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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Townsend, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Townsend and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Townsend:
    • 32.755411, -88.548930
    • 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 Townsend
  • 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 Kemper County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Kemper County
    • Since Townsend is near Sumter County and also Noxubee County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Sumter County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Noxubee 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 Townsend

Communities Also Named Townsend ...

We found 23 communities that are also named Townsend.

Within Mississippi, the name Townsend is unique.

Beyond Mississippi, we know of 23 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 23 communities, 21 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • British Columbia
      • This Townsend lies 2,092 miles [3,366.7 km]<1> to the northwest of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
    • Colorado
      • Arapahoe County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Townsend [Arapahoe County].
      • Washington County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Washington County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Townsend.
    • Delaware
      • New Castle County
      • This Townsend is located in New Castle County and lies 850 miles [1,367.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the New Castle County community of Townsend.
    • Florida
      • Lafayette County
      • This Townsend is located in Lafayette County and lies 356 miles [572.9 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lafayette County community of Townsend.
    • Georgia
      • McIntosh County
      • This Townsend is located in McIntosh County and lies 419 miles [674.3 km]<1> to the east of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the McIntosh County community of Townsend.
    • Kansas
      • Cowley County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Townsend [Cowley County].
    • Massachusetts
      • Middlesex County
      • This Townsend is located in Middlesex County and lies 1,143 miles [1,839.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Middlesex County community of Townsend.
    • Montana
      • Broadwater County
      • This Townsend is located in Broadwater County and lies 1,530 miles [2,462.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Broadwater County community of Townsend.
    • New York
      • Schuyler County
      • This Townsend is located in Schuyler County and lies 915 miles [1,472.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Schuyler County community of Townsend.
    • Ohio
      • Allen County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Allen County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allen County community of Townsend.
      • Hamilton County
      • This community is historic and although located in Hamilton County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hamilton County community of Townsend.
      • Sandusky County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ohio community of Townsend [Sandusky County].
    • Ontario
      • This Townsend lies 835 miles [1,343.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
    • Oregon
      • Marion County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Oregon community of Townsend [Marion County].
    • Pennsylvania
      • Chester County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Pennsylvania community of Townsend [Chester County].
      • Westmoreland County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Pennsylvania community of Townsend [Westmoreland County].
    • Tennessee
      • Blount County
      • This Townsend is located in Blount County and lies 339 miles [545.6 km]<1> to the northeast of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Blount County community of Townsend.
      • Henry County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Townsend [Henry County].
    • Texas
      • San Augustine County
      • This Townsend is located in San Augustine County and lies 350 miles [563.3 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the San Augustine County community of Townsend.
    • Utah
      • Utah County
      • This Townsend is located in Utah County and lies 1,382 miles [2,224.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Utah County community of Townsend.
    • Virginia
      • Northampton County
      • This Townsend is located in Northampton County and lies 774 miles [1,245.6 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Northampton County community of Townsend.
    • Wisconsin
      • Oconto County
      • This Townsend is located in Oconto County and lies 868 miles [1,396.9 km]<1> to the north of the Townsend that is located in Kemper County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oconto County community of Townsend.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Townsend ...

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.

  • Daleville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Daleville is located in Lauderdale County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daleville
  • Electric Mills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Electric Mills is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electric Mills
  • Kipling
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Kipling is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipling
  • Liberty
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Liberty is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
  • Moscow
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Moscow is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
  • Oak Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Oak Grove is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
  • Old Scooba ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Scooba is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Scooba
  • Porterville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Porterville is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterville
  • Rocky Mount ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rocky Mount is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Mount
  • Yanceys Ferry
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Yanceys Ferry is located in Kemper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yanceys Ferry

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

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

  • De Kalb, which is the Seat of Kemper County, lies just to the West.
  • Jackson, which is the State Capital of Mississippi, lies 99 miles [159.3 km]<1> to the west southwest (WSW). If you could drive a straight line from Townsend to Jackson, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 6 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 770 miles [1,239.2 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 30 days and walking would take 44 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,660 miles [10,718.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,371 miles [11,862.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,247 miles [8,444.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Townsend) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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 Townsend 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.
<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 Townsend, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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.
<5>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 Townsend 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 Townsend. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.7554, Longitude: -88.5489       In this case, the coordinates for Townsend have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 314.678 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 310.343 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.152 degrees.