RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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The Commemorative
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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 Belen, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Belen and the surrounding area.

  • 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 Belen:
    • 34.662781, -106.776186
    • 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 Belen
  • 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 Belen ...

We found two communities that share the name Belen.

Within New Mexico, the name Belen is unique.

Beyond New Mexico, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Mississippi
      • Quitman County
      • This Belen is located in Quitman County and lies 934 miles [1,503.1 km]<1> to the east of the Belen that is located in Valencia County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Quitman County community of Belen.
    • Texas
      • El Paso County
      • This Belen is located in El Paso County and lies 207 miles [333.1 km]<1> to the south of the Belen that is located in Valencia County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the El Paso County community of Belen.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Belen ...

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.

  • Comanche Springs
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comanche Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comanche Springs
    • Comanche Springs is located in Valencia County
  • Five Points
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Points have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
    • Five Points is located in Bernalillo County
  • Fruitvale ‑ Historic
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fruitvale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitvale
    • Fruitvale is located in Bernalillo County
  • Glover Place
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glover Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glover Place
    • Glover Place is located in Torrance County
  • King Place
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for King Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Place
    • King Place is located in Torrance County
  • Martin Place
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin Place
    • Martin Place is located in Torrance County
  • Meadow Lake
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Lake
    • Meadow Lake is located in Valencia County
  • Mission Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Park
    • Mission Park is located in Valencia County
  • Moorehead Place
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moorehead Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorehead Place
    • Moorehead Place is located in Torrance County
  • Mountainview
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountainview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainview
    • Mountainview is located in Bernalillo County
  • Red Mill
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mill
    • Red Mill is located in Socorro County
  • Thunderbird
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thunderbird have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thunderbird
    • Thunderbird is located in Torrance County

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

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

  • Los Lunas, which is the Seat of Valencia County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Belen to Los Lunas, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
  • Santa Fe, which is the State Capital of New Mexico, lies 84 miles [135.2 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,662 miles [2,674.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 65 days and walking would take 95 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,220 miles [11,619.5 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,979 miles [12,841 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,894 miles [9,485.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>

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

The official website for Valencia County: www.co.valencia.nm.us/

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- Belen) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Belen. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.6628, Longitude: -106.7762    
<2>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.
<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 Belen 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 327.274 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 325.387 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 319.334 degrees.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 10 Mar 2024