RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Maryland >> Baltimore County >> The Lakes >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in The Lakes, we use the following websites to find information relevant to The Lakes 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 The Lakes:
    • 39.469273, -76.608303
    • 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 The Lakes
  • 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 Baltimore County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Baltimore County
    • Since The Lakes is near Baltimore City and also Harford County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Baltimore City
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Harford 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 The Lakes

Communities Also Named The Lakes ...

We found eleven communities that are also named The Lakes.

Within Maryland, the name The Lakes is unique.

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

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alaska
      • This The Lakes lies 3,318 miles [5,339.8 km]<1> to the northwest of the The Lakes that is located in Baltimore County.
    • Arizona
      • Maricopa County
      • This The Lakes is located in Maricopa County and lies 1,993 miles [3,207.4 km]<1> to the west of the The Lakes that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Maricopa County community of The Lakes.
    • Arkansas
      • Crittenden 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 Arkansas community of The Lakes [Crittenden County].
    • Georgia
      • Camden County
      • This The Lakes is located in Camden County and lies 662 miles [1,065.4 km]<1> to the south southwest of the The Lakes that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Camden County community of The Lakes.
    • Kentucky
      • Jackson County
      • This The Lakes is located in Jackson County and lies 418 miles [672.7 km]<1> to the west southwest of the The Lakes that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of The Lakes.
    • Minnesota
      • Murray County
      • This The Lakes is located in Murray County and lies 1,029 miles [1,656 km]<1> to the west northwest of the The Lakes that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Murray County community of The Lakes.
    • Nevada
      • Clark 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 Nevada community of The Lakes [Clark County].
    • North Carolina
      • Cumberland County
      • This The Lakes is located in Cumberland County and lies 330 miles [531.1 km]<1> to the south southwest of the The Lakes that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cumberland County community of The Lakes.
    • Virginia
      • Bedford 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 Virginia community of The Lakes [Bedford County].
      • Virginia Beach City
      • This The Lakes is located in Virginia Beach City and lies 186 miles [299.3 km]<1> to the south of the The Lakes that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Virginia Beach City community of The Lakes.
    • Washington
      • King 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 Washington community of The Lakes [King County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near The Lakes ...

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.

  • Chapel Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Chapel Hill is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Hill
  • Chapel Ridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Chapel Ridge is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Ridge
  • Cockeysville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Deer Run
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Deer Run is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Run
  • Dun Rovin
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Dun Rovin is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dun Rovin
  • Glen Ellen
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Glen Ellen is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Ellen
  • Green Ridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Green Ridge is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Ridge
  • Havenwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Havenwood is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havenwood
  • Hillendale Heights
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hillendale Heights is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillendale Heights
  • Hillside Hunt
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Hillside Hunt is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Hunt
  • Hunt Ridge
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hunt Ridge is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunt Ridge
  • Hunt Valley
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Hunters Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Hunters Hill is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Hill
    • Hunters Run
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hunters Run is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Run
    • Ivy Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Ivy Hill is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy Hill
    • Lutherville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Manor Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Manor Hill is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor Hill
    • Marble Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Marble Hill is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble Hill
    • Mays Chapel
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mays Chapel is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mays Chapel
    • Meadowland
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Meadowland is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowland
    • Orchard Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Orchard Hills is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
    • Overlook
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Overlook is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overlook
    • Pot Spring
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Pot Spring is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pot Spring
    • Providence
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Providence is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Seminary Overlook
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Seminary Overlook is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seminary Overlook
    • Sunnybrook
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sunnybrook is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybrook
    • Texas
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Texas is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas
    • Valley Crest
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Valley Crest is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Crest

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

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

  • Towson, which is the Seat of Baltimore County, lies just to the South.
  • Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 34 miles [54.7 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could walk a straight line from The Lakes to Annapolis, with an average speed<4> 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 about two full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 45 miles [72.4 km] to the south southwest (SSW). 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 shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,855 miles [9,422.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,562 miles [10,560.5 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,438 miles [7,142.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- The Lakes) 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 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 The Lakes 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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 The Lakes 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 The Lakes. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4693, Longitude: -76.6083       In this case, the coordinates for The Lakes have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.597 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.195 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.309 degrees.