Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Crystal, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Crystal and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Crystal
- 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 Crystal:
- 45.037636, -93.359836
- 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 Crystal
- 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 Hennepin County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Hennepin County
- Since Crystal is near Anoka County and also Ramsey County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Anoka County
- eBird sighting report for Ramsey 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 Crystal ...
We found 24 communities that share the name Crystal.
Within Minnesota, the name Crystal is unique.
Beyond Minnesota, we know of another 24 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 24 communities, 23 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Custer 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 Idaho community of Crystal [Custer County].
- Power County
- This Crystal is located in Power County and lies 964 miles [1,551.4 km]<2> to the west of the Crystal that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Power County community of Crystal.
- Washington County
- This Crystal is located in Washington County and lies 1,154 miles [1,857.2 km] to the west of the Crystal that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Crystal.
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Michigan
- Nevada
- Clark 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 Nevada community of Crystal [Clark County].
- Nye County
- This Crystal is located in Nye County and lies 1,324 miles [2,130.8 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Crystal that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nye County community of Crystal.
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Ontario
- This Crystal lies 852 miles [1,371.2 km]<2> to the east of the Crystal that is located in Hennepin County.
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Fayette County
- This Crystal is located in Fayette County and lies 779 miles [1,253.7 km]<2> to the east southeast of the Crystal that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Crystal.
- Potter 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 Pennsylvania community of Crystal [Potter County].
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Crystal ...
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.
- Coon Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
- Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
- Coon Rapids
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Rapids
- Coon Rapids is located in Anoka County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62,935 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coon Rapids <4>
- Falcon Heights
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falcon Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon Heights
- Falcon Heights is located in Ramsey County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,628 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falcon Heights <4>
- Golden Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Valley
- Golden Valley is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,612 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Golden Valley <4>
- Groveland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Hilltop
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Maple Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
- Maple Grove is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72,881 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maple Grove <4>
- Medicine Lake
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medicine Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medicine Lake
- Medicine Lake is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Medicine Lake <4>
- Mission Farms
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Farms
- Mission Farms is located in Hennepin County
- Mounds View
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mounds View have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounds View
- Mounds View is located in Ramsey County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,446 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mounds View <4>
- Plymouth
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
- Plymouth is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 79,635 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plymouth <4>
- Robbinsdale
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robbinsdale
- Robbinsdale is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,190 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Robbinsdale <4>
How Far From Crystal 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 Crystal to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Crystal and extending to:
- Minneapolis, which is the Seat of Hennepin County, lies just to the Southeast.
- Saint Paul, which is the State Capital of Minnesota, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<2> to the east southeast (ESE). If you could walk a straight line from Crystal to Saint Paul, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 936 miles [1,506.3 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of two days, a buggy would take 37 days and walking would take 54 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,222 miles [10,013.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,977 miles [11,228.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,887 miles [7,864.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Crystal: www.ci.crystal.mn.us/
The official website for Hennepin County: www.hennepin.us/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/
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 Crystal, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Crystal) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Crystal. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.0376, Longitude: -93.3598 In this case, the coordinates for Crystal have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 Crystal 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> | 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. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Crystal to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 318.363 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 316.243 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.677 degrees. |