Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Velma, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Velma and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Velma
- 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 Velma:
- 34.060238, -89.643939
- 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 Velma
- 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 Yalobusha County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Yalobusha County
- Since Velma is near Lafayette County and also Calhoun County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Lafayette County
- eBird sighting report for Calhoun 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 Velma ...
We found six communities that share the name Velma.
Within Mississippi, the name Velma is unique.
Beyond Mississippi, we know of another six communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these six communities, five are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Manitoba
- We haven't found the location of this community yet.
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Velma ...
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.
- Bruce Junction
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bruce Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce Junction
- Bruce Junction is located in Yalobusha County
- Camp Ground
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camp Ground have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Ground
- Camp Ground is located in Yalobusha County
- Coffeeville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffeeville
- Coffeeville is located in Yalobusha County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 811 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coffeeville <3>
- Gums
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south) - Gums Crossing
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gums Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gums Crossing
- Gums Crossing is located in Yalobusha County
- Palestine
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north) - Spearman
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south) - Water Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Water Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
- Water Valley is located in Yalobusha County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,221 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Water Valley <3>
How Far From Velma 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 Velma to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Velma and extending to:
- Water Valley, which is the Seat of Yalobusha County, lies just to the North.
- Jackson, which is the State Capital of Mississippi, lies 125 miles [201.2 km]<1> to the south southwest (SSW). If you could drive a straight line from Velma to Jackson, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take about two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 8 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 774 miles [1,245.6 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 31 days and walking would take 44 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,641 miles [10,687.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,360 miles [11,844.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,235 miles [8,424.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Velma. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Velma) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Velma. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0602, Longitude: -89.6439 In this case, the coordinates for Velma have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Velma to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 315.455 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.42 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.358 degrees. |