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A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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The Commemorative
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The Commemorative Quarter for Kansas





Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Bala, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Bala and the surrounding area.

  • 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 Bala:
    • 39.309354, -96.949563
    • 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 Bala
  • 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 Bala ...

We found two communities that share the name Bala.

Within Kansas, the name Bala is unique.

Beyond Kansas, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these two communities, one is located in the United States and the other in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Ontario
      • This Bala lies 968 miles [1,557.8 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Bala that is located in Riley County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Montgomery County
      • This Bala is located in Montgomery County and lies 1,152 miles [1,854 km]<1> to the east of the Bala that is located in Riley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Bala.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Bala ...

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.

  • Elm Hollow Corner
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Hollow Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Hollow Corner
    • Elm Hollow Corner is located in Riley County
  • Green
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Industry
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ladysmith
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ladysmith. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladysmith
    • Ladysmith is located in Clay County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ladysmith
    • From Bala to Ladysmith
  • Leonardville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • May Day
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Oscar ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
    • Oscar is located in Clay County
  • Randolph
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)

How Far From Bala 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 community such as Bala to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Bala and extending to:

  • Manhattan, which is the Seat of Riley County, lies 21 miles [33.8 km]<1> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Bala to Manhattan, with an average speed<5> 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.
  • Topeka, which is the State Capital of Kansas, lies 70 miles [112.7 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,065 miles [1,714 km] to the east (E). Driving would take over two days, a buggy would take 42 days and walking would take 61 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,642 miles [10,689.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,392 miles [11,896.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,289 miles [8,511.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bala. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Riley County: www.rileycountyks.gov

The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.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- Bala) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bala. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.3094, Longitude: -96.9496    
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Bala 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 320.683 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 318.171 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 313.808 degrees.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025