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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Willowdale, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Willowdale 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 Willowdale:
    • 39.164831, -76.634411
    • 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 Willowdale
  • 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 Willowdale 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 Willowdale

Communities Also Named Willowdale ...

We found thirteen communities that are also named Willowdale.

Within Maryland, the name Willowdale is unique.

Beyond Maryland, we know of thirteen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, eleven are located in the United States and four are in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Arkansas
      • Pulaski County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Willowdale [Pulaski County].
    • Kansas
      • Dickinson 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 Kansas community of Willowdale [Dickinson County].
      • Kingman County
      • This Willowdale is located in Kingman County and lies 1,176 miles [1,892.6 km]<3> to the west of the Willowdale that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kingman County community of Willowdale.
    • Louisiana
      • Jefferson Parish
      • This Willowdale is located in Jefferson Parish and lies 995 miles [1,601.3 km]<3> to the southwest of the Willowdale that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson Parish community of Willowdale.
    • Massachusetts
      • Middlesex County
      • This Willowdale is located in Middlesex County and lies 365 miles [587.4 km]<3> to the northeast of the Willowdale that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Middlesex County community of Willowdale.
    • Nebraska
      • Antelope 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 Nebraska community of Willowdale [Antelope County].
    • New Hampshire
      • Grafton 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 New Hampshire community of Willowdale [Grafton County].
    • New Jersey
      • Camden County
      • This Willowdale is located in Camden County and lies 100 miles [160.9 km]<3> to the east northeast of the Willowdale that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Camden County community of Willowdale.
    • Nova Scotia
      • 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 Nova Scotia community of Willowdale.
    • Ontario
      • This Willowdale lies 349 miles [561.7 km]<3> to the north northwest of the Willowdale that is located in Anne Arundel County.
    • Oregon
      • Jefferson County
      • This Willowdale is located in Jefferson County and lies 2,278 miles [3,666.1 km]<3> to the west northwest of the Willowdale that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Willowdale.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Chester County
      • This Willowdale is located in Chester County and lies 69 miles [111 km]<3> to the northeast of the Willowdale that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chester County community of Willowdale.
    • West Virginia
      • Jackson County
      • This Willowdale is located in Jackson County and lies 271 miles [436.1 km]<3> to the west of the Willowdale that is located in Anne Arundel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Willowdale.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Willowdale ...

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.

  • Dundee
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Dundee is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
  • Ferndale
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Fox Chase
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Fox Chase is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Chase
  • Furnace Branch
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Furnace Branch is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace Branch
  • Gatewater
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Gatewater is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatewater
  • Glen Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Glen Gardens is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Gardens
  • Glen Hollow
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Glen Hollow is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Hollow
  • Greentree
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Greentree is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greentree
  • Harris Heights
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Harris Heights is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Heights
  • Heritage Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Heritage Hill is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Hill
  • Homeland Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Homeland Park is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland Park
  • Marley
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Marley is located in Anne Arundel County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marley
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Marley Park Beach
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Marley Park Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marley Park Beach
    • Meadow Brook
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Meadow Brook is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook
    • Pleasantville
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Pleasantville is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantville
    • Point Pleasant
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Point Pleasant is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Pleasant
    • Rippling Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Rippling Ridge is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rippling Ridge
    • Timber Ridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Timber Ridge is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Ridge
    • Towering Oaks
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Towering Oaks is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towering Oaks
    • Twin Cove
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Twin Cove is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Cove
    • Twin Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Twin Ridge is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Ridge
    • Village Square
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Village Square is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Square
    • Willow
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Willow is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow
    • Woodlawn Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodlawn Heights is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Heights
    • Woods Edge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Woods Edge is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Edge
    • Woodside Square
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Woodside Square is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside Square

How Far From Willowdale to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Willowdale to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Annapolis, which is the Seat of Anne Arundel County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<3> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Willowdale to Annapolis, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
  • Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 14 miles [22.5 km] to the south southeast (SSE). The buggy would take four to five hours and walking would take most of a day.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest (SW). The buggy would take just over a day and walking would take just about two full days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,869 miles [9,445.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,574 miles [10,579.8 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,451 miles [7,163.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Willowdale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 Willowdale 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>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- Willowdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Willowdale 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 Willowdale. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1648, Longitude: -76.6344       In this case, the coordinates for Willowdale have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.634 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.19 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.441 degrees.