Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rankin, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rankin and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rankin
- 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 Rankin:
- 40.464602, -87.896070
- 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 Rankin
- 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:
- eBird sighting report for Vermilion County
- Since Rankin is near Ford County and also Iroquois County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Ford County
- eBird sighting report for Iroquois 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 Rankin ...
We found 25 communities that share the name Rankin.
There is one other community in Illinois which is also named Rankin.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another 24 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 24 communities, 24 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Located In Illinois ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Little River County
- 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 Arkansas community of Rankin [Little River County].
- Perry County
- This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Rankin [Perry County].
- California
- Kentucky
- Clark County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Rankin [Clark County].
- Henderson County
- This Rankin is located in Henderson County and lies 185 miles [297.7 km]<2> to the south of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henderson County community of Rankin.
- Wayne County
- This Rankin is located in Wayne County and lies 295 miles [474.8 km] to the southeast of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Rankin.
- Michigan
- Genesee County
- This Rankin is located in Genesee County and lies 272 miles [437.7 km]<2> to the northeast of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Genesee County community of Rankin.
- Oceana County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Rankin [Oceana County].
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Guilford County
- This Rankin is located in Guilford County and lies 532 miles [856.2 km]<2> to the east southeast of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Guilford County community of Rankin.
- Mecklenburg County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the North Carolina community of Rankin [Mecklenburg County].
- Pender 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 North Carolina community of Rankin [Pender County].
- Oklahoma
- Ontario
- This Rankin lies 617 miles [993 km]<2> to the northeast of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Cocke County
- This Rankin is located in Cocke County and lies 396 miles [637.3 km]<2> to the southeast of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cocke County community of Rankin.
- Maury County
- This Rankin is located in Maury County and lies 340 miles [547.2 km] to the south of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Maury County community of Rankin.
- Texas
- Ellis County
- This Rankin is located in Ellis County and lies 751 miles [1,208.6 km]<2> to the southwest of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ellis County community of Rankin.
- Hidalgo County
- This Rankin is located in Hidalgo County and lies 1,138 miles [1,831.4 km] to the southwest of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hidalgo County community of Rankin.
- Upton County
- This Rankin is located in Upton County and lies 1,010 miles [1,625.4 km] to the southwest of the Rankin that is located in Vermilion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Upton County community of Rankin.
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rankin ...
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.
- Blue Grass ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Grass have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Grass
- Blue Grass is located in Vermilion County
- Clarence
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Fountain Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Creek
- Fountain Creek is located in Iroquois County
- Gerald
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south) - Goodwine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwine
- Goodwine is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goodwine <5>
- Gray Ford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast) - Hustle
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Pitchin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
How Far From Rankin 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 Rankin to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rankin and extending to:
- Danville, which is the Seat of Vermilion County, lies 27 miles [43.5 km]<2> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Rankin to Danville, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 103 miles [165.8 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take 4 days and walking would take 6 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 586 miles [943.1 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 23 days and walking would take 34 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,260 miles [10,074.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,996 miles [11,259 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,876 miles [7,847.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rankin. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Vermilion County: www.co.vermilion.il.us/
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Rankin 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. |
| <2> | 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 from Point A (ie- Rankin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rankin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.4646, Longitude: -87.8961 In this case, the coordinates for Rankin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Rankin, 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 Rankin 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 314.608 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.327 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.094 degrees. |