RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Maryland >> Saint Mary's County >> Jonestown >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Jonestown, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Jonestown 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 Jonestown:
    • 38.256236, -76.438841
    • 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 Jonestown
  • 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 Saint Mary's County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Saint Mary's County
    • Since Jonestown is near Calvert County and also Dorchester County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Calvert County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Dorchester 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 Jonestown

Communities Also Named Jonestown ...

We found 23 communities that are also named Jonestown.

There are two communities within Maryland that are also named Jonestown.

Beyond Maryland, we know of 21 communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Located In Maryland ...
    • Caroline County
      • This Jonestown is located in Caroline County and lies 44 miles [70.8 km]<1> to the northeast of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Caroline County community of Jonestown.
    • Howard County
      • This Jonestown is located in Howard County and lies 69 miles [111 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Howard County community of Jonestown.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Georgia
      • Fannin County
      • This Jonestown is located in Fannin County and lies 494 miles [795 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fannin County community of Jonestown.
    • Indiana
      • Vermillion County
      • This Jonestown is located in Vermillion County and lies 601 miles [967.2 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Vermillion County community of Jonestown.
    • Kansas
      • Allen 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 Kansas community of Jonestown [Allen County].
    • Kentucky
      • Fayette County
      • This Jonestown is located in Fayette County and lies 438 miles [704.9 km]<1> to the west of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Jonestown.
    • Mississippi
      • Alcorn County
      • This Jonestown is located in Alcorn County and lies 716 miles [1,152.3 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Alcorn County community of Jonestown.
      • Coahoma County
      • This Jonestown is located in Coahoma County and lies 824 miles [1,326.1 km] to the west southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Coahoma County community of Jonestown.
      • Warren County
      • This Jonestown is located in Warren County and lies 909 miles [1,462.9 km] to the west southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Warren County community of Jonestown.
      • Yazoo County
      • This Jonestown is located in Yazoo County and lies 869 miles [1,398.5 km] to the west southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yazoo County community of Jonestown.
    • North Carolina
      • Forsyth County
      • This Jonestown is located in Forsyth County and lies 263 miles [423.3 km]<1> to the southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Forsyth County community of Jonestown.
      • Lenoir County
      • This Jonestown is located in Lenoir County and lies 228 miles [366.9 km] to the south southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lenoir County community of Jonestown.
    • Ohio
      • Jackson County
      • This Jonestown is located in Jackson County and lies 338 miles [544 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Jonestown.
      • Van Wert County
      • This Jonestown is located in Van Wert County and lies 463 miles [745.1 km] to the west northwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Van Wert County community of Jonestown.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Columbia County
      • This Jonestown is located in Columbia County and lies 198 miles [318.7 km]<1> to the north of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbia County community of Jonestown.
      • Lebanon County
      • This Jonestown is located in Lebanon County and lies 149 miles [239.8 km] to the north of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lebanon County community of Jonestown.
      • Schuylkill County
      • This Jonestown is located in Schuylkill County and lies 168 miles [270.4 km] to the north of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Schuylkill County community of Jonestown.
      • Washington County
      • This Jonestown is located in Washington County and lies 229 miles [368.5 km] to the northwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Jonestown.
    • South Carolina
      • Horry County
      • This Jonestown is located in Horry County and lies 336 miles [540.7 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Horry County community of Jonestown.
    • Tennessee
      • Cocke 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 Tennessee community of Jonestown [Cocke County].
      • Giles County
      • This Jonestown is located in Giles County and lies 626 miles [1,007.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Giles County community of Jonestown.
    • Texas
      • Travis County
      • This Jonestown is located in Travis County and lies 1,332 miles [2,143.6 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Travis County community of Jonestown.
    • Virginia
      • Rockbridge County
      • This Jonestown is located in Rockbridge County and lies 155 miles [249.4 km]<1> to the west of the Jonestown that is located in Saint Mary's County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rockbridge County community of Jonestown.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Jonestown ...

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.

  • Cedar Cove
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Cedar Cove is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Cove
  • Colony Square
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Colony Square is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony Square
  • Discovery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Discovery is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Discovery
  • Flowers of the Forest
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Flowers of the Forest is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowers of the Forest
  • Forest Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Forest Park is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Park
  • Friendly Pines
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Friendly Pines is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendly Pines
  • Great Mills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Greenview Knolls
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenview Knolls is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenview Knolls
  • Hermanville
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Hermanville is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermanville
  • Hunting Neck Woods
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Hunting Neck Woods is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunting Neck Woods
  • Laurel Run
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Laurel Run is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Run
  • Leachburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Leachburg is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leachburg
  • Spring Valley
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Spring Valley is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
  • Stoney Run
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Stoney Run is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Run

How Far From Jonestown 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 Jonestown to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Leonardtown, which is the Seat of Saint Mary's County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Jonestown to Leonardtown, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
  • Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 49 miles [78.9 km] to the north (N). 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 54 miles [86.9 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving 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 5,899 miles [9,493.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,600 miles [10,621.7 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,478 miles [7,206.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Jonestown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Jonestown 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 Jonestown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Jonestown 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 Jonestown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2562, Longitude: -76.4388       In this case, the coordinates for Jonestown have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.58 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 302.988 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.713 degrees.