RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Cook County >> Shermer Square >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Shermer Square, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Shermer Square 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 Shermer Square:
    • 42.133611, -87.820833
    • 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.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Shermer Square
  • 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 Cook County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Cook County
    • Since Shermer Square is near Lake County and also DuPage County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Lake County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for DuPage 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Shermer Square

Curious and Interesting Names Near Shermer Square ...

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.

  • Ancient Tree
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Ancient Tree is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ancient Tree
  • Arrowhead
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Arrowhead is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowhead
  • Birch Pond
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Birch Pond is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch Pond
  • Buttonwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Buttonwood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttonwood
  • Charring Cross
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Charring Cross is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charring Cross
  • Cobblewood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cobblewood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobblewood
  • Colonial Village
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Colonial Village is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
  • Covenant Village
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Covenant Village is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covenant Village
  • Cozy Corner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cozy Corner is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cozy Corner
  • Driftwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Driftwood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood
  • Edgewood Grove
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Edgewood Grove is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood Grove
  • Fair Meadows
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Fair Meadows is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Meadows
  • Continue List   (27 more) ...
    • Fair Oaks
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Fair Oaks is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
    • Fox Hedge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Fox Hedge is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Hedge
    • Fox Run
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Fox Run is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Run
    • Garden Court
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Garden Court is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Court
    • Heathercrest
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Heathercrest is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathercrest
    • Lane Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Lane Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane Park
    • Lee Woods
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Lee Woods is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Woods
    • Mallard Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Mallard Creek is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallard Creek
    • Maple Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Maple Ridge is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Ridge
    • Meadow Green
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Meadow Green is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Green
    • Pheasant Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Pheasant Creek is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pheasant Creek
    • Royal Court
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Royal Court is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Court
    • Royal Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Royal Ridge is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Ridge
    • Solar Grove
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Solar Grove is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solar Grove
    • Sportmans Cove
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Sportmans Cove is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sportmans Cove
    • Stonebrook
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Stonebrook is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonebrook
    • Stonegate
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Stonegate is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonegate
    • Summerhill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Summerhill is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerhill
    • Sun Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Sun Ridge is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Ridge
    • Sunset Court
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Sunset Court is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Court
    • Sunset Fields
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Sunset Fields is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Fields
    • Sycamore Lane
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Sycamore Lane is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Lane
    • Thorn Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Thorn Hill is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorn Hill
    • Timber Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Timber Ridge is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Ridge
    • Willow Cove
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Willow Cove is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Cove
    • Willow Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Willow Creek is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek
    • Willow Wood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Willow Wood is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Wood

How Far From Shermer Square 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 Shermer Square to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Shermer Square and extending to:

  • Chicago, which is the Seat of Cook County, lies 20 miles [32.2 km]<1> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Shermer Square to Chicago, with an average speed<2> 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 most of a day.
  • Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 188 miles [302.6 km] to the south southwest (SSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 608 miles [978.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 24 days and walking would take 35 days.
  • The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,177 miles [9,940.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<4>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,916 miles [11,130.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,801 miles [7,726.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Shermer Square) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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.
<3>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 Shermer Square to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shermer Square. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.1336, Longitude: -87.8208       In this case, the coordinates for Shermer Square have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.559 degrees.
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.508 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.586 degrees.