Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Brief

• 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 Brief:
  • 35.190145, -80.533400
  • 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 Brief

• 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 Union County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Union County
  • Since Brief is near Mecklenburg County and also Cabarrus County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Mecklenburg County
  • eBird sighting report for Cabarrus 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

Curious and Interesting Names Near Brief ...

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.

• Allen
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
  • Allen is located in Mecklenburg County
• Apple Creek
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apple Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Creek
  • Apple Creek is located in Mecklenburg County
• Cedar Brook
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Brook
  • Cedar Brook is located in Mecklenburg County
• Clear Creek ‑ Historic
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Creek
  • Clear Creek is located in Mecklenburg County
• Farmwood
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmwood
  • Farmwood is located in Mecklenburg County
• Flows Store
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flows Store have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flows Store
  • Flows Store is located in Cabarrus County
• Heathergate
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heathergate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathergate
  • Heathergate is located in Mecklenburg County
• Hoods ‑ Historic
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoods have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods
  • Hoods is located in Mecklenburg County
• Hornets Nest ‑ Historic
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hornets Nest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornets Nest
  • Hornets Nest is located in Mecklenburg County
• Lawyers Station
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawyers Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers Station
  • Lawyers Station is located in Mecklenburg County
• Locust
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust
  • Locust is located in Stanly County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,270 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Locust <2>
• Mint Hill
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mint Hill
  • Mint Hill is located in Mecklenburg County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,109 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mint Hill <2>
• Continue List   (9 more) ...
  • Mint Hollow
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mint Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mint Hollow
    • Mint Hollow is located in Mecklenburg County
  • Orchard Knoll
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Knoll have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Knoll
    • Orchard Knoll is located in Mecklenburg County
  • Orchard Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Park
    • Orchard Park is located in Mecklenburg County
  • Pioneer Mills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pioneer Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer Mills
    • Pioneer Mills is located in Cabarrus County
  • Planters Ridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Planters Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Planters Ridge
    • Planters Ridge is located in Mecklenburg County
  • Rocky River
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky River
    • Rocky River is located in Cabarrus County
  • Timber Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timber Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Creek
    • Timber Creek is located in Mecklenburg County
  • Timber Ridge
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timber Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Ridge
    • Timber Ridge is located in Mecklenburg County
  • Unionville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unionville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
    • Unionville is located in Union County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,344 people

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Brief and extending to:

• Monroe, which is the Seat of Union County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from Brief to Monroe, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
• Raleigh, which is the State Capital of North Carolina, lies 113 miles [181.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 320 miles [515 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 19 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,208 miles [9,990.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,906 miles [11,114.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,786 miles [7,702.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Brief. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Union County: www.co.union.nc.us/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/