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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Plainville, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Plainville 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 Plainville:
    • 42.212592, -72.574533
    • 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 Plainville
  • 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:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Hampden County
    • Since Plainville is near Hampshire County and also Franklin County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Hampshire County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Franklin 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 Plainville

Communities Also Named Plainville ...

We found sixteen communities that are also named Plainville.

There are three communities within Massachusetts that are also named Plainville.

Beyond Massachusetts, we know of thirteen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, fifteen are located in the United States and three are in Canada.

  • Communities Located In Massachusetts ...
    • Bristol County
      • This Plainville is located in Bristol County and lies 90 miles [144.8 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bristol County community of Plainville.
    • Hampshire County
      • This Plainville is located in Hampshire County and lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the north of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hampshire County community of Plainville.
    • Norfolk County
      • This Plainville is located in Norfolk County and lies 65 miles [104.6 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Norfolk County community of Plainville.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Connecticut
      • Hartford County
      • This Plainville is located in Hartford County and lies 39 miles [62.8 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hartford County community of Plainville.
    • Georgia
      • Gordon County
      • This Plainville is located in Gordon County and lies 862 miles [1,387.3 km]<1> to the southwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gordon County community of Plainville.
    • Illinois
      • Adams County
      • This Plainville is located in Adams County and lies 982 miles [1,580.4 km]<1> to the west of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Plainville.
    • Indiana
      • Davies's County
      • This Plainville is located in Davies's County and lies 799 miles [1,285.9 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Davies's County community of Plainville.
    • Kansas
      • Rooks County
      • This Plainville is located in Rooks County and lies 1,407 miles [2,264.3 km]<1> to the west of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rooks County community of Plainville.
    • New Jersey
      • Gloucester County
      • This Plainville is located in Gloucester County and lies 221 miles [355.7 km]<1> to the southwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gloucester County community of Plainville.
      • Somerset County
      • This Plainville is located in Somerset County and lies 162 miles [260.7 km] to the southwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Somerset County community of Plainville.
    • New York
      • Onondaga County
      • This Plainville is located in Onondaga County and lies 207 miles [333.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Onondaga County community of Plainville.
    • Ohio
      • Hamilton County
      • This Plainville is located in Hamilton County and lies 651 miles [1,047.7 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hamilton County community of Plainville.
    • 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 Plainville.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Lebanon County
      • This Plainville is located in Lebanon County and lies 247 miles [397.5 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lebanon County community of Plainville.
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence 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 Rhode Island community of Plainville [Providence County].
    • Wisconsin
      • Adams County
      • This Plainville is located in Adams County and lies 875 miles [1,408.2 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Plainville that is located in Hampden County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Plainville.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Plainville ...

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
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cayenne is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayenne
  • Chicopee
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Chicopee is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicopee
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,825 people
  • Cooks Corner
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Cooks Corner is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Corner
  • Freeman Knoll
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Freeman Knoll is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Knoll
  • Great Swamp
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Great Swamp is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Swamp
  • Hockanum
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Hockanum is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hockanum
  • Indian Orchard
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian Orchard is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Orchard
  • Liberty Heights
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Liberty Heights is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Heights
  • Moody Corner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Moody Corner is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moody Corner
  • Mount Tom
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Tom is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tom
  • Mountain Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mountain Park is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
  • Pine Point
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Pine Point is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Point
  • Rock Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Rock Valley is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Valley
  • Sandy Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Hill is located in Hampden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hill

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic<3> community of Plainville once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Plainville and extending to:

  • Springfield, which is the Seat of Hampden County, lies just to the South.
  • Boston, which is the State Capital of Massachusetts, lies 78 miles [125.5 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Plainville 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 327 miles [526.3 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 5,573 miles [8,968.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,283 miles [10,111.5 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,158 miles [6,691.7 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>'

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- Plainville) 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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock Creek 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 Plainville 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 Plainville, 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 Plainville 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 Plainville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2126, Longitude: -72.5745       In this case, the coordinates for Plainville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 304.906 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 300.594 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 301.327 degrees.