RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Kentucky >> Estill County >> Crystal >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Crystal, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Crystal 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 Crystal:
    • 37.663418, -83.825475
    • 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 Crystal
  • 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 Estill County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Estill County
    • Since Crystal is near Lee County and also Powell County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Lee County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Powell 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 Crystal

Communities Also Named Crystal ...

We found 24 communities that are also named Crystal.

Within Kentucky, the name Crystal is unique.

Beyond Kentucky, we know of 24 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 24 communities, 23 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Colorado
      • Gunnison County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Crystal [Gunnison County].
    • Idaho
      • Custer County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Idaho community of Crystal [Custer County].
      • Power County
      • This Crystal is located in Power County and lies 1,543 miles [2,483.2 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Power County community of Crystal.
      • Washington County
      • This Crystal is located in Washington County and lies 1,769 miles [2,846.9 km] to the west northwest of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Crystal.
    • Indiana
      • Dubois County
      • This Crystal is located in Dubois County and lies 169 miles [272 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dubois County community of Crystal.
    • Iowa
      • Tama County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Iowa community of Crystal [Tama County].
    • Kansas
      • Harper County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Crystal [Harper County].
    • Maine
      • Aroostook County
      • This Crystal is located in Aroostook County and lies 977 miles [1,572.3 km]<2> to the northeast of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Aroostook County community of Crystal.
    • Michigan
      • Montcalm County
      • This Crystal is located in Montcalm County and lies 390 miles [627.6 km]<2> to the north of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montcalm County community of Crystal.
    • Minnesota
      • Hennepin County
      • This Crystal is located in Hennepin County and lies 708 miles [1,139.4 km]<2> to the northwest of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hennepin County community of Crystal.
    • Nevada
      • Clark County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Nevada community of Crystal [Clark County].
      • Nye County
      • This Crystal is located in Nye County and lies 1,774 miles [2,855 km]<2> to the west of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nye County community of Crystal.
    • New Hampshire
      • Coos County
      • This Crystal is located in Coos County and lies 806 miles [1,297.1 km]<2> to the northeast of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Coos County community of Crystal.
    • New Mexico
      • San Juan County
      • This Crystal is located in San Juan County and lies 1,389 miles [2,235.4 km]<2> to the west of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the San Juan County community of Crystal.
    • North Carolina
      • Guilford County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the North Carolina community of Crystal [Guilford County].
    • North Dakota
      • Pembina County
      • This Crystal is located in Pembina County and lies 1,024 miles [1,648 km]<2> to the northwest of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pembina County community of Crystal.
    • Oklahoma
      • Atoka County
      • This Crystal is located in Atoka County and lies 716 miles [1,152.3 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Atoka County community of Crystal.
    • Ontario
      • This Crystal lies 640 miles [1,030 km]<2> to the northeast of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
    • Oregon
      • Klamath County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Oregon community of Crystal [Klamath County].
    • Pennsylvania
      • Fayette County
      • This Crystal is located in Fayette County and lies 259 miles [416.8 km]<2> to the northeast of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Crystal.
      • Potter County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Pennsylvania community of Crystal [Potter County].
    • Tennessee
      • Obion County
      • This Crystal is located in Obion County and lies 306 miles [492.5 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Crystal that is located in Estill County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Obion County community of Crystal.
    • Virginia
      • Bedford County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Virginia community of Crystal [Bedford County].
    • West Virginia
      • Mercer County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the West Virginia community of Crystal [Mercer County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Crystal ...

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.

  • Cow Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cow Creek is located in Estill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cow Creek
  • Evelyn
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Evelyn is located in Estill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evelyn
  • Fixer
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Fixer is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fixer
  • Furnace
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Furnace is located in Estill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace
  • Mountain Spring
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Mountain Spring is located in Estill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Spring
  • Pilot
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Pilot is located in Estill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot
  • Pinnacle
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Pinnacle is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinnacle
  • Shade
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Shade is located in Estill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shade
  • Sparks
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sparks is located in Estill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparks
  • Walnut Gap
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Walnut Gap is located in Estill County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Gap
  • Willow
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Willow is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow
  • Yellow Rock
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Yellow Rock is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Rock

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

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

  • Irvine, which is the Seat of Estill County, lies just to the West Northwest.
  • Frankfort, which is the State Capital of Kentucky, lies 68 miles [109.4 km]<2> to the northwest (NW). If you could walk a straight line from Crystal to Frankfort, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take three full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take about three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 377 miles [606.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take 6 hours, a buggy would take 15 days and walking would take 22 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,234 miles [10,032.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,951 miles [11,186.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,826 miles [7,766.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Crystal, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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 from Point A (ie- Crystal) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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 Crystal 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.
<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 Crystal 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 Crystal. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.6634, Longitude: -83.8255       In this case, the coordinates for Crystal have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 312.005 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 307.95 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.02 degrees.