Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rockdale, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rockdale and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rockdale
- 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 Rockdale:
- 39.701206, -77.843885
- 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 Rockdale
- 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 Washington County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Washington County
- Since Rockdale is near Franklin County and also Berkeley County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Franklin County
- eBird sighting report for Berkeley 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 Rockdale ...
We found 36 communities that share the name Rockdale.
Within Maryland, the name Rockdale is unique.
Beyond Maryland, we know of another 36 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 36 communities, 34 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Jefferson County
- This Rockdale is located in Jefferson County and lies 669 miles [1,076.7 km]<1> to the southwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Rockdale.
- Randolph County
- This Rockdale is located in Randolph County and lies 608 miles [978.5 km] to the southwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of Rockdale.
- Colorado
- Chaffee County
- This Rockdale is located in Chaffee County and lies 1,519 miles [2,444.6 km]<1> to the west of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chaffee County community of Rockdale.
- Fremont 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 Colorado community of Rockdale [Fremont County].
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Boyd County
- This Rockdale is located in Boyd County and lies 274 miles [441 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Boyd County community of Rockdale.
- Owen County
- This Rockdale is located in Owen County and lies 377 miles [606.7 km] to the west of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Owen County community of Rockdale.
- Massachusetts
- Berkshire 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 Massachusetts community of Rockdale [Berkshire County].
- Bristol County
- This Rockdale is located in Bristol County and lies 384 miles [618 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bristol County community of Rockdale.
- Norfolk 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 Massachusetts community of Rockdale [Norfolk County].
- Missouri
- New York
- North Carolina
- Nova Scotia
- This Rockdale lies 954 miles [1,535.3 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Rockdale lies 332 miles [534.3 km]<1> to the north of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- Pennsylvania
- Bucks County
- This Rockdale is located in Bucks County and lies 159 miles [255.9 km]<1> to the east of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bucks County community of Rockdale.
- Butler County
- This Rockdale is located in Butler County and lies 130 miles [209.2 km] to the northwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Butler County community of Rockdale.
- Delaware County
- This Rockdale is located in Delaware County and lies 128 miles [206 km] to the east of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Delaware County community of Rockdale.
- Franklin County
- This Rockdale is located in Franklin County and lies 11 miles [17.7 km] to the north of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Rockdale.
- Jefferson County
- This Rockdale is located in Jefferson County and lies 114 miles [183.5 km] to the north northwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Rockdale.
- Lackawanna County
- This Rockdale is located in Lackawanna County and lies 160 miles [257.5 km] to the northeast of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lackawanna County community of Rockdale.
- Lehigh County
- This Rockdale is located in Lehigh County and lies 139 miles [223.7 km] to the east northeast of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lehigh County community of Rockdale.
- Tennessee
- Maury County
- This Rockdale is located in Maury County and lies 591 miles [951.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Maury County community of Rockdale.
- Rutherford County
- This Rockdale is located in Rutherford County and lies 532 miles [856.2 km] to the west southwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rutherford County community of Rockdale.
- Texas
- Hopkins County
- This Rockdale is located in Hopkins County and lies 1,085 miles [1,746.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hopkins County community of Rockdale.
- Milam County
- This Rockdale is located in Milam County and lies 1,245 miles [2,003.6 km] to the west southwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Milam County community of Rockdale.
- Washington
- King County
- This Rockdale is located in King County and lies 2,215 miles [3,564.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rockdale that is located in Washington County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the King County community of Rockdale.
- Lincoln 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 Rockdale [Lincoln County].
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rockdale ...
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.
- Cedar Lawn
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Lawn have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lawn
- Cedar Lawn is located in Washington County
- Claylick
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Clear Spring
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Spring
- Clear Spring is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 362 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clear Spring <5>
- Clearview
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Countryside
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Countryside have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside
- Countryside is located in Washington County
- Dry Run
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west) - Gardenspot
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gardenspot have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenspot
- Gardenspot is located in Washington County
- Gristmill Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gristmill Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gristmill Hill
- Gristmill Hill is located in Washington County
- Martins Crossroads
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martins Crossroads have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Crossroads
- Martins Crossroads is located in Washington County
- Mason and Dixon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason and Dixon have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason and Dixon
- Mason and Dixon is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Nova
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Shady Bower
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Bower have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Bower
- Shady Bower is located in Washington County
- Welsh Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
How Far From Rockdale 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 Rockdale to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rockdale and extending to:
- Hagerstown, which is the Seat of Washington County, lies just to the East Southeast.
- Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 87 miles [140 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could drive a straight line from Rockdale to Annapolis, with an average speed<6>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 5 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 70 miles [112.7 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,897 miles [9,490.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,607 miles [10,632.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,483 miles [7,214.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rockdale. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Washington County: www.washco-md.net/
The official website for State of Maryland: www.maryland.gov/
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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rockdale) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rockdale. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.7012, Longitude: -77.8439 In this case, the coordinates for Rockdale have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Rockdale 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 Rockdale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Rockdale to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.319 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.051 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.749 degrees. |