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Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Houston, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Houston and the surrounding area.
- 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 Houston:
- 35.675695, -80.722847
- 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.
- Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Houston
- 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 Rowan County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Rowan County
- Since Houston is near Iredell County and also Cabarrus County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Iredell County
- Open the 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:
- Open the Waymark.com report for Houston
Communities Also Named Houston ...
We found 28 communities that are also named Houston.
There is one other community in North Carolina that is also named Houston.
Beyond North Carolina, we know of 27 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 27 communities, 27 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Located In North Carolina ...
- Union County
- This Houston is located in Union County and lies 49 miles [78.9 km]<1> to the south of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Union County community of Houston.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Winston County
- This Houston is located in Winston County and lies 384 miles [618 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Winston County community of Houston.
- Alaska
- This Houston lies 3,410 miles [5,487.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- Arkansas
- Perry County
- This Houston is located in Perry County and lies 675 miles [1,086.3 km]<1> to the west of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Perry County community of Houston.
- British Columbia
- This Houston lies 2,525 miles [4,063.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- California
- Shasta County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Houston [Shasta County].
- Siskiyou County
- This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Houston [Siskiyou County].
- Colorado
- Weld County
- This Houston is located in Weld County and lies 1,344 miles [2,163 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Weld County community of Houston.
- Delaware
- Kent County
- This Houston is located in Kent County and lies 363 miles [584.2 km]<1> to the northeast of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kent County community of Houston.
- Sussex County
- This Houston is located in Sussex County and lies 370 miles [595.5 km] to the northeast of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of Houston.
- Florida
- Suwannee County
- This Houston is located in Suwannee County and lies 394 miles [634.1 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Suwannee County community of Houston.
- Georgia
- Heard County
- This Houston is located in Heard County and lies 305 miles [490.8 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Heard County community of Houston.
- Idaho
- Custer County
- This Houston is located in Custer County and lies 1,819 miles [2,927.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Custer County community of Houston.
- Illinois
- Randolph County
- This Houston is located in Randolph County and lies 528 miles [849.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of Houston.
- Indiana
- Jackson County
- This Houston is located in Jackson County and lies 378 miles [608.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Houston.
- Kansas
- Graham County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Houston [Graham County].
- Kentucky
- Breathitt County
- This Houston is located in Breathitt County and lies 197 miles [317 km]<1> to the northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Breathitt County community of Houston.
- Louisiana
- Allen Parish
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Louisiana community of Houston [Allen Parish].
- Minnesota
- Houston County
- This Houston is located in Houston County and lies 800 miles [1,287.5 km]<1> to the northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Houston County community of Houston.
- Mississippi
- Chickasaw County
- This Houston is located in Chickasaw County and lies 485 miles [780.5 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chickasaw County community of Houston.
- Lauderdale County
- This Houston is located in Lauderdale County and lies 508 miles [817.5 km] to the west southwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lauderdale County community of Houston.
- Missouri
- Texas County
- This Houston is located in Texas County and lies 633 miles [1,018.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Texas County community of Houston.
- Nebraska
- York County
- This Houston is located in York County and lies 978 miles [1,573.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the York County community of Houston.
- Ohio
- Shelby County
- This Houston is located in Shelby County and lies 372 miles [598.7 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shelby County community of Houston.
- Pennsylvania
- Washington County
- This Houston is located in Washington County and lies 317 miles [510.2 km]<1> to the north of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Houston.
- Tennessee
- Wayne County
- This Houston is located in Wayne County and lies 405 miles [651.8 km]<1> to the west of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Houston.
- Texas
- Harris County
- This Houston is located in Harris County and lies 941 miles [1,514.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Houston that is located in Rowan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Harris County community of Houston.
- Virginia
- Halifax County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Virginia community of Houston [Halifax County].
Curious and Interesting Names Near Houston ...
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.
- Barber
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Barber is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber
- Bear Poplar
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Bear Poplar is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Poplar
- China Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Five Forks
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Five Forks is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Five Points
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Five Points is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Glenn Echo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Glenn Echo is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Echo
- Green Acres
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Green Acres is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
- Harts ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Harts is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harts
- Needmore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Needmore is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Ourdell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ourdell is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ourdell
- Shepherds
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shepherds is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepherds
- Troutman
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Unity ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Unity is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
- Woodleaf
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
How Far From Houston 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 community such as Houston to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Houston once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Houston and extending to:
- Salisbury, which is the Seat of Rowan County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Houston to Salisbury, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Raleigh, which is the State Capital of North Carolina, lies 116 miles [186.7 km] to the east (E). 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 300 miles [482.8 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 12 days and walking would take 17 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,195 miles [9,969.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,895 miles [11,096.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,774 miles [7,683 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'
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- Houston) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <2> | 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 Houston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer.
Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name.
Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time.
Also keep in mind that Houston could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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 Houston to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Houston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.6757, Longitude: -80.7228 In this case, the coordinates for Houston have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.152 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.538 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.322 degrees. |
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