RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Massachusetts >> Norfolk County >> Germantown >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Germantown, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Germantown and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Germantown:
    • 42.255655, -70.961992
    • 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.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Germantown
  • 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:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Norfolk County
    • Since Germantown is near Plymouth County and also Suffolk County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Plymouth County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Suffolk 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Germantown

Communities Also Named Germantown ...

We found 55 communities that are also named Germantown.

There is one other community in Massachusetts that is also named Germantown.

Beyond Massachusetts, we know of 54 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 54 communities, 53 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.

  • Communities Located In Massachusetts ...
    • Suffolk County
      • This Germantown is located in Suffolk County and lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Suffolk County community of Germantown.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Arkansas
      • Conway 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 Arkansas community of Germantown [Conway County].
    • California
      • Glenn 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 California community of Germantown [Glenn County].
    • Connecticut
      • Fairfield County
      • This Germantown is located in Fairfield County and lies 140 miles [225.3 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fairfield County community of Germantown.
    • Georgia
      • Camden 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 Georgia community of Germantown [Camden County].
      • Polk 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 Georgia community of Germantown [Polk County].
    • Illinois
      • Clinton County
      • This Germantown is located in Clinton County and lies 1,007 miles [1,620.6 km]<1> to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clinton County community of Germantown.
      • Woodford 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 Illinois community of Germantown [Woodford County].
    • Indiana
      • Decatur County
      • This Germantown is located in Decatur County and lies 789 miles [1,269.8 km]<1> to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Decatur County community of Germantown.
      • Marion County
      • This Germantown is located in Marion County and lies 794 miles [1,277.8 km] to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marion County community of Germantown.
      • Shelby 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 Germantown [Shelby County].
      • Wayne 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 Indiana community of Germantown [Wayne County].
    • Iowa
      • O'Brien County
      • This Germantown is located in O'Brien County and lies 1,257 miles [2,022.9 km]<1> to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the O'Brien County community of Germantown.
    • Kansas
      • Miami 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 Germantown [Miami County].
      • Phillips 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 Germantown [Phillips County].
      • Pottawatomie 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 Germantown [Pottawatomie County].
      • Smith 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 Germantown [Smith County].
    • Kentucky
      • Bracken County
      • This Germantown is located in Bracken County and lies 726 miles [1,168.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bracken County community of Germantown.
    • Louisiana
      • Webster Parish
      • This Germantown is located in Webster Parish and lies 1,381 miles [2,222.5 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Webster Parish community of Germantown.
    • Maryland
      • Anne Arundel County
      • This Germantown is located in Anne Arundel County and lies 372 miles [598.7 km]<1> to the southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Anne Arundel County community of Germantown.
      • Baltimore County
      • This Germantown is located in Baltimore County and lies 347 miles [558.4 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Baltimore County community of Germantown.
      • Montgomery County
      • This Germantown is located in Montgomery County and lies 392 miles [630.9 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Germantown.
      • Worcester County
      • This Germantown is located in Worcester County and lies 352 miles [566.5 km] to the southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Worcester County community of Germantown.
    • Missouri
      • Boone 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 Missouri community of Germantown [Boone County].
      • Henry County
      • This Germantown is located in Henry County and lies 1,241 miles [1,997.2 km]<1> to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henry County community of Germantown.
    • Nebraska
      • Seward 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 Nebraska community of Germantown [Seward County].
    • New Brunswick
      • This Germantown lies 385 miles [619.6 km]<1> to the northeast of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
    • New Jersey
      • Sussex County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Sussex County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of Germantown.
    • New York
      • Allegany County
      • This Germantown is located in Allegany County and lies 374 miles [601.9 km]<1> to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allegany County community of Germantown.
      • Columbia County
      • This Germantown is located in Columbia County and lies 150 miles [241.4 km] to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbia County community of Germantown.
      • Orange County
      • This Germantown is located in Orange County and lies 201 miles [323.5 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of Germantown.
    • North Carolina
      • Hyde County
      • This Germantown is located in Hyde County and lies 556 miles [894.8 km]<1> to the southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hyde County community of Germantown.
      • Stokes 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 North Carolina community of Germantown [Stokes County].
    • Ohio
      • Huron County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Huron County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Huron County community of Germantown.
      • Mahoning County
      • This Germantown is located in Mahoning County and lies 512 miles [824 km]<1> to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mahoning County community of Germantown.
      • Montgomery County
      • This Germantown is located in Montgomery County and lies 721 miles [1,160.3 km] to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Germantown.
      • Trumbull County
      • This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ohio community of Germantown [Trumbull County].
      • Washington County
      • This Germantown is located in Washington County and lies 570 miles [917.3 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Germantown.
      • Wyandot County
      • This community is historic and although located in Wyandot County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wyandot County community of Germantown.
    • Ontario
      • 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 Ontario community of Germantown.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Adams County
      • This Germantown is located in Adams County and lies 365 miles [587.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Germantown.
      • Cambria County
      • This Germantown is located in Cambria County and lies 420 miles [675.9 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cambria County community of Germantown.
      • Columbia County
      • This Germantown is located in Columbia County and lies 297 miles [478 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbia County community of Germantown.
      • Franklin County
      • This Germantown is located in Franklin County and lies 378 miles [608.3 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Germantown.
      • Philadelphia County
      • This Germantown is located in Philadelphia County and lies 267 miles [429.7 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Philadelphia County community of Germantown.
      • Pike County
      • This Germantown is located in Pike County and lies 219 miles [352.4 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pike County community of Germantown.
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston County
      • This Germantown is located in Charleston County and lies 777 miles [1,250.5 km]<1> to the southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charleston County community of Germantown.
    • Tennessee
      • Cheatham County
      • This Germantown is located in Cheatham County and lies 957 miles [1,540.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cheatham County community of Germantown.
      • Davidson County
      • This Germantown is located in Davidson County and lies 943 miles [1,517.6 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Davidson County community of Germantown.
      • Shelby County
      • This Germantown is located in Shelby County and lies 1,125 miles [1,810.5 km] to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shelby County community of Germantown.
    • Texas
      • Goliad 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 Texas community of Germantown [Goliad County].
    • Virginia
      • Bath 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 Virginia community of Germantown [Bath County].
      • Fauquier County
      • This Germantown is located in Fauquier County and lies 435 miles [700.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fauquier County community of Germantown.
    • Wisconsin
      • Richland County
      • This Germantown is located in Richland County and lies 976 miles [1,570.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Richland County community of Germantown.
      • Washington County
      • This Germantown is located in Washington County and lies 871 miles [1,401.7 km] to the west of the Germantown that is located in Norfolk County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Germantown.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Germantown ...

