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 ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Rapids
- 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:
- 45.901222, -123.504014
- 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
- 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 Clatsop County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Clatsop County
- Since Grand Rapids is near Columbia County and also Tillamook County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Columbia County
- eBird sighting report for Tillamook 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 Grand Rapids ...
We found nine communities that share the name Grand Rapids.
Within Oregon, the name Grand Rapids is unique.
Beyond Oregon, we know of another nine communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these nine communities, seven are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- British Columbia
- This Grand Rapids lies 616 miles [991.4 km]<1> to the north of the Grand Rapids that is located in Clatsop County.
- Manitoba
- This Grand Rapids lies 1,188 miles [1,911.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Grand Rapids that is located in Clatsop County.
- Michigan
- Kent County
- This Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and lies 1,859 miles [2,991.8 km]<1> to the east of the Grand Rapids that is located in Clatsop 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 1,620 miles [2,607.1 km] to the east northeast of the Grand Rapids that is located in Clatsop 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 1,417 miles [2,280.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Grand Rapids that is located in Clatsop County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Itasca County community of Grand Rapids.
- Nebraska
- Holt County
- This community is historic<2> 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 1,197 miles [1,926.4 km]<1> to the east of the Grand Rapids that is located in Clatsop County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the LaMoure County community of Grand Rapids.
- Ohio
- Lake County
- This community is historic<2> 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.
- Wood County
- This Grand Rapids is located in Wood County and lies 1,983 miles [3,191.3 km]<1> to the east of the Grand Rapids that is located in Clatsop County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wood County community of Grand Rapids.
- British Columbia
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.
- Clear Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Creek
- Clear Creek is located in Columbia County
- Elsie
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest) - Fishhawk ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Hamlet
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west) - Jewell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Jewell Junction
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell Junction
- Jewell Junction is located in Clatsop County
- Mist
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast) - Neverstill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neverstill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neverstill
- Neverstill is located in Columbia County
- Salmonberry
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salmonberry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmonberry
- Salmonberry is located in Tillamook County
How Far From Grand Rapids 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 community 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:
- Astoria, which is the Seat of Clatsop County, lies 25 miles [40.2 km]<1> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Grand Rapids to Astoria, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
- Salem, which is the State Capital of Oregon, lies 70 miles [112.7 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,383 miles [3,835.1 km] to the east (E). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 93 days and walking would take 136 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,902 miles [11,107.7 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,664 miles [12,334 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,789 miles [9,316.5 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Grand Rapids. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Clatsop County: www.co.clatsop.or.us/
The official website for State of Oregon: https://www.oregon.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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: 45.9012, Longitude: -123.5040 In this case, the coordinates for Grand Rapids have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 341.761 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 343.38 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 328.639 degrees. |