Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Mattawan, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Mattawan and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Mattawan
- 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 Mattawan:
- 42.216209, -85.785589
- 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 Mattawan
- 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 Van Buren County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Van Buren County
- Since Mattawan is near Kalamazoo County and also Saint Joseph County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Kalamazoo County
- eBird sighting report for Saint Joseph 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 Mattawan ...
We found two communities that share the name Mattawan.
Within Michigan, the name Mattawan is unique.
Beyond Michigan, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these two communities, one is located in the United States and the other in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Ontario
- This Mattawan lies 445 miles [716.2 km]<1> to the northeast of the Mattawan that is located in Van Buren County.
- Virginia
- Ontario
Curious and Interesting Names Near Mattawan ...
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.
- Chamberlain
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
- Chamberlain is located in Saint Joseph County
- Comstock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east) - Cooper
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast) - Flowerfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flowerfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowerfield
- Flowerfield is located in Saint Joseph County
- Fritzburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest) - Howardsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howardsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardsville
- Howardsville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Parchment
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parchment have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parchment
- Parchment is located in Kalamazoo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,825 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parchment <3>
- Paw Paw
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
- Paw Paw is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,344 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paw Paw <3>
- Pine Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
- Pine Ridge is located in Saint Joseph County
- Portage
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
- Portage is located in Kalamazoo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 49,787 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portage <3>
- Schoolcraft
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schoolcraft
- Schoolcraft is located in Kalamazoo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,548 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Schoolcraft <3>
- Teapot Dome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Teapot Dome have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teapot Dome
- Teapot Dome is located in Van Buren County
- Texas Corners
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Texas Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas Corners
- Texas Corners is located in Kalamazoo County
How Far From Mattawan 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 village such as Mattawan to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Mattawan and extending to:
- Paw Paw, which is the Seat of Van Buren County, lies just to the West.
- Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 72 miles [115.9 km]<1> to the east northeast (ENE). If you could drive a straight line from Mattawan to Lansing, with an average speed<4>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 4 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 512 miles [824 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 20 days and walking would take 29 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,098 miles [9,813.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,834 miles [10,998.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,716 miles [7,589.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Mattawan. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Van Buren County: www.vbco.org/
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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- Mattawan) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mattawan. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2162, Longitude: -85.7856 In this case, the coordinates for Mattawan have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Mattawan to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.212 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.986 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.553 degrees. |