Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Back Bay, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Back Bay and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Back Bay
- 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 Back Bay:
- 42.350097, -71.086996
- 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 Back Bay
- 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 Suffolk County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Suffolk County
- Since Back Bay is near Norfolk County and also Middlesex County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Norfolk County
- eBird sighting report for Middlesex 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 Back Bay ...
We found two communities that share the name Back Bay.
Within Massachusetts, the name Back Bay is unique.
Beyond Massachusetts, 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 ...
- Maryland
- New Brunswick
- This Back Bay lies 281 miles [452.2 km]<1> to the northeast of the Back Bay that is located in Suffolk County.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Back Bay ...
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.
- Boston
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston
- Boston is located in Suffolk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 691,531 people
- Chestnut Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
- Chestnut Hill is located in Middlesex County
- Downtown Crossing
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downtown Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downtown Crossing
- Downtown Crossing is located in Suffolk County
- Everett
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everett
- Everett is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46,107 people
- Fields Corner
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fields Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fields Corner
- Fields Corner is located in Suffolk County
- Fort Independence
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Independence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Independence
- Fort Independence is located in Suffolk County
- Grove Hall
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Hall
- Grove Hall is located in Suffolk County
- Longwood Station
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood Station
- Longwood Station is located in Norfolk County
- Meeting House Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meeting House Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeting House Hill
- Meeting House Hill is located in Suffolk County
- Mount Hope
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
- Mount Hope is located in Suffolk County
- Reservoir
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Strawberry Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Hill
- Strawberry Hill is located in Middlesex County
- Winter Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winter Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winter Hill
- Winter Hill is located in Middlesex County
How Far From Back Bay 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 Back Bay to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Back Bay and extending to:
- Boston, which is the Seat of Suffolk County, lies just to the East Northeast.
- Boston, which is the State Capital of Massachusetts, lies just to the east northeast (ENE).
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 392 miles [630.9 km]<1> to the southwest (SW). If you could drive a straight line from Back Bay to White House, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 23 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 16 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,505 miles [8,859.4 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,212 miles [9,997.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,088 miles [6,579 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Back Bay. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Back Bay) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Back Bay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3501, Longitude: -71.0870 In this case, the coordinates for Back Bay have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 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. |
| <4> | 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 Back Bay to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 303.993 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 299.589 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 300.588 degrees. |