Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Brightwood, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Brightwood and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Brightwood
- 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 Brightwood:
- 42.118705, -72.616201
- 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 Brightwood
- 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 Hampden County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Hampden County
- Since Brightwood is near Hampshire County and also Hartford County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Hampshire County
- eBird sighting report for Hartford 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 Brightwood ...
We found nine communities that share the name Brightwood.
Within Massachusetts, the name Brightwood is unique.
Beyond Massachusetts, we know of another nine communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Indiana
- Marion 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 Indiana community of Brightwood [Marion County].
- Maryland
- Anne Arundel County
- This Brightwood is located in Anne Arundel County and lies 295 miles [474.8 km]<2> to the southwest of the Brightwood that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Anne Arundel County community of Brightwood.
- Baltimore County
- This Brightwood is located in Baltimore County and lies 282 miles [453.8 km] to the southwest of the Brightwood that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Baltimore County community of Brightwood.
- Queen Anne's County
- This Brightwood is located in Queen Anne's County and lies 298 miles [479.6 km] to the southwest of the Brightwood that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Queen Anne's County community of Brightwood.
- North Carolina
- Guilford County
- This Brightwood is located in Guilford County and lies 562 miles [904.5 km]<2> to the southwest of the Brightwood that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Guilford County community of Brightwood.
- Ohio
- Tuscarawas County
- This Brightwood is located in Tuscarawas County and lies 469 miles [754.8 km]<2> to the west of the Brightwood that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscarawas County community of Brightwood.
- Oregon
- Clackamas County
- This Brightwood is located in Clackamas County and lies 2,435 miles [3,918.8 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Brightwood that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clackamas County community of Brightwood.
- Pennsylvania
- Allegheny County
- This Brightwood is located in Allegheny County and lies 404 miles [650.2 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Brightwood that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allegheny County community of Brightwood.
- Virginia
- Madison County
- This Brightwood is located in Madison County and lies 389 miles [626 km]<2> to the southwest of the Brightwood that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of Brightwood.
- Indiana
Curious and Interesting Names Near Brightwood ...
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.
- Cayenne
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest) - Chicopee
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicopee
- Chicopee is located in Hampden County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54,825 people
- Feeding Hills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feeding Hills
- Feeding Hills is located in Hampden County
- Forest Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Park
- Forest Park is located in Hampden County
- Liberty Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Heights
- Liberty Heights is located in Hampden County
- Little River
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Little River is located in Hampden County
- Longmeadow
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longmeadow
- Longmeadow is located in Hampden County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,624 people
- Pine Point
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Point have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Point
- Pine Point is located in Hampden County
- Sandy Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hill
- Sandy Hill is located in Hampden County
How Far From Brightwood 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 Brightwood to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Brightwood and extending to:
- Springfield, which is the Seat of Hampden County, lies just to the East Southeast.
- Boston, which is the State Capital of Massachusetts, lies 81 miles [130.4 km]<2> to the east northeast (ENE). If you could drive a straight line from Brightwood to Boston, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 5 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 321 miles [516.6 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 19 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,579 miles [8,978.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,288 miles [10,119.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,164 miles [6,701.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Brightwood. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
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 Brightwood, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Brightwood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Brightwood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.1187, Longitude: -72.6162 In this case, the coordinates for Brightwood have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Brightwood to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 304.944 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 300.621 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 301.392 degrees. |