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.

  • Braintree
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Braintree is located in Norfolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braintree
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 37,074 people
  • Crow Point
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Crow Point is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Point
  • Five Corners
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Five Corners is located in Norfolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Corners
  • Hull
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hull is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,484 people
  • Idlewell
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Idlewell is located in Norfolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewell
  • Lincoln Heights
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln Heights is located in Norfolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Heights
  • Merrymount
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Merrymount is located in Norfolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrymount
  • Old Boat Point
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Old Boat Point is located in Norfolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Boat Point
  • Post Island
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Post Island is located in Norfolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Island
  • Rock Island
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Rock Island is located in Norfolk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Island
  • Stony Beach
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Stony Beach is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Beach
  • Waveland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Waveland is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waveland

How Far From Germantown 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 Germantown to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Germantown and extending to:

  • Dedham, which is the Seat of Norfolk County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Germantown to Dedham, with an average speed<4> 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.
  • Boston, which is the State Capital of Massachusetts, lies just to the north northwest (NNW).
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 393 miles [632.5 km] to the southwest (SW). 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<5> 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).<6>
  • 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).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,086 miles [6,575.8 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>'

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- Germantown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Germantown 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 Germantown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 Germantown to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Germantown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2557, Longitude: -70.9620       In this case, the coordinates for Germantown have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 303.933 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 299.505 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 300.581 degrees.