Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rockford, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rockford and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rockford
- 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 Rockford:
- 42.268935, -89.084680
- 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 Rockford
- 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 Winnebago County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Winnebago County
- Since Rockford is near Boone County and also Ogle County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Boone County
- eBird sighting report for Ogle 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 Rockford ...
We found 26 communities that share the name Rockford.
Within Illinois, the name Rockford is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another 26 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 26 communities, 24 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Jackson County
- This Rockford is located in Jackson County and lies 281 miles [452.2 km]<1> to the southeast of the Rockford that is located in Winnebago County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Rockford.
- Wells County
- This Rockford is located in Wells County and lies 221 miles [355.7 km] to the east southeast of the Rockford that is located in Winnebago County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wells County community of Rockford.
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Carroll County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Carroll County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carroll County community of Rockford.
- Cass 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 Missouri community of Rockford [Cass County].
- Chariton County
- This Rockford is located in Chariton County and lies 284 miles [457.1 km]<1> to the southwest of the Rockford that is located in Winnebago County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chariton County community of Rockford.
- Montana
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Mercer County
- This Rockford is located in Mercer County and lies 253 miles [407.2 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Rockford that is located in Winnebago County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mercer County community of Rockford.
- Tuscarawas County
- This Rockford is located in Tuscarawas County and lies 421 miles [677.5 km] to the east southeast of the Rockford that is located in Winnebago County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscarawas County community of Rockford.
- Ontario
- This Rockford lies 438 miles [704.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Rockford that is located in Winnebago County.
- Oregon
- Saskatchewan
- This Rockford lies 931 miles [1,498.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Rockford that is located in Winnebago County.
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rockford ...
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.
- Cheyenne Heights
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cheyenne Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheyenne Heights
- Cheyenne Heights is located in Winnebago County
- Coreys Bluff
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coreys Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coreys Bluff
- Coreys Bluff is located in Winnebago County
- Coventry Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coventry Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventry Creek
- Coventry Creek is located in Winnebago County
- Harlem
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Hickory Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Creek
- Hickory Creek is located in Winnebago County
- Indian Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jonesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
- Jonesville is located in Winnebago County
- Loves Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loves Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Park
- Loves Park is located in Winnebago County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,382 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loves Park <5>
- Motor Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Motor Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motor Heights
- Motor Heights is located in Winnebago County
- Panorama Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panorama Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panorama Valley
- Panorama Valley is located in Winnebago County
- Ruby
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Silver Hills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Hills
- Silver Hills is located in Winnebago County
How Far From Rockford 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 Rockford to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rockford and extending to:
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 174 miles [280 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Rockford to Springfield, with an average speed<6>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take about three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 10 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 672 miles [1,081.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 39 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,216 miles [10,003.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,958 miles [11,197.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,846 miles [7,798.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Rockford: www.cityofrockford.net/
The official website for Winnebago County: www.co.winnebago.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- Rockford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rockford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2689, Longitude: -89.0847 |
| <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 Rockford 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 Rockford, 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 Rockford 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 315.405 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.492 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.181 degrees. |