Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Grand Rapids, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Grand Rapids and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Rapids
- 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 Grand Rapids:
- 47.235912, -93.528353
- 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 Grand Rapids
- 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 Itasca County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Itasca County
- Since Grand Rapids is near Cass County and also Aitkin County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Cass County
- eBird sighting report for Aitkin 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 Grand Rapids ...
We found nine communities that share the name Grand Rapids.
Within Minnesota, the name Grand Rapids is unique.
Beyond Minnesota, we know of another nine communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these nine communities, seven are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- British Columbia
- This Grand Rapids lies 1,443 miles [2,322.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Itasca County.
- Manitoba
- This Grand Rapids lies 481 miles [774.1 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Itasca County.
- Michigan
- Kent County
- This Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and lies 483 miles [777.3 km]<1> to the southeast of the Grand Rapids that is located in Itasca County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kent County community of Grand Rapids.
- Ontonagon County
- This Grand Rapids is located in Ontonagon County and lies 202 miles [325.1 km] to the east of the Grand Rapids that is located in Itasca County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ontonagon County community of Grand Rapids.
- Nebraska
- Holt County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Holt County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Holt County community of Grand Rapids.
- North Dakota
- LaMoure County
- This Grand Rapids is located in LaMoure County and lies 235 miles [378.2 km]<1> to the west of the Grand Rapids that is located in Itasca County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the LaMoure County community of Grand Rapids.
- Ohio
- Lake County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Lake County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lake County community of Grand Rapids.
- Wood County
- This Grand Rapids is located in Wood County and lies 623 miles [1,002.6 km]<1> to the southeast of the Grand Rapids that is located in Itasca County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wood County community of Grand Rapids.
- Oregon
- Clatsop County
- This Grand Rapids is located in Clatsop County and lies 1,417 miles [2,280.4 km]<1> to the west of the Grand Rapids that is located in Itasca County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clatsop County community of Grand Rapids.
- British Columbia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Grand Rapids ...
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.
- Bass Brook
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bass Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bass Brook
- Bass Brook is located in Itasca County
- Blackberry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackberry
- Blackberry is located in Itasca County
- Deer River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deer River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer River
- Deer River is located in Itasca County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deer River <4>
- Gunn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast) - Hill City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
- Hill City is located in Aitkin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 580 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hill City <4>
- Marble
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marble have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble
- Marble is located in Itasca County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marble <4>
- Silverwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silverwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverwood
- Silverwood is located in Itasca County
- Swan River
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swan River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan River
- Swan River is located in Itasca County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Swan River <4>
- Taconite
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
How Far From Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Grand Rapids and extending to:
- Saint Paul, which is the State Capital of Minnesota, lies 158 miles [254.3 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Grand Rapids to Saint Paul, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 9 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,008 miles [1,622.2 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take over two days, a buggy would take 40 days and walking would take 58 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,114 miles [9,839.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,873 miles [11,061 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,794 miles [7,715.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Grand Rapids: www.grandrapidsmn.org/
The official website for Itasca County: www.co.itasca.mn.us/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/
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 from Point A (ie- Grand Rapids) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Grand Rapids. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.2359, Longitude: -93.5284 |
| <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 Grand Rapids, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Grand Rapids to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 318.466 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 316.656 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.165 degrees. |