Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Shafter, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Shafter and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Shafter
- 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 Shafter:
- 39.013656, -89.185071
- 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 Shafter
- 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 Fayette County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Fayette County
- Since Shafter is near Montgomery County and also Bond County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Montgomery County
- eBird sighting report for Bond 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 Shafter ...
We found six communities that share the name Shafter.
Within Illinois, the name Shafter is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another six communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Kern County
- This Shafter is located in Kern County and lies 1,663 miles [2,676.3 km]<1> to the west of the Shafter that is located in Fayette County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kern County community of Shafter.
- Marin County
- This Shafter is located in Marin County and lies 1,802 miles [2,900 km] to the west of the Shafter that is located in Fayette County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marin County community of Shafter.
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Nevada
- Texas
- California
Curious and Interesting Names Near Shafter ...
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.
- Bluff City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Bluff City is located in Fayette County
- Confidence
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Confidence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Confidence
- Confidence is located in Fayette County
- Elm Point ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west) - Greenville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Greenville is located in Bond County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,365 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenville <4>
- Hookdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest) - Jimtown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest) - Mulberry Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry Grove
- Mulberry Grove is located in Bond County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 570 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mulberry Grove <4>
- Paisley Corners
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paisley Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paisley Corners
- Paisley Corners is located in Bond County
- Pinhook ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast) - Pleasant Mound
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Mound
- Pleasant Mound is located in Bond County
- Post Oak
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east) - Twin Churches
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Churches have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Churches
- Twin Churches is located in Fayette County
How Far From Shafter 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 Shafter to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Shafter and extending to:
- Vandalia, which is the Seat of Fayette County, lies just to the East Southeast.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 58 miles [93.3 km]<1> to the north northwest (NNW). If you could walk a straight line from Shafter to Springfield, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of three days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take over two days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 651 miles [1,047.7 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take just over a day, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 37 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,380 miles [10,267.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,113 miles [11,447.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,993 miles [8,035.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shafter. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
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- Shafter) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shafter. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.0137, Longitude: -89.1851 In this case, the coordinates for Shafter have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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 Shafter, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 Shafter 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 315.423 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.06 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.081 degrees. |