Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Benson, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Benson and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Benson
- 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 Benson:
- 39.505385, -76.386350
- 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 Benson
- 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 Harford County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Harford County
- Since Benson is near Baltimore County and also Montgomery County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Baltimore County
- eBird sighting report for Montgomery 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 Benson ...
We found 28 communities that share the name Benson.
There is one other community in Maryland which is also named Benson.
Beyond Maryland, we know of another 27 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 27 communities, 27 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Located In Maryland ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Chilton 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 Alabama community of Benson [Chilton County].
- Etowah 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 Alabama community of Benson [Etowah County].
- Tallapoosa County
- This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Benson [Tallapoosa County].
- Arizona
- Florida
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Oakland 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 Michigan community of Benson [Oakland County].
- Wexford County
- This Benson is located in Wexford County and lies 569 miles [915.7 km]<1> to the northwest of the Benson that is located in Harford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wexford County community of Benson.
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Saskatchewan
- This Benson lies 1,469 miles [2,364.1 km]<1> to the northwest of the Benson that is located in Harford County.
- South Carolina
- Utah
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Benson ...
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.
- Camelot
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east) - Cedar Spring
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Spring
- Cedar Spring is located in Harford County
- Cedarwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Cloverdale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Cloverdale is located in Harford County
- Dunwood
(Less than 2 miles to the south) - Evergreen Heights
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Heights
- Evergreen Heights is located in Harford County
- Forest Lawn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Lawn have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Lawn
- Forest Lawn is located in Harford County
- Fox Bow
(Less than 2 miles to the east) - Gunpowder Farms
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gunpowder Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunpowder Farms
- Gunpowder Farms is located in Harford County
- Howard Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard Park
- Howard Park is located in Harford County
- Indian Princess
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Princess have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Princess
- Indian Princess is located in Harford County
- Jerusalem
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Continue List (13 more) ...
- Joppa Hills
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joppa Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Hills
- Joppa Hills is located in Harford County
- Kingswood
(Less than 2 miles to the south) - Locust Knoll
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust Knoll have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Knoll
- Locust Knoll is located in Harford County
- Lynchs Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynchs Corner
- Lynchs Corner is located in Harford County
- Marywood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Mountain
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Parliament Ridge
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parliament Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parliament Ridge
- Parliament Ridge is located in Harford County
- Pleasant Hills
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hills
- Pleasant Hills is located in Harford County
- Silver Spring Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Spring Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Spring Heights
- Silver Spring Heights is located in Harford County
- Stoneybrook
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stoneybrook have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneybrook
- Stoneybrook is located in Harford County
- Valleybrook
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valleybrook have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valleybrook
- Valleybrook is located in Harford County
- White House Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White House Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White House Park
- White House Park is located in Harford County
- Winters Run
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winters Run have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winters Run
- Winters Run is located in Harford County
- Joppa Hills
How Far From Benson 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 Benson to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Benson and extending to:
- Bel Air, which is the Seat of Harford County, lies just to the Northeast.
- Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 36 miles [57.9 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could walk a straight line from Benson to Annapolis, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take over two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just about two full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 54 miles [86.9 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take over two days and walking would take most of three days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,844 miles [9,405 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,550 miles [10,541.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,427 miles [7,124.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Benson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Harford County: www.co.ha.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- Benson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Benson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.5054, Longitude: -76.3863 In this case, the coordinates for Benson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 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 Benson 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 Benson, 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 Benson 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 307.463 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.049 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.20 degrees. |