RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Rutherford County >> Riverbend >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Riverbend, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Riverbend and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Riverbend:
    • 35.429286, -82.169555
    • 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 Riverbend
  • 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:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Rutherford County
    • Since Riverbend is near Polk County and also Buncombe County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Polk County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Buncombe 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 Riverbend

Communities Also Named Riverbend ...

We found twenty communities that are also named Riverbend.

There are two communities within North Carolina that are also named Riverbend.

Beyond North Carolina, we know of eighteen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these eighteen communities, nineteen are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Located In North Carolina ...
    • Gaston County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the North Carolina community of Riverbend [Gaston County].
    • Rockingham County
      • This Riverbend is located in Rockingham County and lies 149 miles [239.8 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rockingham County community of Riverbend.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Bibb County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Riverbend [Bibb County].
    • California
      • Fresno County
      • This Riverbend is located in Fresno County and lies 2,072 miles [3,334.6 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fresno County community of Riverbend.
    • Florida
      • Hillsborough County
      • This Riverbend is located in Hillsborough County and lies 512 miles [824 km]<2> to the south of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of Riverbend.
    • Georgia
      • Carroll County
      • This Riverbend is located in Carroll County and lies 209 miles [336.4 km]<2> to the southwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carroll County community of Riverbend.
      • Hall County
      • This Riverbend is located in Hall County and lies 120 miles [193.1 km] to the southwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hall County community of Riverbend.
      • Irwin County
      • This Riverbend is located in Irwin County and lies 279 miles [449 km] to the south southwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Irwin County community of Riverbend.
      • Newton County
      • This Riverbend is located in Newton County and lies 157 miles [252.7 km] to the southwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Newton County community of Riverbend.
    • Illinois
      • Will County
      • This Riverbend is located in Will County and lies 539 miles [867.4 km]<2> to the northwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Will County community of Riverbend.
    • Louisiana
      • East Baton Rouge Parish
      • This Riverbend is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and lies 628 miles [1,010.7 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the East Baton Rouge Parish community of Riverbend.
    • Montana
      • Mineral County
      • This Riverbend is located in Mineral County and lies 1,859 miles [2,991.8 km]<2> to the northwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mineral County community of Riverbend.
    • Quebec
      • This Riverbend lies 1,052 miles [1,693 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston County
      • This Riverbend is located in Charleston County and lies 212 miles [341.2 km]<2> to the southeast of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charleston County community of Riverbend.
    • Tennessee
      • Knox County
      • This Riverbend is located in Knox County and lies 106 miles [170.6 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Knox County community of Riverbend.
      • Rutherford County
      • This Riverbend is located in Rutherford County and lies 240 miles [386.2 km] to the west of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rutherford County community of Riverbend.
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake County
      • This Riverbend is located in Salt Lake County and lies 1,649 miles [2,653.8 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Salt Lake County community of Riverbend.
    • Virginia
      • Chesapeake City
      • This Riverbend is located in Chesapeake City and lies 334 miles [537.5 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chesapeake City community of Riverbend.
    • Washington
      • King County
      • This Riverbend is located in King County and lies 2,181 miles [3,510 km]<2> to the northwest of the Riverbend that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the King County community of Riverbend.
    • West Virginia
      • Kanawha County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the West Virginia community of Riverbend [Kanawha County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Riverbend ...

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.

  • Bob ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bob is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bob
  • Chimney Rock
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Esmeralda ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Esmeralda is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmeralda
  • Gage ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Gage is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gage
  • Jeter ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jeter is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeter
  • Lake Lure
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Poplar Grove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Poplar Grove is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Grove
  • Quail Ridge
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Quail Ridge is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quail Ridge
  • Rock Springs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rock Springs is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
  • Sunny View
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Sunny View is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny View
  • Village of Chimney Rock Village
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Village of Chimney Rock Village is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village of Chimney Rock Village
    • Estimated population in 2015: 108 people

How Far From Riverbend 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 Riverbend to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Riverbend and extending to:

  • Rutherfordton, which is the Seat of Rutherford County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<2> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Riverbend to Rutherfordton, 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 199 miles [320.3 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 12 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 370 miles [595.5 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<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,268 miles [10,087.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,971 miles [11,218.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,849 miles [7,803.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Riverbend 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.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Riverbend) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Riverbend 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 Riverbend. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.4293, Longitude: -82.1696       In this case, the coordinates for Riverbend have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.995 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.47 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.969 degrees.