RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Michigan >> Wayne County >> Belleville >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Belleville, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Belleville 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 Belleville:
    • 42.203373, -83.482158
    • 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 Belleville
  • 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 Wayne County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Wayne County
    • Since Belleville is near Washtenaw County and also Monroe County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Washtenaw County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Monroe 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Belleville

Communities Also Named Belleville ...

We found 32 communities that are also named Belleville.

Within Michigan, the name Belleville is unique.

Beyond Michigan, we know of 32 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 32 communities, 29 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Conecuh County
      • This Belleville is located in Conecuh County and lies 770 miles [1,239.2 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Conecuh County community of Belleville.
    • Arkansas
      • Yell County
      • This Belleville is located in Yell County and lies 726 miles [1,168.4 km]<1> to the southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yell County community of Belleville.
    • California
      • San Bernardino County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in San Bernardino County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the San Bernardino County community of Belleville.
      • Tulare County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Belleville [Tulare County].
    • Florida
      • Hamilton County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Florida community of Belleville [Hamilton County].
    • Illinois
      • Saint Clair County
      • This Belleville is located in Saint Clair County and lies 426 miles [685.6 km]<1> to the southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saint Clair County community of Belleville.
    • Indiana
      • Hendricks County
      • This Belleville is located in Hendricks County and lies 234 miles [376.6 km]<1> to the southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hendricks County community of Belleville.
    • Iowa
      • Jefferson County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Iowa community of Belleville [Jefferson County].
    • Kansas
      • Chautauqua County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Belleville [Chautauqua County].
      • Ness 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 Belleville [Ness County].
      • Republic County
      • This Belleville is located in Republic County and lies 754 miles [1,213.4 km]<1> to the west of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Republic County community of Belleville.
    • Louisiana
      • Avoyelles Parish
      • This Belleville is located in Avoyelles Parish and lies 898 miles [1,445.2 km]<1> to the southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Avoyelles Parish community of Belleville.
    • Mississippi
      • Perry County
      • This Belleville is located in Perry County and lies 820 miles [1,319.7 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Perry County community of Belleville.
    • Missouri
      • Cole County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Missouri community of Belleville [Cole County].
      • Jasper County
      • This Belleville is located in Jasper County and lies 685 miles [1,102.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jasper County community of Belleville.
      • Montgomery County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Missouri community of Belleville [Montgomery County].
    • Nevada
      • Esmeralda County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Nevada community of Belleville [Esmeralda County].
      • Mineral County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Nevada community of Belleville [Mineral County].
    • New Brunswick
      • This Belleville lies 825 miles [1,327.7 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
    • New Jersey
      • Essex County
      • This Belleville is located in Essex County and lies 492 miles [791.8 km]<1> to the east of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Essex County community of Belleville.
    • New York
      • Jefferson County
      • This Belleville is located in Jefferson County and lies 387 miles [622.8 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Belleville.
    • North Dakota
      • Grand Forks County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the North Dakota community of Belleville [Grand Forks County].
    • Nova Scotia
      • This Belleville lies 891 miles [1,433.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
    • Oklahoma
      • Love County
      • This Belleville is located in Love County and lies 952 miles [1,532.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Love County community of Belleville.
    • Ontario
      • This Belleville lies 335 miles [539.1 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Mifflin County
      • This Belleville is located in Mifflin County and lies 317 miles [510.2 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mifflin County community of Belleville.
    • Rhode Island
      • Washington County
      • This Belleville is located in Washington County and lies 618 miles [994.6 km]<1> to the east of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Belleville.
    • Tennessee
      • Lincoln County
      • This Belleville is located in Lincoln County and lies 506 miles [814.3 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lincoln County community of Belleville.
    • Virginia
      • Suffolk City
      • This Belleville is located in Suffolk City and lies 525 miles [844.9 km]<1> to the southeast of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Suffolk City community of Belleville.
    • Washington
      • Skagit County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Washington community of Belleville [Skagit County].
    • West Virginia
      • Wood County
      • This Belleville is located in Wood County and lies 231 miles [371.8 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wood County community of Belleville.
    • Wisconsin
      • Dane County
      • This Belleville is located in Dane County and lies 311 miles [500.5 km]<1> to the west of the Belleville that is located in Wayne County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dane County community of Belleville.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Belleville ...

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.

  • Cherry Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Cherry Hill is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Hill
  • French Landing
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • French Landing is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Landing
  • Lincoln
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lincoln is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
  • Martinsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Martinsville is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
  • Paint Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Paint Creek is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint Creek
  • Stony Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Stony Creek is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Creek
  • Sunnyside
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Sunnyside is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
  • Superior
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Superior is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
  • Willow
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Willow is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow
  • Willow Run
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Willow Run is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Run

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

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

  • Detroit, which is the Seat of Wayne County, lies 23 miles [37 km]<1> to the east northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Belleville to Detroit, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days 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 65 miles [104.6 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take most of three days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 407 miles [655 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take most of a day, a buggy would take 16 days and walking would take 24 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,011 miles [9,673.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,743 miles [10,851.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,622 miles [7,438.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Belleville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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 Belleville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 Belleville 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.
<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 Belleville 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 Belleville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2034, Longitude: -83.4822       In this case, the coordinates for Belleville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 311.711 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.28 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.432 degrees.