Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Payson, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Payson and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Payson
- 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 Payson:
- 39.817402, -91.241827
- 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 Payson
- 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 Adams County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Adams County
- Since Payson is near Pike County and also Marion County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Pike County
- eBird sighting report for Marion 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 Payson ...
We found three communities that share the name Payson.
Within Illinois, the name Payson is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another three communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arizona
- Oklahoma
- Utah
Curious and Interesting Names Near Payson ...
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.
- Aladdin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Cave City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Hannibal
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannibal
- Hannibal is located in Marion County (MO)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,246 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hannibal <3>
- Hickory Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
- Hickory Grove is located in Adams County
- Holiday Hills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holiday Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Hills
- Holiday Hills is located in Adams County
- Hull
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hull have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
- Hull is located in Pike County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hull <3>
- Kinderhook
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinderhook
- Kinderhook is located in Pike County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kinderhook <3>
- Lamb
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Liberty
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Liberty is located in Adams County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 500 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liberty <3>
- Lincoln Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Hills
- Lincoln Hills is located in Adams County
- Marblehead
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marblehead
- Marblehead is located in Adams County
- Meadowbrook
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
- Meadowbrook is located in Adams County
- Continue List (4 more) ...
- Monkey Run
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monkey Run have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monkey Run
- Monkey Run is located in Ralls County (MO)
- Plainville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville
- Plainville is located in Adams County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plainville <3>
- Shepherd
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Sunnybrook Meadows
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnybrook Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybrook Meadows
- Sunnybrook Meadows is located in Adams County
- Monkey Run
How Far From Payson to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a village such as Payson to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Payson and extending to:
- Quincy, which is the Seat of Adams County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Payson to Quincy, with an average speed<4> 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 84 miles [135.2 km] to the east (E). 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 760 miles [1,223.1 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 30 days and walking would take 44 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,416 miles [10,325.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,156 miles [11,516.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,040 miles [8,111.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Payson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Adams County: www.co.adams.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' (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- Payson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Payson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8174, Longitude: -91.2418 |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | 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 Payson to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 316.808 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 313.762 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.874 degrees. |