Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Shirley, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Shirley and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Shirley
- 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 Shirley:
- 30.978247, -92.205405
- 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 Shirley
- 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 parish-by-parish basis. We have selected Avoyelles Parish as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Avoyelles Parish
- Since Shirley is near Rapides Parish and also Evangeline Parish, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Rapides Parish
- eBird sighting report for Evangeline Parish
- 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 Shirley ...
We found 36 communities that share the name Shirley.
Within Louisiana, the name Shirley is unique.
Beyond Louisiana, we know of another 36 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 36 communities, 34 are located in the United States and four are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Covington County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Shirley [Covington County].
- Tuscaloosa County
- This Shirley is located in Tuscaloosa County and lies 307 miles [494.1 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscaloosa County community of Shirley.
- Arkansas
- British Columbia
- This Shirley lies 2,045 miles [3,291.1 km]<2> to the northwest of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- California
- Kings County
- This Shirley is located in Kings County and lies 1,615 miles [2,599.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kings County community of Shirley.
- Orange County
- This Shirley is located in Orange County and lies 1,513 miles [2,434.9 km] to the west northwest of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of Shirley.
- Colorado
- Chaffee County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Shirley [Chaffee County].
- El Paso County
- This Shirley is located in El Paso County and lies 890 miles [1,432.3 km]<2> to the northwest of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the El Paso County community of Shirley.
- Saguache County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Shirley [Saguache County].
- Illinois
- Jefferson County
- This Shirley is located in Jefferson County and lies 539 miles [867.4 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Shirley.
- McLean County
- This Shirley is located in McLean County and lies 674 miles [1,084.7 km] to the north northeast of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the McLean County community of Shirley.
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Middlesex County
- This Shirley is located in Middlesex County and lies 1,383 miles [2,225.7 km]<2> to the northeast of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Middlesex County community of Shirley.
- Suffolk County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Massachusetts community of Shirley [Suffolk County].
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Erie County
- This Shirley is located in Erie County and lies 1,084 miles [1,744.5 km]<2> to the northeast of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Erie County community of Shirley.
- Suffolk County
- This Shirley is located in Suffolk County and lies 1,272 miles [2,047.1 km] to the northeast of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Suffolk County community of Shirley.
- Ontario
- Pennsylvania
- Huntingdon County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Pennsylvania community of Shirley [Huntingdon County].
- Westmoreland County
- This Shirley is located in Westmoreland County and lies 967 miles [1,556.2 km]<2> to the northeast of the Shirley that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Westmoreland County community of Shirley.
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Shirley ...
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.
- Bunkie
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunkie
- Bunkie is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,826 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunkie <4>
- Centerville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Centerville is located in Evangeline Parish
- Cottonport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonport
- Cottonport is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,867 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cottonport <4>
- Enterprise
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Evergreen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Evergreen is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 287 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evergreen <4>
- Gold Dust
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Lone Pine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Norma
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast) - Oklahoma
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Star ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Witchwood ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
How Far From Shirley to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Shirley to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Shirley once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Shirley and extending to:
- Marksville, which is the Seat of Avoyelles Parish, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<2> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Shirley to Marksville, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Baton Rouge, which is the State Capital of Louisiana, lies 72 miles [115.9 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 most of three days and walking would take 4 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,015 miles [1,633.5 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take over two days, a buggy would take 40 days and walking would take 58 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,898 miles [11,101.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,613 miles [12,251.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,489 miles [8,833.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for State of Louisiana: louisiana.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's 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 Shirley 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 parish. 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. |
| <2> | 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 from Point A (ie- Shirley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shirley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.9782, Longitude: -92.2054 In this case, the coordinates for Shirley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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 Shirley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Shirley to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 316.751 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.516 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 312.918 degrees. |