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 34 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,200 miles [9,977.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,938 miles [11,165.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,821 miles [7,758.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

The official website for Oak Forest: www.oak-forest.org/

The official website for Cook County: www.co.cook.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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Oak Forest) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oak Forest. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.6061, Longitude: -87.7535       In this case, the coordinates for Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest 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 314.517 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.385 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.705 degrees.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024