Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in The Plains, we use the following websites to find information relevant to The Plains and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for The Plains
- 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 The Plains:
- 39.368961, -82.132368
- 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 The Plains
- 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 Athens County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Athens County
- Since The Plains is near Morgan County and also Hocking County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Morgan County
- eBird sighting report for Hocking 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 The Plains ...
We found 21 communities that share the name The Plains.
Within Ohio, the name The Plains is unique.
Beyond Ohio, we know of another 21 communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Madera County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of The Plains [Madera County].
- Florida
- Highlands County
- This The Plains is located in Highlands County and lies 827 miles [1,330.9 km]<2> to the south of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Highlands County community of The Plains.
- Georgia
- Cobb County
- This The Plains is located in Cobb County and lies 390 miles [627.6 km]<2> to the south southwest of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cobb County community of The Plains.
- Sumter County
- This The Plains is located in Sumter County and lies 522 miles [840.1 km] to the south southwest of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sumter County community of The Plains.
- Kansas
- Meade County
- This The Plains is located in Meade County and lies 1,008 miles [1,622.2 km]<2> to the west of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Meade County community of The Plains.
- Kentucky
- Breckinridge County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of The Plains [Breckinridge County].
- Louisiana
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- This The Plains is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and lies 787 miles [1,266.6 km]<2> to the southwest of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the East Baton Rouge Parish community of The Plains.
- Maryland
- Caroline County
- This The Plains is located in Caroline County and lies 335 miles [539.1 km]<2> to the east of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Caroline County community of The Plains.
- Charles County
- This The Plains is located in Charles County and lies 290 miles [466.7 km] to the east of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charles County community of The Plains.
- Massachusetts
- Nantucket County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Massachusetts community of The Plains [Nantucket County].
- Michigan
- Marquette County
- This The Plains is located in Marquette County and lies 549 miles [883.5 km]<2> to the north northwest of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marquette County community of The Plains.
- Montana
- Sanders County
- This The Plains is located in Sanders County and lies 1,720 miles [2,768.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sanders County community of The Plains.
- New Hampshire
- Belknap County
- This The Plains is located in Belknap County and lies 616 miles [991.4 km]<2> to the east northeast of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Belknap County community of The Plains.
- New Jersey
- Sussex County
- This The Plains is located in Sussex County and lies 410 miles [659.8 km]<2> to the east northeast of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of The Plains.
- New York
- Oneida County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the New York community of The Plains [Oneida County].
- Washington County
- This The Plains is located in Washington County and lies 521 miles [838.5 km]<2> to the east northeast of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of The Plains.
- Pennsylvania
- Luzerne County
- This The Plains is located in Luzerne County and lies 355 miles [571.3 km]<2> to the east northeast of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Luzerne County community of The Plains.
- South Carolina
- Chesterfield County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the South Carolina community of The Plains [Chesterfield County].
- Texas
- Borden County
- This The Plains is located in Borden County and lies 1,172 miles [1,886.2 km]<2> to the west southwest of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Borden County community of The Plains.
- Yoakum County
- This The Plains is located in Yoakum County and lies 1,224 miles [1,969.8 km] to the west southwest of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yoakum County community of The Plains.
- Virginia
- Fauquier County
- This The Plains is located in Fauquier County and lies 236 miles [379.8 km]<2> to the east of the The Plains that is located in Athens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fauquier County community of The Plains.
- California
Curious and Interesting Names Near The Plains ...
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.
- Clearview
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Elliottville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elliottville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottville
- Elliottville is located in Athens County
- Fisher
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south) - Five Points
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Points have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Five Points is located in Athens County
- Greens Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greens Run
- Greens Run is located in Athens County
- Hickory Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hills
- Hickory Hills is located in Athens County
- Longview Heights
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longview Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
- Longview Heights is located in Athens County
- Marydale
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Rolling Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Hills
- Rolling Hills is located in Athens County
- Sugar Creek
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Creek
- Sugar Creek is located in Athens County
- Truetown
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truetown
- Truetown is located in Athens County
- University Heights
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Heights
- University Heights is located in Athens County
- Wonder Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wonder Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonder Hills
- Wonder Hills is located in Athens County
How Far From The Plains 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 The Plains to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in The Plains and extending to:
- Athens, which is the Seat of Athens County, lies just to the South Southeast.
- Columbus, which is the State Capital of Ohio, lies 62 miles [99.8 km]<2> to the northwest (NW). If you could walk a straight line from The Plains 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 about three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 274 miles [441 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 11 days and walking would take 16 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,088 miles [9,797.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,807 miles [10,954.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,682 miles [7,534.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for The Plains. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Athens County: www.athenscountygovernment.com/
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 The Plains, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- The Plains) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in The Plains. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.3690, Longitude: -82.1324 In this case, the coordinates for The Plains have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek 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 The Plains 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. |
| <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 The Plains 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 310.946 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.988 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.752 degrees. |