Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Shirley, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Shirley and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Shirley
- 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 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.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Shirley
- 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 Middlesex County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Middlesex County
- Since Shirley is near Worcester County and also Hillsborough County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Worcester County
- eBird sighting report for Hillsborough 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 Shirley ...
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 ...
- 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
- 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
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- 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
- 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
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Alabama
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.
- Bolton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- Bolton is located in Worcester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,476 people
- Five Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Corners
- Five Corners is located in Worcester County
- Gates Crossing
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gates Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gates Crossing
- Gates Crossing is located in Worcester County
- Harvard
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard
- Harvard is located in Worcester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,618 people
- Harvard Station
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvard Station have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard Station
- Harvard Station is located in Worcester County
- Littleton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Paper Mill Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paper Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill Village
- Paper Mill Village is located in Middlesex County
- Pratts Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratts Junction
- Pratts Junction is located in Worcester County
- Shaker Village
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaker Village
- Shaker Village is located in Middlesex County
- Still River
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Still River have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Still River
- Still River is located in Worcester County
- Willows
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
How Far From Shirley 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 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>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shirley. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
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 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 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 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. |