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 Shirley:
42.543908, -71.649019
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.
We found 36 communities that share the name Shirley.
There is one other community in Massachusetts which is also named Shirley.
Beyond Massachusetts, we know of another 35 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 35 communities, 34 are located in the United States and four are in Canada.
Communities Located In Massachusetts ...
Suffolk County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Massachusetts community of Shirley [Suffolk County].
Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
Alabama
Covington County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Shirley [Covington County].
Tuscaloosa County
This Shirley is located in Tuscaloosa County and lies 1,079 miles [1,736.5 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscaloosa County community of Shirley.
Arkansas
Van Buren County
This Shirley is located in Van Buren County and lies 1,201 miles [1,932.8 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Van Buren County community of Shirley.
British Columbia
This Shirley lies 2,512 miles [4,042.7 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
California
Kings County
This Shirley is located in Kings County and lies 2,559 miles [4,118.3 km]<2> to the west of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kings County community of Shirley.
Orange County
This Shirley is located in Orange County and lies 2,554 miles [4,110.3 km] to the west of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of Shirley.
Colorado
Chaffee 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 Colorado community of Shirley [Chaffee County].
El Paso County
This Shirley is located in El Paso County and lies 1,734 miles [2,790.6 km]<2> to the west of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the El Paso County community of Shirley.
Saguache County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Shirley [Saguache County].
Illinois
Jefferson County
This Shirley is located in Jefferson County and lies 948 miles [1,525.7 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Shirley.
McLean County
This Shirley is located in McLean County and lies 911 miles [1,466.1 km] to the west of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the McLean County community of Shirley.
Indiana
Hancock County
This Shirley is located in Hancock County and lies 745 miles [1,199 km]<2> to the west of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hancock County community of Shirley.
Iowa
Pocahontas County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Iowa community of Shirley [Pocahontas County].
Kansas
Cloud County
This community is historic<3> and although located in Cloud County, we don't know where within the county.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cloud County community of Shirley.
Kentucky
Letcher County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Shirley [Letcher County].
Louisiana
Avoyelles Parish
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 Louisiana community of Shirley [Avoyelles Parish].
Maine
Piscataquis County
This Shirley is located in Piscataquis County and lies 218 miles [350.8 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Piscataquis County community of Shirley.
Michigan
Baraga County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Shirley [Baraga County].
Minnesota
Polk County
This Shirley is located in Polk County and lies 1,262 miles [2,031 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Polk County community of Shirley.
Missouri
Washington County
This Shirley is located in Washington County and lies 1,062 miles [1,709.1 km]<2> to the west of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Shirley.
Montana
Custer County
This Shirley is located in Custer County and lies 1,679 miles [2,702.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Custer County community of Shirley.
New Hampshire
Hillsborough County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the New Hampshire community of Shirley [Hillsborough County].
New Jersey
Salem County
This Shirley is located in Salem County and lies 277 miles [445.8 km]<2> to the southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Salem County community of Shirley.
New York
Erie County
This Shirley is located in Erie County and lies 369 miles [593.8 km]<2> to the west of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Erie County community of Shirley.
Suffolk County
This Shirley is located in Suffolk County and lies 135 miles [217.3 km] to the south southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Suffolk County community of Shirley.
Ontario
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ontario community of Shirley.
Pennsylvania
Huntingdon County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Pennsylvania community of Shirley [Huntingdon County].
Westmoreland County
This Shirley is located in Westmoreland County and lies 423 miles [680.8 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Westmoreland County community of Shirley.
South Carolina
Hampton County
This Shirley is located in Hampton County and lies 862 miles [1,387.3 km]<2> to the southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hampton County community of Shirley.
Tennessee
Fentress County
This Shirley is located in Fentress County and lies 819 miles [1,318.1 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fentress County community of Shirley.
Texas
Hopkins County
This Shirley is located in Hopkins County and lies 1,443 miles [2,322.3 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hopkins County community of Shirley.
Virginia
Charles City County
This Shirley is located in Charles City County and lies 465 miles [748.3 km]<2> to the southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charles City County community of Shirley.
West Virginia
Tyler County
This Shirley is located in Tyler County and lies 522 miles [840.1 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tyler County community of Shirley.
Wisconsin
Brown County
This Shirley is located in Brown County and lies 825 miles [1,327.7 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Shirley that is located in Middlesex County.
For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brown County community of Shirley.
Wyoming
Carbon 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 Wyoming community of Shirley [Carbon County].
Curious and Interesting Names Near Shirley ...
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.
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 Shirley to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Shirley and extending to:
Cambridge, which is the Seat of Middlesex County, lies 29 miles [46.7 km]<2> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Shirley to Cambridge, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
Boston, which is the State Capital of Massachusetts, lies 32 miles [51.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just over a day and walking would take most of two days.
The White House (Washington, DC) is 377 miles [606.7 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving would take 6 hours, a buggy would take 15 days and walking would take 22 days.
The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,521 miles [8,885.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,230 miles [10,026.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,106 miles [6,608 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>
Footnotes ...
<1>
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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 Shirley 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.
<2>
Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Shirley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shirley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5439, Longitude: -71.6490
<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 Shirley, 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 Shirley 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 304.302 degrees.
<8>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 299.969 degrees.
<9>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 300.743 degrees.