RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Maryland >> Montgomery County >> Riverwood >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Riverwood, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Riverwood 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 Riverwood:
    • 39.072330, -77.303872
    • 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 Riverwood
  • 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 Montgomery County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Montgomery County
    • Since Riverwood is near Fairfax County and also Loudoun County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Fairfax County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Loudoun 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 Riverwood

Communities Also Named Riverwood ...

We found seventeen communities that are also named Riverwood.

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

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

  • Communities Located In Maryland ...
    • Anne Arundel County
      • This Riverwood is located in Anne Arundel County and lies 35 miles [56.3 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Anne Arundel County community of Riverwood.
    • Frederick County
      • This Riverwood is located in Frederick County and lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<1> to the north of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Frederick County community of Riverwood.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Shelby County
      • This Riverwood is located in Shelby County and lies 654 miles [1,052.5 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shelby County community of Riverwood.
      • Tuscaloosa County
      • This Riverwood is located in Tuscaloosa County and lies 697 miles [1,121.7 km] to the west southwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscaloosa County community of Riverwood.
    • Georgia
      • Cobb County
      • This Riverwood is located in Cobb County and lies 535 miles [861 km]<1> to the southwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cobb County community of Riverwood.
      • Newton County
      • This Riverwood is located in Newton County and lies 534 miles [859.4 km] to the southwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Newton County community of Riverwood.
      • Troup County
      • This Riverwood is located in Troup County and lies 596 miles [959.2 km] to the southwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Troup County community of Riverwood.
    • Indiana
      • Hamilton County
      • This Riverwood is located in Hamilton County and lies 466 miles [750 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hamilton County community of Riverwood.
    • Kentucky
      • Jefferson County
      • This Riverwood is located in Jefferson County and lies 453 miles [729 km]<1> to the west of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Riverwood.
    • Louisiana
      • Saint Tammany Parish
      • 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 Louisiana community of Riverwood [Saint Tammany Parish].
    • Michigan
      • Eaton 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 Riverwood [Eaton County].
    • Oregon
      • Multnomah County
      • This Riverwood is located in Multnomah County and lies 2,327 miles [3,744.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Multnomah County community of Riverwood.
    • Tennessee
      • Rutherford County
      • This Riverwood is located in Rutherford County and lies 539 miles [867.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rutherford County community of Riverwood.
    • Texas
      • Montgomery County
      • Although located in Montgomery County, we don't know the location within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Riverwood.
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake County
      • This Riverwood is located in Salt Lake County and lies 1,822 miles [2,932.2 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Salt Lake County community of Riverwood.
    • Virginia
      • Arlington County
      • This Riverwood is located in Arlington County and lies 15 miles [24.1 km]<1> to the southeast of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Arlington County community of Riverwood.
      • Fairfax County
      • This Riverwood is located in Fairfax County and lies 27 miles [43.5 km] to the south southeast of the Riverwood that is located in Montgomery County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fairfax County community of Riverwood.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Riverwood ...

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.

  • Ancient Oak
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ancient Oak is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ancient Oak
  • Deanwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Deanwood is located in Fairfax County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanwood
  • Farmlands
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Farmlands is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmlands
  • Glen Query
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Glen Query is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Query
  • Harvest Hunt Farm
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Harvest Hunt Farm is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvest Hunt Farm
  • Lake Potomac
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Potomac is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Potomac
  • Mitchells Range
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Mitchells Range is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchells Range
  • Pioneer Hills
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Pioneer Hills is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer Hills
  • Potomac Chase
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Potomac Chase is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac Chase
  • Quail Run
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Quail Run is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quail Run
  • Rushville
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Rushville is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
  • Spring Meadows
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Spring Meadows is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Meadows
  • Windmill Farm
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Windmill Farm is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windmill Farm

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

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

  • Rockville, which is the Seat of Montgomery County, lies just to the East.
  • Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 44 miles [70.8 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could walk a straight line from Riverwood to Annapolis, with an average speed<3> 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 most of two days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 18 miles [29 km] to the southeast (SE). The buggy would take five to six hours and walking would take just over a day.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,901 miles [9,496.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,608 miles [10,634.5 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,484 miles [7,216.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'

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- Riverwood) 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 Riverwood 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 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 Riverwood 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 Riverwood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.0723, Longitude: -77.3039       In this case, the coordinates for Riverwood have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.036 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.633 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.76 degrees.