Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in California, we use the following websites to find information relevant to California and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for California
- 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 California:
- 47.069209, -68.105863
- 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 California
- 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 Aroostook County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Aroostook 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 California ...
We found twenty communities that share the name California.
Within Maine, the name California is unique.
Beyond Maine, we know of another twenty communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these twenty communities, nineteen are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Georgia
- Paulding County
- This California is located in Paulding County and lies 1,254 miles [2,018.1 km]<1> to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Paulding County community of California.
- Iowa
- Harrison 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 Iowa community of California [Harrison County].
- Kansas
- Coffey 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 California [Coffey County].
- Kentucky
- Campbell County
- This California is located in Campbell County and lies 988 miles [1,590 km]<1> to the west southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Campbell County community of California.
- Louisiana
- Madison 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 California [Madison Parish].
- Maryland
- Saint Mary's County
- This California is located in Saint Mary's County and lies 739 miles [1,189.3 km]<1> to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saint Mary's County community of California.
- Wicomico County
- This California is located in Wicomico County and lies 710 miles [1,142.6 km] to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wicomico County community of California.
- Michigan
- Branch County
- This California is located in Branch County and lies 901 miles [1,450 km]<1> to the west southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Branch County community of California.
- Missouri
- Moniteau County
- This California is located in Moniteau County and lies 1,360 miles [2,188.7 km]<1> to the west southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Moniteau County community of California.
- North Carolina
- Dare County
- This California is located in Dare County and lies 863 miles [1,388.9 km]<1> to the south southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dare County community of California.
- Hertford County
- This California is located in Hertford County and lies 867 miles [1,395.3 km] to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hertford County community of California.
- Madison County
- This California is located in Madison County and lies 1,071 miles [1,723.6 km] to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Madison County community of California.
- Pitt County
- This California is located in Pitt County and lies 927 miles [1,491.9 km] to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pitt County community of California.
- Ohio
- Hamilton County
- This California is located in Hamilton County and lies 988 miles [1,590 km]<1> to the west southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hamilton County community of California.
- Ontario
- This California lies 420 miles [675.9 km]<1> to the west southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- Pennsylvania
- Bucks County
- This California is located in Bucks County and lies 580 miles [933.4 km]<1> to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bucks County community of California.
- Luzerne 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 Pennsylvania community of California [Luzerne County].
- Montour County
- This California is located in Montour County and lies 594 miles [956 km] to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montour County community of California.
- Washington County
- This California is located in Washington County and lies 761 miles [1,224.7 km] to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of California.
- Virginia
- Rockbridge County
- This California is located in Rockbridge County and lies 859 miles [1,382.4 km]<1> to the southwest of the California that is located in Aroostook County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rockbridge County community of California.
- Georgia
Curious and Interesting Names Near California ...
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.
- Burnt Landing
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnt Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Landing
- Burnt Landing is located in Aroostook County
- Caribou
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caribou have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caribou
- Caribou is located in Aroostook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,622 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caribou <4>
- Carson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south) - Grand Falls Station
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Falls Station
- Grand Isle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Isle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Isle
- Grand Isle is located in Aroostook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Isle <4>
- Grass Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grass Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grass Corner
- Grass Corner is located in Aroostook County
- Martin Siding
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin Siding came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<5>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin Siding
- New Sweden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Sweden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sweden
- New Sweden is located in Aroostook County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 563 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Sweden <4>
- Parent
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north) - Pauls
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south) - Powers Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powers Creek came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<5>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers Creek
- Prime
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north) - Sweden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
How Far From California 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 California to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in California and extending to:
- Houlton, which is the Seat of Aroostook County, lies 66 miles [106.2 km]<1> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from California to Houlton, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take three full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take about three full days.
- Augusta, which is the State Capital of Maine, lies 206 miles [331.5 km] to the south southwest (SSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 12 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 721 miles [1,160.3 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 29 days and walking would take 41 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,206 miles [8,378.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 5,928 miles [9,540.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 3,804 miles [6,121.9 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for California. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Aroostook County: www.aroostook.me.us/
The official website for State of Maine: https://www.maine.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 from Point A (ie- California) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in California. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.0692, Longitude: -68.1059 In this case, the coordinates for California 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 California 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> | 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. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database. |
| <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 California 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 301.27 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 297.376 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 296.465 degrees. |