Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Bell, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Bell and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Bell
- 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 Bell:
- 45.24502, -83.41732
- 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 Bell
- 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 Presque Isle County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Presque Isle County
- Since Bell is near Alpena County and also Montmorency County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Alpena County
- eBird sighting report for Montmorency 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 Bell ...
We found 21 communities that share the name Bell.
There is one other community in Michigan which is also named Bell.
Beyond Michigan, we know of another twenty communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In Michigan ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Leavenworth County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Bell [Leavenworth County].
- Washington 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 Kansas community of Bell [Washington County].
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Columbiana County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Columbiana County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbiana County community of Bell.
- Highland County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ohio community of Bell [Highland County].
- Oklahoma
- Adair County
- This Bell is located in Adair County and lies 879 miles [1,414.6 km]<2> to the southwest of the Bell that is located in Presque Isle County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adair County community of Bell.
- Oklahoma County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Oklahoma community of Bell [Oklahoma County].
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
Curious and Interesting Names Near Bell ...
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.
- Bolton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Harbor View
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbor View have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor View
- Harbor View is located in Presque Isle County
- Leer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west) - Leroy
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
- Leroy is located in Presque Isle County
- Long Rapids
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Rapids
- Long Rapids is located in Alpena County
- Orchard Point
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Point have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Point
- Orchard Point is located in Presque Isle County
- Rockport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Stoneport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
How Far From Bell 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 Bell to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Bell once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Bell and extending to:
- Rogers City, which is the Seat of Presque Isle County, lies 22 miles [35.4 km]<2> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Bell to Rogers City, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
- Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 182 miles [292.9 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 11 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 546 miles [878.7 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 22 days and walking would take 31 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 6,610 miles [10,637.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,496 miles [7,235.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Bell 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. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Bell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bell. We have been unable to find the coordinates for Bell. That said, to estimate its location, we are using the latitude and longitude of what we believe to be a nearby cemetery (likely the town cemetery). The cemetery that we've chosen is named Bell Cemetery and it is located at 45.2450, -83.4173 . |
| <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 Bell, 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 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 Bell to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 311.511 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.511 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.303 degrees. |