RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Tidbits & Trivia

Introduction ...

Below is our collection of tidbits and odds 'n ends for Big Woods.

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Big Woods, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Big Woods and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Big Woods:
    • 39.560107, -76.310514<1>
    • 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.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Big Woods
  • 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:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Harford County
    • Since Big Woods is near Montgomery County and also Baltimore County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Montgomery County
    • Open the 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Big Woods

Communities Also Named Big Woods ...

We found four communities that are also named Big Woods.

Within Maryland, the name Big Woods is unique.

Beyond Maryland, we know of four communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Illinois
      • Big Woods, DuPage County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in DuPage County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the DuPage County community of Big Woods.
    • Kentucky
      • Big Woods, Menifee County
      • This Big Woods is located in Menifee County and lies 400 miles [643.7 km]<3> to the west southwest of the Big Woods that is located in Harford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Menifee County community of Big Woods.
    • Louisiana
      • Big Woods, Calcasieu Parish
      • This Big Woods is located in Calcasieu Parish and lies 1,164 miles [1,873.3 km]<3> to the west southwest of the Big Woods that is located in Harford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Calcasieu Parish community of Big Woods.
    • Minnesota
      • Big Woods, Marshall County
      • This Big Woods is located in Marshall County and lies 1,192 miles [1,918.3 km]<3> to the northwest of the Big Woods that is located in Harford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marshall County community of Big Woods.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Big Woods ...

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.

  • Bramblewood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Bramblewood is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bramblewood
  • Cool Spring
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cool Spring is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
  • Deerhaven
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Deerhaven is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerhaven
  • Fountain Glen
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Fountain Glen is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Glen
  • Fountain Green
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Fountain Green is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
  • Green Ridge
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Green Ridge is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Ridge
  • Heritage Woods
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Heritage Woods is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Woods
  • Hickory
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
  • Hickory Hills
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hickory Hills is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hills
  • Hill-N-Dale
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hill-N-Dale is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill-N-Dale
  • Hillview
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Hillview is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillview
  • Homestead Village
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Homestead Village is also located in Harford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homestead Village
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Longmeadow
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Longmeadow is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longmeadow
    • Majors Choice
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Majors Choice is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majors Choice
    • Meadow Springs
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Meadow Springs is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Springs
    • Mechanicsville ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Mechanicsville was located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
    • Michaels Corner
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Michaels Corner is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaels Corner
    • Moorland
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Moorland is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorland
    • Pine Crest
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Pine Crest is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Crest
    • Scots Fancy
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Scots Fancy is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scots Fancy
    • Shamrock
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Shamrock is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
    • Shucks Corners
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Shucks Corners is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shucks Corners
    • Thomas Run
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Thomas Run is also located in Harford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Run

How Far From Big Woods 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 included the distance from a community such as Big Woods to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Big Woods and extending to:

  • Bel Air, which is the Seat of Harford County, lies just to the Southwest.
  • Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 41 miles [66 km]<3> to the south southwest (SSW). If you could walk a straight line from Big Woods to Annapolis, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take about three full 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 60 miles [96.6 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 about three full days and walking would take most of three days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,839 miles [9,397 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,545 miles [10,533.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,422 miles [7,116.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Footnotes ...

<1>GPS Coordinates for Big Woods:
     Decimal: 39.56010, -76.310514
     DDMMSS: 39° 33' 36", -76° 18' 37"
<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 Big Woods, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Big Woods) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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.
<5>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 Big Woods to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Woods. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.5601, Longitude: -76.3105       In this case, the coordinates for Big Woods have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.414 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.002 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.146 degrees.