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Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Sparta, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Sparta and the surrounding area.
- 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 Sparta:
- 43.160846, -85.710077
- 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 Sparta
- 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 Kent County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Kent County
- Since Sparta is near Ottawa County and also Muskegon County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Ottawa County
- Open the eBird sighting report for Muskegon 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 Sparta
Communities Also Named Sparta ...
We found 25 communities that are also named Sparta.
Within Michigan, the name Sparta is unique.
Beyond Michigan, we know of 25 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 25 communities, 24 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Conecuh 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 Sparta [Conecuh County].
- Georgia
- Hancock County
- This Sparta is located in Hancock County and lies 698 miles [1,123.3 km]<2> to the south southeast of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hancock County community of Sparta.
- Illinois
- Randolph County
- This Sparta is located in Randolph County and lies 404 miles [650.2 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of Sparta.
- Indiana
- Dearborn County
- This Sparta is located in Dearborn County and lies 282 miles [453.8 km]<2> to the south of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dearborn County community of Sparta.
- Kansas
- McPherson 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 Sparta [McPherson County].
- Kentucky
- Gallatin County
- This Sparta is located in Gallatin County and lies 311 miles [500.5 km]<2> to the south of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gallatin County community of Sparta.
- Louisiana
- Bienville Parish
- This Sparta is located in Bienville Parish and lies 846 miles [1,361.5 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bienville Parish community of Sparta.
- Minnesota
- Saint Louis County
- This Sparta is located in Saint Louis County and lies 442 miles [711.3 km]<2> to the northwest of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saint Louis County community of Sparta.
- Mississippi
- Chickasaw County
- This Sparta is located in Chickasaw County and lies 672 miles [1,081.5 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chickasaw County community of Sparta.
- Missouri
- Buchanan 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 Missouri community of Sparta [Buchanan County].
- Christian County
- This Sparta is located in Christian County and lies 576 miles [927 km]<2> to the southwest of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Christian County community of Sparta.
- Nebraska
- Knox County
- This Sparta is located in Knox County and lies 620 miles [997.8 km]<2> to the west of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Knox County community of Sparta.
- New Jersey
- Sussex County
- This Sparta is located in Sussex County and lies 585 miles [941.5 km]<2> to the east of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of Sparta.
- New York
- Westchester County
- This Sparta is located in Westchester County and lies 621 miles [999.4 km]<2> to the east of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Westchester County community of Sparta.
- North Carolina
- Alleghany County
- This Sparta is located in Alleghany County and lies 519 miles [835.2 km]<2> to the south southeast of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Alleghany County community of Sparta.
- Ohio
- Athens County
- This community is historic<1> and although located in Athens County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Athens County community of Sparta.
- Morrow County
- This Sparta is located in Morrow County and lies 245 miles [394.3 km]<2> to the southeast of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Morrow County community of Sparta.
- Stark 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 Sparta [Stark County].
- Ontario
- This Sparta lies 236 miles [379.8 km]<2> to the east of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- Oregon
- Baker 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 Oregon community of Sparta [Baker County].
- Pennsylvania
- Washington County
- This Sparta is located in Washington County and lies 352 miles [566.5 km]<2> to the southeast of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Sparta.
- Tennessee
- White County
- This Sparta is located in White County and lies 499 miles [803.1 km]<2> to the south of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the White County community of Sparta.
- Texas
- Bell 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 Texas community of Sparta [Bell County].
- Virginia
- Caroline County
- This Sparta is located in Caroline County and lies 569 miles [915.7 km]<2> to the southeast of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Caroline County community of Sparta.
- Wisconsin
- Monroe County
- This Sparta is located in Monroe County and lies 260 miles [418.4 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Sparta that is located in Kent County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Sparta.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Sparta ...
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.
- Alpine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Alpine is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
- Canada Corners
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Childsdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Childsdale is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childsdale
- Englishville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Englishville is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englishville
- Fruit Ridge Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fruit Ridge Center is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruit Ridge Center
- Harrisburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Harrisburg is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Kent City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lisbon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
How Far From Sparta 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 village such as Sparta to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Sparta and extending to:
- Grand Rapids, which is the Seat of Kent County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<2> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from Sparta to Grand Rapids, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 65 miles [104.6 km] to the east southeast (ESE). 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 538 miles [865.8 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 21 days and walking would take 31 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,050 miles [9,736.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,789 miles [10,925.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,673 miles [7,520.5 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 Sparta, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | 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 from Point A (ie- Sparta) 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 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 Sparta 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 Sparta 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 Sparta. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.1608, Longitude: -85.7101 |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.138 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 310.04 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.212 degrees. |
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