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

The Commemorative Quarter for Ohio





Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Grand Rapids, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids:
    • 41.410555, -83.865327
    • 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 Grand Rapids
  • 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 Grand Rapids ...

We found nine communities that share the name Grand Rapids.

There is one other community in Ohio which is also named Grand Rapids.

Beyond Ohio, we know of another eight communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these eight communities, seven are located in the United States and two are in Canada.

  • Communities Located In Ohio ...
    • Lake County
      • This community is historic<1> and although located in Lake County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lake County community of Grand Rapids.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • British Columbia
      • This Grand Rapids lies 2,066 miles [3,324.9 km]<2> to the northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Wood County.
    • Manitoba
      • This Grand Rapids lies 1,081 miles [1,739.7 km]<2> to the northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Wood County.
    • Michigan
      • Kent County
      • This Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and lies 140 miles [225.3 km]<2> to the northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Wood County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kent County community of Grand Rapids.
      • Ontonagon County
      • This Grand Rapids is located in Ontonagon County and lies 456 miles [733.9 km] to the northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Wood County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ontonagon County community of Grand Rapids.
    • Minnesota
      • Itasca County
      • This Grand Rapids is located in Itasca County and lies 623 miles [1,002.6 km]<2> to the northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Wood County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Itasca County community of Grand Rapids.
    • Nebraska
      • Holt County
      • This community is historic<1> and although located in Holt County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Holt County community of Grand Rapids.
    • North Dakota
      • LaMoure County
      • This Grand Rapids is located in LaMoure County and lies 799 miles [1,285.9 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Wood County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the LaMoure County community of Grand Rapids.
    • Oregon
      • Clatsop County
      • This Grand Rapids is located in Clatsop County and lies 1,983 miles [3,191.3 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Grand Rapids that is located in Wood County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clatsop County community of Grand Rapids.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Grand Rapids ...

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.

  • Bowling Green
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Christy
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christy have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christy
    • Christy is located in Wood County
  • Cloverleaf ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloverleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverleaf
    • Cloverleaf is located in Henry County
  • Damascus ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Damascus have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
    • Damascus is located in Henry County
  • Homewood
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homewood have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
    • Homewood is located in Lucas County
  • Hull Prairie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hull Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull Prairie
    • Hull Prairie is located in Wood County
  • Liberty Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty Center have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Center
    • Liberty Center is located in Henry County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,123 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liberty Center <3>
  • Milton Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Center
    • Milton Center is located in Wood County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
  • Peaceful Valley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peaceful Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaceful Valley
    • Peaceful Valley is located in Fulton County
  • Providence
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Providence is located in Lucas County
  • Quail Hollow
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quail Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quail Hollow
    • Quail Hollow is located in Wood County
  • Raker Corners
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raker Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raker Corners
    • Raker Corners is located in Fulton County
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Ratsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ratsville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ratsville
      • Ratsville is located in Henry County
    • Texas
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Texas have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas
      • Texas is located in Henry County
    • Willowbend
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willowbend have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbend
      • Willowbend is located in Wood County
    • Wintergarden Heights
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wintergarden Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wintergarden Heights
      • Wintergarden Heights is located in Wood County

How Far From Grand Rapids to ...

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

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

  • Bowling Green, which is the Seat of Wood County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<2> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Grand Rapids to Bowling Green, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
  • Columbus, which is the State Capital of Ohio, lies 109 miles [175.4 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 399 miles [642.1 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take most of a day, a buggy would take 16 days and walking would take 23 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,063 miles [9,757.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,792 miles [10,930.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,670 miles [7,515.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

The official website for Grand Rapids: www.grandrapidsohio.com/

The official website for Wood County: www.co.wood.oh.us/

The official website for State of Ohio: https://ohio.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Grand Rapids, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Grand Rapids) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Grand Rapids. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.4106, Longitude: -83.8653       In this case, the coordinates for Grand Rapids have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Grand Rapids 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 311.984 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.472 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.882 degrees.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024