Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Boston, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Boston and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Boston
- 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 Boston:
- 42.361083, -71.057309
- 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 Boston
- 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 Boston is near Middlesex County and also Norfolk County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Middlesex County
- eBird sighting report for Norfolk 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 Boston ...
We found 36 communities that share the name Boston.
Within Massachusetts, the name Boston is unique.
Beyond Massachusetts, we know of another 36 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 36 communities, 35 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Covington County
- This Boston is located in Covington County and lies 1,132 miles [1,821.8 km]<1> to the southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Covington County community of Boston.
- Marion County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Boston [Marion County].
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Crawford County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Indiana community of Boston [Crawford County].
- Wayne County
- This Boston is located in Wayne County and lies 739 miles [1,189.3 km]<1> to the west of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Boston.
- Kansas
- Chautauqua County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Boston [Chautauqua County].
- Riley County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Boston [Riley County].
- Kentucky
- Butler County
- This Boston is located in Butler County and lies 909 miles [1,462.9 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Butler County community of Boston.
- Daviess County
- This Boston is located in Daviess County and lies 896 miles [1,442 km] to the west southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Daviess County community of Boston.
- Jefferson County
- This Boston is located in Jefferson County and lies 807 miles [1,298.7 km] to the west southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Boston.
- Nelson County
- This Boston is located in Nelson County and lies 832 miles [1,339 km] to the west southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nelson County community of Boston.
- Pendleton County
- This Boston is located in Pendleton County and lies 739 miles [1,189.3 km] to the west southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pendleton County community of Boston.
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Barton County
- This Boston is located in Barton County and lies 1,272 miles [2,047.1 km]<1> to the west of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Barton County community of Boston.
- Christian County
- Although located in Christian County, we don't know the location within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Christian County community of Boston.
- Monroe County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Monroe County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Boston.
- Warren County
- This community is historic and although located in Warren County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Warren County community of Boston.
- New York
- Ohio
- Belmont County
- This Boston is located in Belmont County and lies 554 miles [891.6 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Belmont County community of Boston.
- Franklin County
- This Boston is located in Franklin County and lies 600 miles [965.6 km] to the west of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Boston.
- Highland County
- This Boston is located in Highland County and lies 685 miles [1,102.4 km] to the west southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Highland County community of Boston.
- Jefferson County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Jefferson County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Boston.
- Summit County
- This Boston is located in Summit County and lies 545 miles [877.1 km] to the west of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Summit County community of Boston.
- Ontario
- This Boston lies 454 miles [730.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Accomack County
- This Boston is located in Accomack County and lies 414 miles [666.3 km]<1> to the southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Accomack County community of Boston.
- Culpeper County
- This Boston is located in Culpeper County and lies 455 miles [732.3 km] to the west southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Culpeper County community of Boston.
- Suffolk City
- This Boston is located in Suffolk City and lies 487 miles [783.8 km] to the southwest of the Boston that is located in Suffolk County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Suffolk City community of Boston.
- Washington
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Boston ...
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.
- Cottage Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cottage Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Hill
- Cottage Hill is located in Suffolk County
- Cottage Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cottage Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Park
- Cottage Park is located in Suffolk County
- Crescent Beach
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crescent Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent Beach
- Crescent Beach is located in Suffolk County
- Downtown Crossing
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downtown Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downtown Crossing
- Downtown Crossing is located in Suffolk County
- Everett
(3 miles [4.8 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
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fields Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fields Corner
- Fields Corner is located in Suffolk County
- Fort Independence
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Independence have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Independence
- Fort Independence is located in Suffolk County
- Grove Hall
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Hall
- Grove Hall is located in Suffolk County
- Longwood Station
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood Station have been provided by the GNIS.<4> 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 south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meeting House Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeting House Hill
- Meeting House Hill is located in Suffolk County
- Reservoir
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Winter Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winter Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> 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 Boston 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 city such as Boston to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Boston and extending to:
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 394 miles [634.1 km]<1> to the southwest (SW). If you could drive a straight line from Boston to White House, with an average speed<5>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<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,504 miles [8,857.8 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,210 miles [9,994 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,087 miles [6,577.4 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Boston: www.cityofboston.gov/
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 from Point A (ie- Boston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Boston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3611, Longitude: -71.0573 |
| <2> | 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 Boston 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. |
| <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 Boston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <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 Boston 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 303.974 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 299.569 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 300.569 degrees. |