Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Draco, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Draco and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Draco
- 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 Draco:
- 35.943118, -81.385305
- 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 Draco
- 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 Caldwell County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Caldwell County
- Since Draco is near Alexander County and also Wilkes County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Alexander County
- eBird sighting report for Wilkes 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 Draco ...
We found two communities that share the name Draco.
Within North Carolina, the name Draco is unique.
Beyond North Carolina, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Draco ...
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.
- Cedar Rock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Rock
- Cedar Rock is located in Caldwell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
- Cedar Rock has also been known as:
- Cedar Rock village
- Cedar Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Valley
- Cedar Valley is located in Caldwell County
- Downsville ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Downsville is located in Caldwell County
- Ellendale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Fort Defiance
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Defiance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Defiance
- Fort Defiance is located in Caldwell County
- Heritage Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heritage Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Hills
- Heritage Hills is located in Caldwell County
- Kings Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Laurel Hollow
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hollow
- Laurel Hollow is located in Caldwell County
- Little River
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Maple Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Valley
- Maple Valley is located in Caldwell County
How Far From Draco to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Draco to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Draco and extending to:
- Lenoir, which is the Seat of Caldwell County, lies just to the West Southwest.
- Raleigh, which is the State Capital of North Carolina, lies 153 miles [246.2 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Draco to Raleigh, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 9 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 313 miles [503.7 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 18 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,211 miles [9,995.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,915 miles [11,128.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,792 miles [7,712 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Draco. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Caldwell County: www.co.caldwell.nc.us/
The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Draco) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Draco. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.9431, Longitude: -81.3853 In this case, the coordinates for Draco 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 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. |
| <4> | 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 Draco to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.538 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.019 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.506 degrees. |