RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Lincoln County >> Dora >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Dora (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Dora. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Dora is located in Lincoln County.

To see how the shape of North Carolina's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lincoln County: Burke, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell & Mecklenburg.

Below are the counties that are near Dora. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Dora:

  • Lincoln County     (The home county of Dora)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Hulls Crossroads
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Hulls Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulls Crossroads
    • Vale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • North Brook ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • North Brook is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
    • Henry
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Henry is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
    • Laurel Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Laurel Hill is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
    • Crouse
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Crouse is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
    • Lincolnton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Boger City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Boger City is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boger City
    • Iron Station
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Iron Station is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
    • Machpelah
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Machpelah is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
    • Denver
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Triangle ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Triangle is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triangle
    • Lowesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Lowesville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowesville
  • Alexander County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Bethlehem
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
    • Taylorsville Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
    • Little River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Little River is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
    • Isenhour Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
    • Millersville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Millersville is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
    • Ellendale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Ellendale is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Liledoun
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Liledoun is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
  • Burke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Camp Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Camp Creek is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
    • Ramsey
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Ramsey is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
    • Shoups Ford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Shoups Ford is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoups Ford
    • Hildebran
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Icard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Connelly Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Enola
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Enola is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
    • Rhodhiss
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Rutherford College
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Valdese
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Yellow Gap
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Yellow Gap is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Gap
    • Drexel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Drexel is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drexel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
    • Salem
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Salem is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Northlakes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Northlakes is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlakes
    • Concord ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Concord is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Granite Falls
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Baton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Baton is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baton
    • Sawmills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Sawmills is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,156 people
    • Hudson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Hudson is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,703 people
      • Former name for Hudson:
      • Hudsonville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <1>
    • Cajah's Mountain
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Cajah's Mountain is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cajah's Mountain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,728 people
    • Downsville ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Downsville is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
    • Pinehurst
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Pinehurst is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
    • Gamewell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Gamewell is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gamewell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,993 people
    • Lenoir
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Lenoir is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenoir
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,911 people
      • Former name for Lenoir:
      • Tucker's Barn
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenoir <1>
    • Abingdon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
    • Cedar Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Cedar Rock is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Rock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
      • Cedar Rock has also been known as:
      • Cedar Rock village
  • Catawba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Banoak
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Banoak is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banoak
    • Cooksville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Cooksville is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
    • Plateau
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Plateau is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plateau
    • Propst Crossroads
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Propst Crossroads is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propst Crossroads
    • Blackburn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Blackburn is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
    • Rhoney
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rhoney is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhoney
    • Advent Crossroads
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Advent Crossroads is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advent Crossroads
    • Meadow Brook Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Meadow Brook Village is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook Village
    • Mountain View
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Mountain View is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
    • Maiden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Startown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Startown is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Startown
    • Brookford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Brookford is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
    • Duan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Duan is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duan
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Toluca
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Toluca is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toluca
    • Belwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Belwood is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
    • Fallston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Knob Creek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Knob Creek is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob Creek
    • Wilson ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Wilson is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Beam Mill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Beam Mill is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beam Mill
    • Waco
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Waco is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
    • Lawndale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Olive Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Olive Grove is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Grove
    • Casar
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Casar is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 292 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Casar <1>
    • Delight
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Delight is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delight
    • Stubbs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Stubbs is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
    • Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
  • Gaston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Dellview
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Dellview is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
    • Cherryville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Perry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Perry is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
    • Tryon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Tryon is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryon
    • High Shoals
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • High Shoals is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Shoals
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 757 people
    • Bessemer City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Alexis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Alexis is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexis
    • Dallas
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Gastonia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Stanley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ranlo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Ranlo is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranlo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
    • Smyre
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Smyre is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyre
    • South Gastonia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • South Gastonia is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gastonia
  • Iredell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Mayhew
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Mayhew is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhew
    • Eufola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Eufola is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eufola
    • Doolie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Doolie is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doolie
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Mountain Home ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
    • Patten
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Patten is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patten
    • Vein Mountain
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
  • Mecklenburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • River View ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • River View is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River View
    • Cornelius
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Rutherford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Hollis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Hollis is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
    • Ellenboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sunshine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Sunshine is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
    • Washburn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Washburn is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
    • Six Points
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Six Points is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Points
    • Bostic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Concord
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Concord is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Caroleen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Caroleen is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caroleen
    • Mount Pisgah ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Mount Pisgah is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
    • Henrietta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Henrietta is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
    • Alexander Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
    • Forest City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sandy Mush
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
  • Cherokee County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Blacksburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Kings Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • York County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.
    • Bowling Green
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Clover
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Clover is located in York County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,800 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clover <1>
    • Zadok ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Zadok is located in York County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zadok

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Dora, see our County-by-County Page for Dora.

Cemeteries Near Dora ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dora.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Dora - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Dora covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Dora in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Dora.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Dora, with the one closest to Dora listed first.

  • Hulls Crossroads
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Hulls Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulls Crossroads
  • Orleans
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Orleans is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
  • North Brook ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • North Brook is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
  • Reepsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Reepsville is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reepsville
  • Henry
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Henry is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
  • Belwood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Belwood is located in Cleveland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belwood
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
  • Toluca
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Toluca is located in Cleveland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toluca
  • Fallston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Knob Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Knob Creek is located in Cleveland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob Creek
  • Plateau
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Plateau is located in Catawba County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plateau
  • Beam Mill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Beam Mill is located in Cleveland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beam Mill
  • Cherryville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Crouse
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Crouse is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
    • Camp Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Camp Creek is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
    • Waco
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Waco is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Dora. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dora.

Newspapers Published in Dora ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dora.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dora, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dora.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Dora:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<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 Dora, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dora) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.