Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Braintree, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Braintree and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Braintree
- 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 Braintree:
- 42.223687, -71.001577
- 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 Braintree
- 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 Norfolk County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Norfolk County
- Since Braintree is near Suffolk County and also Plymouth County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Suffolk County
- eBird sighting report for Plymouth 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 Braintree ...
We found one communities that share the name Braintree.
Within Massachusetts, the name Braintree is unique.
Beyond Massachusetts, there is another community also named Braintree in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
Curious and Interesting Names Near Braintree ...
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.
- Cedar Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Cedar Grove is located in Suffolk County
- Five Corners
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Corners
- Five Corners is located in Norfolk County
- Idlewell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east) - Lincoln Heights
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Heights
- Lincoln Heights is located in Norfolk County
- Merrymount
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrymount have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrymount
- Merrymount is located in Norfolk County
- Milton Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Center
- Milton Center is located in Norfolk County
- Old Boat Point
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Boat Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Boat Point
- Old Boat Point is located in Norfolk County
- Post Island
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Post Island have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Island
- Post Island is located in Norfolk County
- Randolph
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest) - Rock Island
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Island have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Island
- Rock Island is located in Norfolk County
How Far From Braintree to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Braintree to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Braintree and extending to:
- Dedham, which is the Seat of Norfolk County, lies just to the West.
- Boston, which is the State Capital of Massachusetts, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the north northwest (NNW). If you could walk a straight line from Braintree to Boston, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 390 miles [627.6 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of a day, a buggy would take 16 days and walking would take 23 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,506 miles [8,861 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 6,213 miles [9,998.9 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,089 miles [6,580.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Braintree: www.braintreema.gov/
The official website for Norfolk County: www.norfolkcounty.org/
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Braintree) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Braintree. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2237, Longitude: -71.0016 |
| <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 Braintree 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 303.961 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 299.532 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 300.615 degrees. |