Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in The Plains, we use the following websites to find information relevant to The Plains and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for The Plains
- 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 Plains:
- 38.449290, -76.864970
- 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 Plains
- 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 Charles County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Charles County
- Since The Plains is near Saint Mary's County and also Calvert County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Saint Mary's County
- eBird sighting report for Calvert 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 Plains ...
We found 21 communities that share the name The Plains.
There is one other community in Maryland which is also named The Plains.
Beyond Maryland, we know of another twenty communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In Maryland ...
- Caroline County
- This The Plains is located in Caroline County and lies 65 miles [104.6 km]<1> to the northeast of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Caroline County community of The Plains.
- Caroline County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Madera County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of The Plains [Madera County].
- Florida
- Highlands County
- This The Plains is located in Highlands County and lies 802 miles [1,290.7 km]<1> to the south southwest of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Highlands County community of The Plains.
- Georgia
- Cobb County
- This The Plains is located in Cobb County and lies 522 miles [840.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cobb County community of The Plains.
- Sumter County
- This The Plains is located in Sumter County and lies 613 miles [986.5 km] to the southwest of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sumter County community of The Plains.
- Kansas
- Meade County
- This The Plains is located in Meade County and lies 1,292 miles [2,079.3 km]<1> to the west of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Meade County community of The Plains.
- Kentucky
- Breckinridge County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of The Plains [Breckinridge County].
- Louisiana
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- This The Plains is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and lies 973 miles [1,565.9 km]<1> to the west southwest of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the East Baton Rouge Parish community of The Plains.
- Massachusetts
- Nantucket County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Massachusetts community of The Plains [Nantucket County].
- Michigan
- Marquette County
- This The Plains is located in Marquette County and lies 763 miles [1,227.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marquette County community of The Plains.
- Montana
- Sanders County
- This The Plains is located in Sanders County and lies 1,996 miles [3,212.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sanders County community of The Plains.
- New Hampshire
- Belknap County
- This The Plains is located in Belknap County and lies 443 miles [712.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Belknap County community of The Plains.
- New Jersey
- Sussex County
- This The Plains is located in Sussex County and lies 218 miles [350.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of The Plains.
- New York
- Oneida County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the New York community of The Plains [Oneida County].
- Washington County
- This The Plains is located in Washington County and lies 366 miles [589 km]<1> to the north northeast of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of The Plains.
- Ohio
- Athens County
- This The Plains is located in Athens County and lies 290 miles [466.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Athens County community of The Plains.
- Pennsylvania
- Luzerne County
- This The Plains is located in Luzerne County and lies 202 miles [325.1 km]<1> to the north northeast of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Luzerne County community of The Plains.
- South Carolina
- Chesterfield County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the South Carolina community of The Plains [Chesterfield County].
- Texas
- Borden County
- This The Plains is located in Borden County and lies 1,436 miles [2,311 km]<1> to the west of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Borden County community of The Plains.
- Yoakum County
- This The Plains is located in Yoakum County and lies 1,492 miles [2,401.1 km] to the west of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yoakum County community of The Plains.
- Virginia
- Fauquier County
- This The Plains is located in Fauquier County and lies 56 miles [90.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the The Plains that is located in Charles County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fauquier County community of The Plains.
- California
Curious and Interesting Names Near The Plains ...
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.
- Allens Fresh
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allens Fresh have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Fresh
- Allens Fresh is located in Charles County
- Arborview
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Birch Hanger
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birch Hanger have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch Hanger
- Birch Hanger is located in Saint Mary's County
- Coffee Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coffee Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee Hill
- Coffee Hill is located in Saint Mary's County
- Deer Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Dentsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dentsville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dentsville
- Dentsville is located in Charles County
- Gravelly Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gravelly Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravelly Hills
- Gravelly Hills is located in Saint Mary's County
- Grosstown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Independence Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Independence Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence Village
- Independence Village is located in Charles County
- Continue List (6 more) ...
- Oaks
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Redgate
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Rogers Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogers Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Mill
- Rogers Mill is located in Charles County
- Serenity Woods
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Serenity Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serenity Woods
- Serenity Woods is located in Charles County
- Stilltown ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Sunnyside
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Oaks
How Far From The Plains 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 Plains to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in The Plains and extending to:
- La Plata, which is the Seat of Charles County, lies just to the Northwest.
- Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 41 miles [66 km]<1> to the north northeast (NNE). If you could walk a straight line from The Plains to Annapolis, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take about three full 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 32 miles [51.5 km] to the north northwest (NNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just over a day and walking would take most of two days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,909 miles [9,509.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,612 miles [10,641 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,489 miles [7,224.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for The Plains. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Charles County: www.charlescounty.org/
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 drawn from Point A (ie- The Plains) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in The Plains. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.4493, Longitude: -76.8650 In this case, the coordinates for The Plains have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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 The Plains, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 Plains 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. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <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 The Plains to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.816 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.287 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.815 degrees. |