RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of New Jersey >> Monmouth County >> Matthews >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Matthews, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Matthews 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 Matthews:
    • 40.157058, -74.257367
    • 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 Matthews
  • 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 Monmouth County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Monmouth County
    • Since Matthews is near Ocean County and also Middlesex County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Ocean County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Middlesex 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 Matthews

Communities Also Named Matthews ...

We found seventeen communities that are also named Matthews.

Within New Jersey, the name Matthews is unique.

Beyond New Jersey, we know of seventeen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these seventeen communities, sixteen are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Montgomery County
      • This Matthews is located in Montgomery County and lies 850 miles [1,367.9 km]<1> to the southwest of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Matthews.
    • Colorado
      • Weld County
      • This Matthews is located in Weld County and lies 1,584 miles [2,549.2 km]<1> to the west of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Weld County community of Matthews.
    • Georgia
      • Jefferson County
      • This Matthews is located in Jefferson County and lies 654 miles [1,052.5 km]<1> to the southwest of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Matthews.
    • Illinois
      • Perry County
      • This Matthews is located in Perry County and lies 823 miles [1,324.5 km]<1> to the west of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Perry County community of Matthews.
    • Indiana
      • Grant County
      • This Matthews is located in Grant County and lies 592 miles [952.7 km]<1> to the west of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grant County community of Matthews.
    • Kentucky
      • Breckinridge 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 Matthews [Breckinridge County].
    • Maryland
      • Talbot County
      • This Matthews is located in Talbot County and lies 129 miles [207.6 km]<1> to the southwest of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Talbot County community of Matthews.
    • Michigan
      • Berrien 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 Matthews [Berrien County].
    • Mississippi
      • Calhoun 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 Mississippi community of Matthews [Calhoun County].
      • Jones County
      • This Matthews is located in Jones County and lies 1,013 miles [1,630.3 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jones County community of Matthews.
      • Pontotoc County
      • This Matthews is located in Pontotoc County and lies 922 miles [1,483.8 km] to the west southwest of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pontotoc County community of Matthews.
    • Missouri
      • New Madrid County
      • This Matthews is located in New Madrid County and lies 859 miles [1,382.4 km]<1> to the west of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the New Madrid County community of Matthews.
    • Montana
      • Gallatin County
      • This Matthews is located in Gallatin County and lies 1,883 miles [3,030.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gallatin County community of Matthews.
    • New Brunswick
      • This Matthews lies 626 miles [1,007.4 km]<1> to the northeast of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
    • North Carolina
      • Mecklenburg County
      • This Matthews is located in Mecklenburg County and lies 495 miles [796.6 km]<1> to the southwest of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mecklenburg County community of Matthews.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Chester County
      • This Matthews is located in Chester County and lies 74 miles [119.1 km]<1> to the west of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chester County community of Matthews.
    • Texas
      • Colorado County
      • This Matthews is located in Colorado County and lies 1,445 miles [2,325.5 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Matthews that is located in Monmouth County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Colorado County community of Matthews.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Matthews ...

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.

  • Bergerville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Bergerville is located in Monmouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergerville
  • Coventry Square
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Coventry Square is located in Ocean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventry Square
  • Georgia
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Georgia is located in Monmouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgia
  • Greenville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenville is located in Ocean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
  • Harmony
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Harmony is located in Ocean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
  • Lake Club
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Lake Club is located in Monmouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Club
  • Land of Pines
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Land of Pines is located in Monmouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Land of Pines
  • Maxim
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Maxim is located in Monmouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxim
  • Pleasant Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Grove is located in Ocean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
  • Shacks Corner
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Shacks Corner is located in Monmouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shacks Corner
  • Vista Center
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Vista Center is located in Ocean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista Center

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

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

  • Freehold, which is the Seat of Monmouth County, lies just to the North.
  • Trenton, which is the State Capital of New Jersey, lies 26 miles [41.8 km]<1> to the west (W). If you could walk a straight line from Matthews to Trenton, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 171 miles [275.2 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 10 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,727 miles [9,216.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,431 miles [10,349.7 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,308 miles [6,933.1 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>'

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Matthews) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 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 Matthews 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>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 Matthews 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 Matthews. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.1571, Longitude: -74.2574       In this case, the coordinates for Matthews have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 306.149 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 301.662 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 303.019 degrees.