Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Otter Creek, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Otter Creek and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Otter Creek
- 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 Otter Creek:
- 35.520560, -82.093919
- 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 Otter Creek
- 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 Rutherford County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Rutherford County
- Since Otter Creek is near McDowell County and also Polk County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for McDowell County
- eBird sighting report for Polk 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 Otter Creek ...
We found sixteen communities that share the name Otter Creek.
Within North Carolina, the name Otter Creek is unique.
Beyond North Carolina, we know of another sixteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these sixteen communities, fourteen are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- Pulaski County
- This Otter Creek is located in Pulaski County and lies 587 miles [944.7 km]<1> to the west of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pulaski County community of Otter Creek.
- Florida
- Levy County
- This Otter Creek is located in Levy County and lies 429 miles [690.4 km]<1> to the south of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Levy County community of Otter Creek.
- Georgia
- Pierce County
- This Otter Creek is located in Pierce County and lies 289 miles [465.1 km]<1> to the south of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pierce County community of Otter Creek.
- Iowa
- Jackson County
- This Otter Creek is located in Jackson County and lies 653 miles [1,050.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Otter Creek.
- Kansas
- Clay County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Otter Creek [Clay County].
- Kentucky
- Hardin County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Otter Creek [Hardin County].
- Maine
- Hancock County
- This Otter Creek is located in Hancock County and lies 951 miles [1,530.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hancock County community of Otter Creek.
- Michigan
- Jackson County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Otter Creek [Jackson County].
- Minnesota
- Carlton County
- This Otter Creek is located in Carlton County and lies 938 miles [1,509.6 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carlton County community of Otter Creek.
- Missouri
- Wayne County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Wayne County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Otter Creek.
- New Brunswick
- This Otter Creek lies 1,183 miles [1,903.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- New York
- Lewis County
- This Otter Creek is located in Lewis County and lies 669 miles [1,076.7 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lewis County community of Otter Creek.
- North Dakota
- Oliver County
- This Otter Creek is located in Oliver County and lies 1,279 miles [2,058.4 km]<1> to the northwest of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oliver County community of Otter Creek.
- Ontario
- This Otter Creek lies 594 miles [956 km]<1> to the north of the Otter Creek that is located in Rutherford County.
- Pennsylvania
- Mercer County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Pennsylvania community of Otter Creek [Mercer County].
- Tennessee
- Cumberland County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Otter Creek [Cumberland County].
- Arkansas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Otter Creek ...
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.
- Cuba ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast) - Gage ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Green Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jeter ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Lake Lure
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Lure have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lure
- Lake Lure is located in Rutherford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,153 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Lure <5>
- Providence
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Quail Ridge
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quail Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quail Ridge
- Quail Ridge is located in Rutherford County
- Riverbend
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Rock Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
- Rock Springs is located in Polk County
- Shingle Hollow
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shingle Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shingle Hollow
- Shingle Hollow is located in Rutherford County
- Sugar Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Thermal City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thermal City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thermal City
- Thermal City is located in Rutherford County
- Union Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Mills
- Union Mills is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Mills <5>
How Far From Otter Creek 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 Otter Creek 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 Otter Creek once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Otter Creek and extending to:
- Rutherfordton, which is the Seat of Rutherford County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Otter Creek to Rutherfordton, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours 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 194 miles [312.2 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 362 miles [582.6 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take 6 hours, a buggy would take 15 days and walking would take 21 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,260 miles [10,074.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,964 miles [11,207.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,842 miles [7,792.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Rutherford County: www.rutherfordcountync.gov/
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- Otter Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Otter Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.5206, Longitude: -82.0939 In this case, the coordinates for Otter Creek have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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 Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's 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 Otter Creek 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. |
| <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 Otter Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Otter Creek to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.952 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.433 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.913 degrees. |