Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in The Orchards, we use the following websites to find information relevant to The Orchards and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for The Orchards
- 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 Orchards:
- 39.298995, -76.834141
- 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 The Orchards
- 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 The Orchards is near Baltimore County and also Carroll County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Baltimore County
- eBird sighting report for Carroll 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
Communities Also Named The Orchards ...
We found five communities that share the name The Orchards.
Within Maryland, the name The Orchards is unique.
Beyond Maryland, we know of another five communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Illinois
- Lake County
- This The Orchards is located in Lake County and lies 622 miles [1,001 km]<1> to the west northwest of the The Orchards that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lake County community of The Orchards.
- New Jersey
- Mercer County
- This The Orchards is located in Mercer County and lies 130 miles [209.2 km]<1> to the east northeast of the The Orchards that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mercer County community of The Orchards.
- North Carolina
- Wake County
- This The Orchards is located in Wake County and lies 264 miles [424.9 km]<1> to the south southwest of the The Orchards that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wake County community of The Orchards.
- Virginia
- Roanoke County
- This The Orchards is located in Roanoke County and lies 213 miles [342.8 km]<1> to the southwest of the The Orchards that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Roanoke County community of The Orchards.
- Washington
- Clark County
- This The Orchards is located in Clark County and lies 2,335 miles [3,757.8 km]<1> to the west northwest of the The Orchards that is located in Howard County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clark County community of The Orchards.
- Illinois
Curious and Interesting Names Near The Orchards ...
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.
- Chapelview
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chapelview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapelview
- Chapelview is located in Howard County
- Chestnut Farms
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Farms
- Chestnut Farms is located in Howard County
- Chestnut Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
- Chestnut Hill is located in Howard County
- Daniels ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - Gray Rock
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Gray Rock Farms
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gray Rock Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray Rock Farms
- Gray Rock Farms is located in Howard County
- Hilltop
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast) - Howard Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard Heights
- Howard Heights is located in Howard County
- Ivy Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the east) - Kraft Corner
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kraft Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kraft Corner
- Kraft Corner is located in Baltimore County
- Maplewood
(Less than 2 miles to the west) - Pine Orchard
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Orchard
- Pine Orchard is located in Howard County
- Continue List (5 more) ...
- Rockland
(Less than 2 miles to the east) - Rolling Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Ridge
- Rolling Ridge is located in Howard County
- Sky View
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Thornbrook
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thornbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornbrook
- Thornbrook is located in Howard County
- Toll House
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toll House have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toll House
- Toll House is located in Howard County
- Rockland
How Far From The Orchards to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs 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 Orchards to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in The Orchards and extending to:
- Ellicott City, which is the Seat of Howard County, lies just to the Southeast.
- Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 28 miles [45.1 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could walk a straight line from The Orchards 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 just over a day.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 29 miles [46.7 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 5,872 miles [9,450.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,578 miles [10,586.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,455 miles [7,169.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for The Orchards. 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> | 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- The Orchards) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in The Orchards. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.2990, Longitude: -76.8341 In this case, the coordinates for The Orchards have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <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 The Orchards 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 307.743 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.335 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.472 degrees. |