Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in West Salem, we use the following websites to find information relevant to West Salem and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for West Salem
- 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 West Salem:
- 38.520606, -88.008226
- 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 West Salem
- 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 Edwards County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Edwards County
- Since West Salem is near Richland County and also Wabash County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Richland County
- eBird sighting report for Wabash 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 West Salem ...
We found four communities that share the name West Salem.
Within Illinois, the name West Salem is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- North Carolina
- Forsyth County
- This West Salem is located in Forsyth County and lies 457 miles [735.5 km]<1> to the east southeast of the West Salem that is located in Edwards County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Forsyth County community of West Salem.
- Ohio
- Wayne County
- This West Salem is located in Wayne County and lies 355 miles [571.3 km]<1> to the east northeast of the West Salem that is located in Edwards County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of West Salem.
- Oregon
- Polk County
- This West Salem is located in Polk County and lies 1,844 miles [2,967.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the West Salem that is located in Edwards County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Polk County community of West Salem.
- Wisconsin
- La Crosse County
- This West Salem is located in La Crosse County and lies 404 miles [650.2 km]<1> to the north northwest of the West Salem that is located in Edwards County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the La Crosse County community of West Salem.
- North Carolina
Curious and Interesting Names Near West Salem ...
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.
- Bone Gap
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bone Gap
- Bone Gap is located in Edwards County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bone Gap <2>
- Elbow
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest) - Friendsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendsville
- Friendsville is located in Wabash County
- Gallagher
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest) - Helena
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Maple Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
- Maple Grove is located in Edwards County
- Marion
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Maud
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast) - Red Top
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south) - Samsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Seminary
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
How Far From West Salem 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 West Salem to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in West Salem and extending to:
- Albion, which is the Seat of Edwards County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from West Salem to Albion, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 123 miles [197.9 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 591 miles [951.1 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<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,359 miles [10,233.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,089 miles [11,408.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,966 miles [7,992 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Salem. 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- West Salem) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Salem. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5206, Longitude: -88.0082 |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 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 West Salem 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 314.647 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.10 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.656 degrees. |