Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Westminster, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Westminster and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Westminster
- 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 Westminster:
- 42.545923, -71.910631
- 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 Westminster
- 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 Worcester County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Worcester County
- Since Westminster is near Middlesex County and also Hillsborough County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Middlesex 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 Westminster ...
We found twenty communities that share the name Westminster.
Within Massachusetts, the name Westminster is unique.
Beyond Massachusetts, we know of another twenty communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these twenty communities, eighteen are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Orange County
- This Westminster is located in Orange County and lies 2,542 miles [4,091 km]<1> to the west of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of Westminster.
- Colorado
- Jefferson County
- This Westminster is located in Jefferson County and lies 1,720 miles [2,768.1 km]<1> to the west of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Westminster.
- Connecticut
- Windham County
- This Westminster is located in Windham County and lies 58 miles [93.3 km]<1> to the south of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Windham County community of Westminster.
- Delaware
- New Castle County
- This Westminster is located in New Castle County and lies 273 miles [439.4 km]<1> to the southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the New Castle County community of Westminster.
- Florida
- Hillsborough County
- This Westminster is located in Hillsborough County and lies 1,163 miles [1,871.7 km]<1> to the southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of Westminster.
- Illinois
- Shelby County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Illinois community of Westminster [Shelby County].
- Kansas
- Reno County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Westminster [Reno County].
- Louisiana
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- This Westminster is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and lies 1,349 miles [2,171 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the East Baton Rouge Parish community of Westminster.
- Maryland
- Carroll County
- This Westminster is located in Carroll County and lies 335 miles [539.1 km]<1> to the southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carroll County community of Westminster.
- Michigan
- Grand Traverse County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Westminster [Grand Traverse County].
- North Carolina
- Rutherford County
- This Westminster is located in Rutherford County and lies 724 miles [1,165.2 km]<1> to the southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rutherford County community of Westminster.
- Ohio
- Allen County
- This Westminster is located in Allen County and lies 635 miles [1,021.9 km]<1> to the west of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allen County community of Westminster.
- Ontario
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ontario community of Westminster.
- Pennsylvania
- Erie County
- This Westminster is located in Erie County and lies 421 miles [677.5 km]<1> to the west of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Erie County community of Westminster.
- Luzerne County
- This Westminster is located in Luzerne County and lies 216 miles [347.6 km] to the west southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Luzerne County community of Westminster.
- Quebec
- This Westminster lies 223 miles [358.9 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- South Carolina
- Oconee County
- This Westminster is located in Oconee County and lies 811 miles [1,305.2 km]<1> to the southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oconee County community of Westminster.
- Texas
- Brazoria County
- This Westminster is located in Brazoria County and lies 1,574 miles [2,533.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brazoria County community of Westminster.
- Collin County
- This Westminster is located in Collin County and lies 1,472 miles [2,369 km] to the west southwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Collin County community of Westminster.
- Vermont
- Windham County
- This Westminster is located in Windham County and lies 45 miles [72.4 km]<1> to the northwest of the Westminster that is located in Worcester County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Windham County community of Westminster.
- California
Curious and Interesting Names Near Westminster ...
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.
- Gates Crossing
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- 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
- Glenallen
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest) - Lane Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lane Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane Village
- Lane Village is located in Worcester County
- Otter River
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otter River have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter River
- Otter River is located in Worcester County
- Partridgeville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Partridgeville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Partridgeville
- Partridgeville is located in Worcester County
- Pitcherville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pitcherville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pitcherville
- Pitcherville is located in Worcester County
- Pratts Junction
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratts Junction
- Pratts Junction is located in Worcester County
- Rogersville ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogersville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogersville
- Rogersville is located in Middlesex County
- Ruralville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruralville
- Ruralville is located in Worcester County
- Rutland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutland
- Rutland is located in Worcester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,024 people
How Far From Westminster to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Westminster to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Westminster and extending to:
- Worcester, which is the Seat of Worcester County, lies 20 miles [32.2 km]<1> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Westminster to Worcester, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
- Boston, which is the State Capital of Massachusetts, lies 45 miles [72.4 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 most of two days and walking would take about three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 367 miles [590.6 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving would take 6 hours, a buggy would take 15 days and walking would take 21 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,532 miles [8,902.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,242 miles [10,045.5 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,118 miles [6,627.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Westminster: www.westminster-ma.org/
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Westminster) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Westminster. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5459, Longitude: -71.9106 In this case, the coordinates for Westminster have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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 Westminster, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 Westminster 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. |
| <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 Westminster 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 304.46 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 300.147 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 300.861 degrees. |