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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in North Branch, we use the following websites to find information relevant to North Branch 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 North Branch:
    • 39.397049, -76.884422
    • 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 North Branch
  • 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 North Branch is near Carroll County and also Howard County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Carroll County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Howard 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 North Branch

Communities Also Named North Branch ...

We found eighteen communities that are also named North Branch.

There is one other community in Maryland that is also named North Branch.

Beyond Maryland, we know of seventeen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these seventeen communities, fifteen are located in the United States and four are in Canada.

  • Communities Located In Maryland ...
    • Allegany County
      • This North Branch is located in Allegany County and lies 99 miles [159.3 km]<1> to the west of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allegany County community of North Branch.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • California
      • Calaveras 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 California community of North Branch [Calaveras County].
    • Iowa
      • Guthrie County
      • This North Branch is located in Guthrie County and lies 946 miles [1,522.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Guthrie County community of North Branch.
    • Kentucky
      • Carter County
      • This North Branch is located in Carter County and lies 326 miles [524.6 km]<1> to the west of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carter County community of North Branch.
    • Michigan
      • Alcona 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 North Branch [Alcona County].
      • Bay County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of North Branch [Bay County].
      • Lapeer County
      • This North Branch is located in Lapeer County and lies 420 miles [675.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lapeer County community of North Branch.
      • Oscoda County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of North Branch [Oscoda County].
    • Minnesota
      • Chisago County
      • This North Branch is located in Chisago County and lies 919 miles [1,479 km]<1> to the west northwest of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chisago County community of North Branch.
    • New Brunswick
      • This North Branch lies 753 miles [1,211.8 km]<1> to the northeast of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
    • New Hampshire
      • Hillsborough County
      • This North Branch is located in Hillsborough County and lies 359 miles [577.8 km]<1> to the northeast of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of North Branch.
    • New Jersey
      • Somerset County
      • This North Branch is located in Somerset County and lies 143 miles [230.1 km]<1> to the northeast of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Somerset County community of North Branch.
    • New York
      • Sullivan County
      • This North Branch is located in Sullivan County and lies 193 miles [310.6 km]<1> to the north northeast of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sullivan County community of North Branch.
    • Newfoundland and Labrador
      • This North Branch lies 1,070 miles [1,722 km]<1> to the northeast of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
    • Ontario
      • This North Branch lies 1,073 miles [1,726.8 km]<1> to the northwest of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • McKean 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 Pennsylvania community of North Branch [McKean County].
      • Susquehanna County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Pennsylvania community of North Branch [Susquehanna County].
    • Wisconsin
      • Jackson County
      • This North Branch is located in Jackson County and lies 803 miles [1,292.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the North Branch that is located in Baltimore County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of North Branch.

Curious and Interesting Names Near North Branch ...

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 west)
    • Bonnie Brae is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnie Brae
  • Deer Cross
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Deer Cross is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Cross
  • Deer Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Deer Park is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
  • Folly Farms
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Folly Farms is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folly Farms
  • Forest Oaks
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Forest Oaks is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Oaks
  • Freedom Forest
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Freedom Forest is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Forest
  • Harvest Farms
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Harvest Farms is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvest Farms
  • Hilltop
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Hilltop is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
  • Ivy Meadows
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Ivy Meadows is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy Meadows
  • Lakeview
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Lakeview is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
  • Liberty Lake Hills
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Liberty Lake Hills is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Lake Hills
  • Liberty Manor
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Liberty Manor is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Manor
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Longview Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Longview Heights is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
    • Oklahoma
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Oklahoma is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oklahoma
    • Reservoir Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Reservoir Ridge is located in Baltimore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reservoir Ridge
    • Squires
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Squires is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squires
    • Sweet Air
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Sweet Air is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Air

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic<3> community of North Branch once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in North Branch and extending to:

  • Towson, which is the Seat of Baltimore County, lies 15 miles [24.1 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from North Branch to Towson, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
  • Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 35 miles [56.3 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take most of two days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 35 miles [56.3 km] to the south southwest (SSW). Driving would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take most of two days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,870 miles [9,446.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,577 miles [10,584.7 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,453 miles [7,166.4 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- North Branch) 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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock 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 North Branch 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 North Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 North Branch 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 North Branch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.3970, Longitude: -76.8844       In this case, the coordinates for North Branch have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.766 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.376 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.455 degrees.