RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Michigan >> Cass County >> La Grange >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in La Grange, we use the following websites to find information relevant to La Grange 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 La Grange:
    • 41.95369, -86.040514
    • 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 La Grange
  • 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 Cass County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Cass County
    • Since La Grange is near Van Buren County and also Berrien County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Van Buren County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Berrien 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 La Grange

Communities Also Named La Grange ...

We found twenty communities that are also named La Grange.

Within Michigan, the name La Grange is unique.

Beyond Michigan, we know of twenty communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Colbert 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 Alabama community of La Grange [Colbert County].
    • California
      • Stanislaus County
      • This La Grange is located in Stanislaus County and lies 1,837 miles [2,956.4 km]<2> to the west of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Stanislaus County community of La Grange.
    • Florida
      • Brevard County
      • This La Grange is located in Brevard County and lies 964 miles [1,551.4 km]<2> to the south southeast of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brevard County community of La Grange.
    • Illinois
      • Brown County
      • This La Grange is located in Brown County and lies 272 miles [437.7 km]<2> to the west southwest of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brown County community of La Grange.
      • Cook County
      • This La Grange is located in Cook County and lies 94 miles [151.3 km] to the west of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cook County community of La Grange.
    • Kansas
      • Morris County
      • This community is historic<1> and although located in Morris County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Morris County community of La Grange.
    • Kentucky
      • Oldham County
      • This La Grange is located in Oldham County and lies 247 miles [397.5 km]<2> to the south of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oldham County community of La Grange.
    • Missouri
      • Lewis County
      • This La Grange is located in Lewis County and lies 313 miles [503.7 km]<2> to the west southwest of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lewis County community of La Grange.
    • New York
      • Dutchess 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 New York community of La Grange [Dutchess County].
      • Orange County
      • This La Grange is located in Orange County and lies 606 miles [975.3 km]<2> to the east of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of La Grange.
      • Wyoming County
      • This La Grange is located in Wyoming County and lies 413 miles [664.7 km] to the east of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wyoming County community of La Grange.
    • North Carolina
      • Lenoir County
      • This La Grange is located in Lenoir County and lies 638 miles [1,026.8 km]<2> to the southeast of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lenoir County community of La Grange.
    • Ohio
      • Lawrence 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 Ohio community of La Grange [Lawrence County].
    • Tennessee
      • Fayette County
      • This La Grange is located in Fayette County and lies 507 miles [815.9 km]<2> to the south southwest of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of La Grange.
    • Texas
      • Fayette County
      • This La Grange is located in Fayette County and lies 1,027 miles [1,652.8 km]<2> to the southwest of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of La Grange.
      • Red River County
      • This community is historic<1> and although located in Red River County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Red River County community of La Grange.
    • Virginia
      • Augusta 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 Virginia community of La Grange [Augusta County].
      • King George 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 Virginia community of La Grange [King George County].
    • Wisconsin
      • Walworth County
      • This La Grange is located in Walworth County and lies 143 miles [230.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Walworth County community of La Grange.
    • Wyoming
      • Goshen County
      • This La Grange is located in Goshen County and lies 931 miles [1,498.3 km]<2> to the west of the La Grange that is located in Cass County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Goshen County community of La Grange.

Curious and Interesting Names Near La Grange ...

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.

  • Dailey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Dailey is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dailey
  • Diamond Shores
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Diamond Shores is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Shores
  • Eagle Point
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagle Point is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point
  • Edwardsburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Five Mile Corners
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Five Mile Corners is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Mile Corners
  • Fritzburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Fritzburg is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fritzburg
  • Indian Lake
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Indian Lake is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Lake
  • Maple Island
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Maple Island is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Island
  • Sandy Beach
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Sandy Beach is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Beach
  • Sister Lakes
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sister Lakes is located in Van Buren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sister Lakes
  • Spring Beach
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Spring Beach is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Beach
  • Twin Lakes
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Twin Lakes is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes

How Far From La Grange to ...

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

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

  • Cassopolis, which is the Seat of Cass County, lies just to the South Southeast.
  • Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 93 miles [149.7 km]<2> to the northeast (NE). If you could drive a straight line from La Grange to Lansing, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 6 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 517 miles [832 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 21 days and walking would take 30 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,120 miles [9,849.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,856 miles [11,033.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,737 miles [7,623.5 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 La Grange, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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- La Grange) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 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 La Grange 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'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 La Grange 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 La Grange. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9537, Longitude: -86.0405    
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.384 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 310.144 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.76 degrees.