Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Columbia Hills, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Columbia Hills and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Columbia Hills
- 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 Columbia Hills:
- 39.242051, -76.828863
- 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 Columbia Hills
- 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 Columbia Hills is near Baltimore County and also Anne Arundel County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Baltimore County
- eBird sighting report for Anne Arundel 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
Curious and Interesting Names Near Columbia Hills ...
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.
- Bonnie Brae
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonnie Brae have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnie Brae
- Bonnie Brae is located in Howard County
- Chapelview
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chapelview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapelview
- Chapelview is located in Howard County
- Fox Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest) - Gray
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Gray Rock
(Less than 2 miles to the north) - Gray Rock Farms
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gray Rock Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray Rock Farms
- Gray Rock Farms is located in Howard County
- Grays Level
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grays Level have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grays Level
- Grays Level is located in Baltimore County
- Hilltop
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Howard Heights
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard Heights
- Howard Heights is located in Howard County
- Jonestown
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast) - Locust Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Park
- Locust Park is located in Howard County
- Long Reach
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Reach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Reach
- Long Reach is located in Howard County
- Continue List (10 more) ...
- Longfellow
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longfellow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longfellow
- Longfellow is located in Howard County
- Phelps Luck
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phelps Luck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelps Luck
- Phelps Luck is located in Howard County
- Pine Orchard
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Orchard
- Pine Orchard is located in Howard County
- Pleasant View
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Pleasant View is located in Howard County
- Running Brook
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Running Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Running Brook
- Running Brook is located in Howard County
- Thunder Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thunder Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thunder Hill
- Thunder Hill is located in Howard County
- Timber Run
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timber Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Run
- Timber Run is located in Howard County
- Toll House
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toll House have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toll House
- Toll House is located in Howard County
- Vantage Point
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vantage Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vantage Point
- Vantage Point is located in Howard County
- Wheatfield Way
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheatfield Way have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatfield Way
- Wheatfield Way is located in Howard County
- Longfellow
How Far From Columbia Hills to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Columbia Hills to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Columbia Hills and extending to:
- Ellicott City, which is the Seat of Howard County, lies just to the Northeast.
- Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 25 miles [40.2 km]<2> to the southeast (SE). If you could walk a straight line from Columbia Hills to Annapolis, with an average speed<3> 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 most of a day.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 26 miles [41.8 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<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,874 miles [9,453.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,580 miles [10,589.5 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,457 miles [7,172.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Columbia Hills. 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> | 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. |
| <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 drawn from Point A (ie- Columbia Hills) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Columbia Hills. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.2421, Longitude: -76.8289 In this case, the coordinates for Columbia Hills have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Columbia Hills to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.744 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.327 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.492 degrees. |