Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Alpha, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Alpha and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Alpha
- 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 Alpha:
- 39.321216, -76.927755
- 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 Alpha
- 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 Howard County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Howard County
- Since Alpha is near Carroll County and also Baltimore County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Carroll County
- eBird sighting report for Baltimore 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 Alpha ...
We found 33 communities that share the name Alpha.
Within Maryland, the name Alpha is unique.
Beyond Maryland, we know of another 33 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 33 communities, 32 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- California
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Boise 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 Idaho community of Alpha [Boise County].
- Valley County
- This Alpha is located in Valley County and lies 2,020 miles [3,250.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Alpha that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Valley County community of Alpha.
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Finney 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 Alpha [Finney County].
- McPherson 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 Alpha [McPherson County].
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Manitoba
- We haven't found the location of this community yet.
- Michigan
- Benzie 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 Alpha [Benzie County].
- Iron County
- This Alpha is located in Iron County and lies 742 miles [1,194.1 km]<1> to the northwest of the Alpha that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Iron County community of Alpha.
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Grundy County
- This Alpha is located in Grundy County and lies 876 miles [1,409.8 km]<1> to the west of the Alpha that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grundy County community of Alpha.
- Saint Louis 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 Missouri community of Alpha [Saint Louis County].
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington
- Lewis County
- This Alpha is located in Lewis County and lies 2,328 miles [3,746.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Alpha that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lewis County community of Alpha.
- Spokane 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 Washington community of Alpha [Spokane County].
- West Virginia
- Doddridge 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 West Virginia community of Alpha [Doddridge County].
- Harrison 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 West Virginia community of Alpha [Harrison County].
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Alpha ...
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.
- Cooksville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Cooksville is located in Howard County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cooksville <4>
- Driver
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Eagles Loft
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagles Loft have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagles Loft
- Eagles Loft is located in Howard County
- Fairhaven
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Farside
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south) - Granite
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Green Henge
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Henge have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Henge
- Green Henge is located in Howard County
- Harvest Farms
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvest Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvest Farms
- Harvest Farms is located in Carroll County
- Hawk Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawk Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawk Ridge
- Hawk Ridge is located in Carroll County
- Heritage Farms
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heritage Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Farms
- Heritage Farms is located in Howard County
- Hilltop
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north) - Indian Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hill
- Indian Hill is located in Howard County
- Continue List (11 more) ...
- Ivory
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Locust Ridge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Ridge
- Locust Ridge is located in Howard County
- Maplewood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Pine Orchard
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Orchard
- Pine Orchard is located in Howard County
- Rover ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Sandy Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hill
- Sandy Hill is located in Howard County
- Shepherds Glen
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shepherds Glen have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepherds Glen
- Shepherds Glen is located in Howard County
- Sky View
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Slacks Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slacks Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slacks Corner
- Slacks Corner is located in Howard County
- Sycamore Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sycamore Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Springs
- Sycamore Springs is located in Howard County
- Thornbrook
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thornbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornbrook
- Thornbrook is located in Howard County
- Ivory
How Far From Alpha 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 Alpha to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Alpha and extending to:
- Ellicott City, which is the Seat of Howard County, lies just to the East Southeast.
- Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 33 miles [53.1 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could walk a straight line from Alpha to Annapolis, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the south southwest (SSW). The buggy would take just over a day and walking would take just about two full days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,875 miles [9,454.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,581 miles [10,591.1 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,458 miles [7,174.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alpha. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Howard County: www.co.ho.md.us/
The official website for State of Maryland: www.maryland.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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- Alpha) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alpha. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.3212, Longitude: -76.9278 In this case, the coordinates for Alpha 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 Alpha, 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 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 Alpha 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> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Alpha to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.797 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.399 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.503 degrees. |