RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Mississippi >> Benton County >> Canaan >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Canaan, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Canaan 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 Canaan:
    • 34.930458, -89.127205
    • 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 Canaan
  • 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 Benton County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Benton County
    • Since Canaan is near Fayette County and also Hardeman County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Fayette County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Hardeman 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 Canaan

Communities Also Named Canaan ...

We found 29 communities that are also named Canaan.

Within Mississippi, the name Canaan is unique.

Beyond Mississippi, we know of 29 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 29 communities, 26 are located in the United States and five are in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Lamar 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 Canaan [Lamar County].
      • Lauderdale County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Canaan [Lauderdale County].
      • Montgomery County
      • This Canaan is located in Montgomery County and lies 248 miles [399.1 km]<3> to the southeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Canaan.
    • Arkansas
      • Lee County
      • This Canaan is located in Lee County and lies 94 miles [151.3 km]<3> to the west of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lee County community of Canaan.
      • Searcy County
      • This Canaan is located in Searcy County and lies 211 miles [339.6 km] to the west northwest of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Searcy County community of Canaan.
    • Connecticut
      • Litchfield County
      • This Canaan is located in Litchfield County and lies 982 miles [1,580.4 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Litchfield County community of Canaan.
    • Florida
      • Seminole County
      • This Canaan is located in Seminole County and lies 627 miles [1,009.1 km]<3> to the southeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Seminole County community of Canaan.
    • Georgia
      • Morgan County
      • This Canaan is located in Morgan County and lies 335 miles [539.1 km]<3> to the east southeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Morgan County community of Canaan.
    • Indiana
      • Jefferson County
      • This Canaan is located in Jefferson County and lies 344 miles [553.6 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Canaan.
    • Kansas
      • Chase 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 Canaan [Chase County].
    • Maine
      • Somerset County
      • This Canaan is located in Somerset County and lies 1,234 miles [1,985.9 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Somerset County community of Canaan.
    • Missouri
      • Gasconade County
      • This Canaan is located in Gasconade County and lies 269 miles [432.9 km]<3> to the north northwest of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gasconade County community of Canaan.
    • New Brunswick
      • This Canaan lies 1,475 miles [2,373.8 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
    • New Hampshire
      • Grafton County
      • This Canaan is located in Grafton County and lies 1,091 miles [1,755.8 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grafton County community of Canaan.
    • New York
      • Columbia County
      • This Canaan is located in Columbia County and lies 988 miles [1,590 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbia County community of Canaan.
    • North Carolina
      • Transylvania County
      • This Canaan is located in Transylvania County and lies 346 miles [556.8 km]<3> to the east of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Transylvania County community of Canaan.
    • Nova Scotia
      • We haven't found the location of this community yet.
    • Ohio
      • Wayne County
      • This Canaan is located in Wayne County and lies 570 miles [917.3 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Canaan.
    • Ontario
      • This Canaan lies 1,026 miles [1,651.2 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
    • Oregon
      • Columbia County
      • This Canaan is located in Columbia County and lies 1,913 miles [3,078.7 km]<3> to the northwest of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbia County community of Canaan.
    • South Carolina
      • Dorchester County
      • This Canaan is located in Dorchester County and lies 523 miles [841.7 km]<3> to the east southeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dorchester County community of Canaan.
      • Orangeburg County
      • This Canaan is located in Orangeburg County and lies 480 miles [772.5 km] to the east of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orangeburg County community of Canaan.
      • Spartanburg County
      • This Canaan is located in Spartanburg County and lies 407 miles [655 km] to the east of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Spartanburg County community of Canaan.
    • Tennessee
      • Maury County
      • This Canaan is located in Maury County and lies 118 miles [189.9 km]<3> to the east northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Maury County community of Canaan.
      • Montgomery County
      • This Canaan is located in Montgomery County and lies 137 miles [220.5 km] to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Canaan.
    • Texas
      • Grayson County
      • This Canaan is located in Grayson County and lies 425 miles [684 km]<3> to the west of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grayson County community of Canaan.
      • Limestone 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 Canaan [Limestone County].
    • Vermont
      • Essex County
      • This Canaan is located in Essex County and lies 1,157 miles [1,862 km]<3> to the northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Essex County community of Canaan.
    • West Virginia
      • Upshur County
      • This Canaan is located in Upshur County and lies 554 miles [891.6 km]<3> to the east northeast of the Canaan that is located in Benton County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Upshur County community of Canaan.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Canaan ...

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.

  • Black Jack
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Black Jack is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Jack
  • Brody
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Brody is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brody
  • Center Point
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Center Point is located in Hardeman County (TN)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
  • Falkner
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Forty Five
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Grand Junction
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Gravestown
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Hopewell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hopewell is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
  • Michigan City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Rather
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rather is located in Fayette County (TN)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rather
  • Rogers Springs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Shady Grove
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Shady Grove is located in Tippah County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
  • Snow Lake Shores
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Snow Lake Shores is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Lake Shores
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
  • Walnut
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)

How Far From Canaan 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 community such as Canaan to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Canaan and extending to:

  • Ashland, which is the Seat of Benton County, lies just to the South Southwest.
  • Jackson, which is the State Capital of Mississippi, lies 191 miles [307.4 km]<3> to the south southwest (SSW). If you could drive a straight line from Canaan to Jackson, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take a little over three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 11 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 8 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 720 miles [1,158.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 29 days and walking would take 41 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,578 miles [10,586.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,298 miles [11,745 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,174 miles [8,326.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

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 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 Canaan 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>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 Canaan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Canaan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Canaan 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 Canaan. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.9305, Longitude: -89.1272    
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 315.193 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.236 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.967 degrees.