Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ray, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ray and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ray
- 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 Ray:
- 48.410760, -93.210430
- 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 Ray
- 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 Koochiching County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Koochiching County
- Since Ray is near Saint Louis County, we have provided a link to its eBird sighting report:
- eBird sighting report for Saint Louis 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 Ray ...
We found 26 communities that share the name Ray.
Within Minnesota, the name Ray is unique.
Beyond Minnesota, we know of another 26 communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Baldwin County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Ray [Baldwin County].
- Coosa County
- This Ray is located in Coosa County and lies 1,134 miles [1,825 km]<2> to the south southeast of the Ray that is located in Koochiching County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Coosa County community of Ray.
- Arizona
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Carroll County
- This Ray is located in Carroll County and lies 640 miles [1,030 km]<2> to the south southeast of the Ray that is located in Koochiching County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carroll County community of Ray.
- Steuben County
- This Ray is located in Steuben County and lies 612 miles [984.9 km] to the southeast of the Ray that is located in Koochiching County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Steuben County community of Ray.
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Pawnee County
- This Ray is located in Pawnee County and lies 763 miles [1,227.9 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Ray that is located in Koochiching County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pawnee County community of Ray.
- Sumner County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Ray [Sumner County].
- Kentucky
- Lawrence County
- This Ray is located in Lawrence County and lies 896 miles [1,442 km]<2> to the southeast of the Ray that is located in Koochiching County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lawrence County community of Ray.
- Logan County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Ray [Logan County].
- Michigan
- Branch County
- This Ray is located in Branch County and lies 612 miles [984.9 km]<2> to the southeast of the Ray that is located in Koochiching County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Branch County community of Ray.
- Newaygo County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Ray [Newaygo County].
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- Nye County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Nye County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nye County community of Ray.
- White Pine County
- This community is historic and although located in White Pine County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the White Pine County community of Ray.
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Ellis County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Texas community of Ray [Ellis County].
- Grayson County
- This Ray is located in Grayson County and lies 1,022 miles [1,644.7 km]<2> to the south of the Ray that is located in Koochiching County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grayson County community of Ray.
- Virginia
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ray ...
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.
- Bear Pass
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast) - Box Alder
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest) - Falls Junction
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falls Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Junction
- Falls Junction is located in Koochiching County
- International Falls
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for International Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for International Falls
- International Falls is located in Koochiching County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,714 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for International Falls <6>
- Island View
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Island View have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island View
- Island View is located in Koochiching County
- Littlefork
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Littlefork have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlefork
- Littlefork is located in Koochiching County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Littlefork <6>
- Nickel Lake
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nickel Lake
- Rocky Inlet
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Inlet came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Inlet
- Windy Point
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy Point
How Far From Ray 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 Ray to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ray and extending to:
- International Falls, which is the Seat of Koochiching County, lies 15 miles [24.1 km]<2> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Ray to International Falls, with an average speed<7> 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.
- Saint Paul, which is the State Capital of Minnesota, lies 238 miles [383 km] to the south (S). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 10 days and walking would take 14 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,037 miles [1,668.9 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take over two days, a buggy would take 41 days and walking would take 59 days.
- The shortest distance<8> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,044 miles [9,726.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,804 miles [10,950 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,731 miles [7,613.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<11>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ray. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Koochiching County: www.co.koochiching.mn.us/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Ray 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. |
| <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 from Point A (ie- Ray) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ray. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.4108, Longitude: -93.2104 In this case, the coordinates for Ray have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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 Ray, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database. |
| <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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | 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. |
| <8> | 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 Ray to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 318.21 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 316.524 degrees. |
| <11> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.636 degrees. |