Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Elkin, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Elkin and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Elkin
- 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 Elkin:
- 36.260606, -80.847167
- 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 Elkin
- 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 Surry County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Surry County
- Since Elkin is near Yadkin County and also Wilkes County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Yadkin 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 Elkin ...
We found two communities that share the name Elkin.
Within North Carolina, the name Elkin is unique.
Beyond North Carolina, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Kentucky
- Pennsylvania
Curious and Interesting Names Near Elkin ...
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.
- Cycle
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cycle
- Cycle is located in Yadkin County
- Jonesville
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
- Jonesville is located in Yadkin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,206 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesville <3>
- Little Richmond
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Richmond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Richmond
- Little Richmond is located in Surry County
- Longtown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast) - Martin ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Mountain Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
- Mountain Park is located in Surry County
- Mulberry
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Mulberry is located in Surry County
- Pea Ridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Pleasant Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Hill is located in Wilkes County
- Pleasant Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Wilkes County
- Poplar Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poplar Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Springs
- Poplar Springs is located in Surry County
- Swan Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
- Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
- Union Cross
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Cross have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Cross
- Union Cross is located in Surry County
- Zephyr
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zephyr
- Zephyr is located in Surry County
How Far From Elkin 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 town such as Elkin to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Elkin and extending to:
- Dobson, which is the Seat of Surry County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Elkin to Dobson, 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 127 miles [204.4 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 8 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 276 miles [444.2 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 11 days and walking would take 16 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,174 miles [9,936.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,877 miles [11,067.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,755 miles [7,652.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Elkin: www.elkinnc.org/
The official website for Surry County: www.co.surry.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 '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- Elkin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Elkin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.2606, Longitude: -80.8472 In this case, the coordinates for Elkin 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 Elkin 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 310.221 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.702 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.193 degrees. |