Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gretna, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gretna and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gretna
- 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 Gretna:
- 40.346719, -83.858547
- 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 Gretna
- 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 Logan County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Logan County
- Since Gretna is near Champaign County and also Shelby County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Champaign County
- eBird sighting report for Shelby 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 Gretna ...
We found thirteen communities that share the name Gretna.
Within Ohio, the name Gretna is unique.
Beyond Ohio, we know of another thirteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, eleven are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Manitoba
- This Gretna lies 897 miles [1,443.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Gretna that is located in Logan County.
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New York
- Ontario
- This Gretna lies 440 miles [708.1 km]<1> to the northeast of the Gretna that is located in Logan County.
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gretna ...
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.
- Cherokee ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Crayon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south) - Harper
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast) - Huntsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
- Huntsville is located in Logan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 441 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Huntsville <3>
- Iron City
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Lakeview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
- Lakeview is located in Logan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,105 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakeview <3>
- Lewistown
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Maplewood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west) - New Jerusalem
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Jerusalem have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Jerusalem
- New Jerusalem is located in Logan County
- Orchard Island
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Island have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Island
- Orchard Island is located in Logan County
- Rosewood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Russells Point
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russells Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russells Point
- Russells Point is located in Logan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Russells Point <3>
- Valley Hi
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Hi
- Valley Hi is located in Logan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
How Far From Gretna 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 community such as Gretna to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Gretna and extending to:
- Bellefontaine, which is the Seat of Logan County, lies just to the East.
- Columbus, which is the State Capital of Ohio, lies 52 miles [83.7 km]<1> to the east southeast (ESE). If you could walk a straight line from Gretna to Columbus, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of three days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take over two days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 376 miles [605.1 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take 6 hours, a buggy would take 15 days and walking would take 22 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,111 miles [9,834.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,838 miles [11,004.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,714 miles [7,586.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gretna. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Logan County: www.co.logan.oh.us/
The official website for State of Ohio: https://ohio.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gretna) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gretna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.3467, Longitude: -83.8585 In this case, the coordinates for Gretna have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <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 Gretna 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 312.005 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.34 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.223 degrees. |