Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Olean, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Olean and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Olean
- 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 Olean:
- 42.079930, -78.437543
- 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 Olean
- 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 Cattaraugus County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Cattaraugus County
- Since Olean is near McKean County and also Allegany County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for McKean County
- eBird sighting report for Allegany 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:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Olean ...
We found five communities that share the name Olean.
Within New York, the name Olean is unique.
Beyond New York, we know of another five communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Indiana
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Colfax County
- This Olean is located in Colfax County and lies 949 miles [1,527.3 km]<1> to the west of the Olean that is located in Cattaraugus County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Colfax County community of Olean.
- Valley County
- This Olean is located in Valley County and lies 1,046 miles [1,683.4 km] to the west of the Olean that is located in Cattaraugus County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Valley County community of Olean.
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Olean ...
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.
- Boardmanville
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boardmanville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boardmanville
- Boardmanville is located in Cattaraugus County
- Chipmunk
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west) - Four Mile
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south) - Gardens of Brother Leo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gardens of Brother Leo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardens of Brother Leo
- Gardens of Brother Leo is located in Cattaraugus County
- Harrisburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Harrisburg is located in Cattaraugus County
- Haymaker
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Homer Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homer Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer Hill
- Homer Hill is located in Cattaraugus County
- Indian Crossing
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Crossing
- Indian Crossing is located in McKean County (PA)
- Knapp Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knapp Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knapp Creek
- Knapp Creek is located in Cattaraugus County
- Main Settlement
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Main Settlement have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Main Settlement
- Main Settlement is located in Cattaraugus County
- Rock City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south) - Toll Gate Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toll Gate Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toll Gate Corner
- Toll Gate Corner is located in Cattaraugus County
How Far From Olean 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 Olean to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Olean and extending to:
- Little Valley, which is the Seat of Cattaraugus County, lies 21 miles [33.8 km]<1> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Olean to Little Valley, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
- Albany, which is the State Capital of New York, lies 241 miles [387.9 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 10 days and walking would take 14 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 231 miles [371.8 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 14 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,819 miles [9,364.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,540 miles [10,525.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,416 miles [7,106.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Olean: www.cityofolean.com/
The official website for Cattaraugus County: www.co.cattaraugus.ny.us/
The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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- Olean) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Olean. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.0799, Longitude: -78.4375 |
| <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 Olean 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 308.514 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.642 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.078 degrees. |