RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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The Commemorative
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The Commemorative Quarter for New Jersey





Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Samptown, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Samptown 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 Samptown:
    • 40.581645, -74.430259
    • 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 Samptown
  • 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

Curious and Interesting Names Near Samptown ...

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.

  • Clara Barton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clara Barton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clara Barton
    • Clara Barton is located in Middlesex County
  • Coontown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coontown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coontown
    • Coontown is located in Somerset County
  • Edison
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Fieldville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fieldville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fieldville
    • Fieldville is located in Middlesex County
  • Free Acres
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Free Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Free Acres
    • Free Acres is located in Union County
  • Lincoln Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Park
    • Lincoln Park is located in Middlesex County
  • Netherwood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Netherwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Netherwood
    • Netherwood is located in Union County
  • Nixon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nixon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixon
    • Nixon is located in Middlesex County
  • Oak Tree
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Tree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Tree
    • Oak Tree is located in Middlesex County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Possumtown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Possumtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possumtown
      • Possumtown is located in Middlesex County
    • Potters
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Pumptown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pumptown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pumptown
      • Pumptown is located in Middlesex County
    • Randolphville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randolphville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolphville
      • Randolphville is located in Middlesex County
    • Scotch Plains
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotch Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotch Plains
      • Scotch Plains is located in Union County
    • Society Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Society Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Society Hill
      • Society Hill is located in Middlesex County

How Far From Samptown to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Samptown to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Samptown and extending to:

  • New Brunswick, which is the Seat of Middlesex County, lies just to the South.
  • Trenton, which is the State Capital of New Jersey, lies 30 miles [48.3 km]<2> to the southwest (SW). If you could walk a straight line from Samptown to Trenton, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of two 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 180 miles [289.7 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 11 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,717 miles [9,200.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,423 miles [10,336.8 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,300 miles [6,920.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Samptown. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Middlesex County: www.co.middlesex.nj.us/

The official website for State of New Jersey: https://www.nj.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Samptown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Samptown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.5816, Longitude: -74.4303    
<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 Samptown to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 306.209 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 301.798 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 302.906 degrees.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025