RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Maryland >> Anne Arundel County >> Surfside >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Surfside, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Surfside 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 Surfside:
    • 39.161776, -76.503573
    • 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 Surfside
  • 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 Anne Arundel County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Anne Arundel County
    • Since Surfside is near Baltimore County and also Baltimore City, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Baltimore County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Baltimore City
  • 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 Surfside

Communities Also Named Surfside ...

We found eight communities that are also named Surfside.

Within Maryland, the name Surfside is unique.

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

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • California
      • Orange County
      • This Surfside is located in Orange County and lies 2,319 miles [3,732.1 km]<1> to the west of the Surfside that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of Surfside.
    • Florida
      • Miami-Dade County
      • This Surfside is located in Miami-Dade County and lies 940 miles [1,512.8 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Surfside that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Miami-Dade County community of Surfside.
    • Maine
      • York County
      • This Surfside is located in York County and lies 438 miles [704.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the Surfside that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the York County community of Surfside.
    • Massachusetts
      • Nantucket County
      • This Surfside is located in Nantucket County and lies 367 miles [590.6 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Surfside that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nantucket County community of Surfside.
      • Norfolk 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 Surfside [Norfolk County].
      • Plymouth 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 Surfside [Plymouth County].
    • Ohio
      • Lake 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 Ohio community of Surfside [Lake County].
    • Texas
      • Brazoria County
      • This Surfside is located in Brazoria County and lies 1,281 miles [2,061.6 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Surfside that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brazoria County community of Surfside.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Surfside ...

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.

  • Beauty Beach
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Beauty Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauty Beach
  • Chase Wood Run
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Chase Wood Run is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase Wood Run
  • Clear Water Beach
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Clear Water Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Water Beach
  • Cottage Grove Beach
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Cottage Grove Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove Beach
  • Creek View
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Creek View is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creek View
  • Elizabeths Landing
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Elizabeths Landing is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeths Landing
  • Fairhaven Beach
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Fairhaven Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven Beach
  • Green Haven
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Green Haven is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Haven
  • Greenland Beach
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Greenland Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland Beach
  • High Point
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • High Point is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
  • Hillside Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Hillside Park is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Park
  • Jacobsville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jacobsville is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobsville
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Lake View
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Lake View is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
    • Orchard Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Paradise Beach
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Paradise Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Beach
    • Rock Creek Landing
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Rock Creek Landing is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek Landing
    • Rock Creek Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Rock Creek Park is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek Park
    • Rock Hill Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Rock Hill Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill Beach
    • Rockhill Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Rockhill Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockhill Beach
    • Rockview Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Rockview Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockview Beach
    • Rockwood Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Rockwood Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood Beach
    • Sanders Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Sanders Park is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanders Park
    • School Gardens
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • School Gardens is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for School Gardens
    • Silver Sands
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Silver Sands is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Sands
    • Stoney View
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Stoney View is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney View
    • Stony Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Stony Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Beach
    • Sunset Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Sunset Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Beach
    • View Point
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • View Point is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for View Point

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

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

  • Annapolis, which is the Seat of Anne Arundel County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from Surfside to Annapolis, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
  • Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 12 miles [19.3 km] to the south (S). The buggy would take nearly four hours and walking would take five to six hours.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 33 miles [53.1 km] to the west southwest (WSW). 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<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,864 miles [9,437.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,569 miles [10,571.8 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,446 miles [7,155.1 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Surfside) 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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 Surfside 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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Surfside 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 Surfside. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1618, Longitude: -76.5036       In this case, the coordinates for Surfside have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.557 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.102 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.387 degrees.