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





Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Alta Vista, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Alta Vista 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 Alta Vista:
    • 35.535044, -104.743602
    • 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 Alta Vista
  • 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 Alta Vista ...

We found 27 communities that share the name Alta Vista.

Within New Mexico, the name Alta Vista is unique.

Beyond New Mexico, we know of another 27 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 27 communities, 25 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Lee County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Lee County and lies 1,122 miles [1,805.7 km]<1> to the east of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lee County community of Alta Vista.
      • Tuscaloosa County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Tuscaloosa County and lies 993 miles [1,598.1 km] to the east of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscaloosa County community of Alta Vista.
    • California
      • Alameda 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 California community of Alta Vista [Alameda County].
      • Inyo County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Inyo County and lies 776 miles [1,248.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Inyo County community of Alta Vista.
      • Tulare County
      • This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Alta Vista [Tulare County].
    • Colorado
      • El Paso County
      • This Alta Vista is located in El Paso County and lies 243 miles [391.1 km]<1> to the north of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the El Paso County community of Alta Vista.
      • Jefferson County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Jefferson County and lies 295 miles [474.8 km] to the north of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Alta Vista.
    • Florida
      • Charlotte 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 Florida community of Alta Vista [Charlotte County].
      • Hillsborough County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Hillsborough County and lies 1,404 miles [2,259.5 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsborough County community of Alta Vista.
    • Georgia
      • Douglas County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Douglas County and lies 1,141 miles [1,836.3 km]<1> to the east of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Douglas County community of Alta Vista.
      • Muscogee County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Muscogee County and lies 1,151 miles [1,852.4 km] to the east of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Muscogee County community of Alta Vista.
    • Iowa
      • Chickasaw County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Chickasaw County and lies 842 miles [1,355.1 km]<1> to the northeast of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chickasaw County community of Alta Vista.
    • Kansas
      • Wabaunsee County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Wabaunsee County and lies 508 miles [817.5 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wabaunsee County community of Alta Vista.
    • Maryland
      • Montgomery County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Montgomery County and lies 1,531 miles [2,463.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Alta Vista.
    • Missouri
      • Daviess County
      • This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Missouri community of Alta Vista [Daviess County].
    • Ontario
      • This Alta Vista lies 1,660 miles [2,671.5 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
    • Saskatchewan
      • This Alta Vista lies 1,054 miles [1,696.2 km]<1> to the north of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
    • South Carolina
      • Greenville County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Greenville County and lies 1,259 miles [2,026.2 km]<1> to the east of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greenville County community of Alta Vista.
      • Richland 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 South Carolina community of Alta Vista [Richland County].
    • Tennessee
      • Hamilton 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 Alta Vista [Hamilton County].
      • McMinn County
      • This Alta Vista is located in McMinn County and lies 1,129 miles [1,816.9 km]<1> to the east of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the McMinn County community of Alta Vista.
    • Texas
      • Frio County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Frio County and lies 564 miles [907.7 km]<1> to the southeast of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Frio County community of Alta Vista.
      • Hidalgo County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Hidalgo County and lies 741 miles [1,192.5 km] to the south southeast of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hidalgo County community of Alta Vista.
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Salt Lake County and lies 520 miles [836.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Salt Lake County community of Alta Vista.
      • Weber County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Weber County and lies 554 miles [891.6 km] to the northwest of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Weber County community of Alta Vista.
    • Washington
      • Lewis County
      • This Alta Vista is located in Lewis County and lies 1,185 miles [1,907.1 km]<1> to the northwest of the Alta Vista that is located in San Miguel County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lewis County community of Alta Vista.
      • Spokane 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 Washington community of Alta Vista [Spokane County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Alta Vista ...

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.

  • Cedar Hill
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
    • Cedar Hill is located in San Miguel County
  • Cherry Valley ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Valley
    • Cherry Valley is located in Mora County
  • Park Springs
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Springs
    • Park Springs is located in San Miguel County
  • Shoemaker
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shoemaker have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoemaker
    • Shoemaker is located in Mora County

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

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

  • Las Vegas, which is the Seat of San Miguel County, lies 27 miles [43.5 km]<1> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Alta Vista to Las Vegas, with an average speed<5> 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.
  • Santa Fe, which is the State Capital of New Mexico, lies 68 miles [109.4 km] to the west (W). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,535 miles [2,470.3 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 60 days and walking would take 88 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,107 miles [11,437.6 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,864 miles [12,655.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,773 miles [9,290.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

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

The official website for State of New Mexico: www.newmexico.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Alta Vista) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alta Vista. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.5350, Longitude: -104.7436       In this case, the coordinates for Alta Vista 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 Alta Vista 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 Alta Vista, 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 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 Alta Vista to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 325.883 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 323.827 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 318.23 degrees.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024