Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Allen, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Allen and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Allen
- 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 Allen:
- 41.882841, -78.573080
- 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 Allen
- 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 McKean County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for McKean County
- Since Allen is near Cattaraugus County and also Allegany County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Cattaraugus 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 Allen ...
We found 41 communities that share the name Allen.
There are two communities within Pennsylvania that are also named Allen.
Beyond Pennsylvania, we know of another 39 communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In Pennsylvania ...
- Cumberland County
- Susquehanna County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Eagle County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Allen [Eagle County].
- Garfield County
- This Allen is located in Garfield County and lies 1,495 miles [2,406 km]<1> to the west of the Allen that is located in McKean County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Garfield County community of Allen.
- Gunnison County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Allen [Gunnison County].
- Florida
- Georgia
- Decatur County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of Allen [Decatur County].
- Oconee County
- This Allen is located in Oconee County and lies 611 miles [983.3 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Allen that is located in McKean County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oconee County community of Allen.
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Claiborne County
- This Allen is located in Claiborne County and lies 965 miles [1,553 km]<1> to the southwest of the Allen that is located in McKean County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Claiborne County community of Allen.
- Copiah County
- This Allen is located in Copiah County and lies 965 miles [1,553 km] to the southwest of the Allen that is located in McKean County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Copiah County community of Allen.
- Quitman County
- This Allen is located in Quitman County and lies 827 miles [1,330.9 km] to the southwest of the Allen that is located in McKean County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Quitman County community of Allen.
- Warren County
- This Allen is located in Warren County and lies 958 miles [1,541.8 km] to the southwest of the Allen that is located in McKean County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Warren County community of Allen.
- Montana
- Cascade County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Montana community of Allen [Cascade County].
- Garfield County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Montana community of Allen [Garfield County].
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Lincoln County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the West Virginia community of Allen [Lincoln County].
- Morgan County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the West Virginia community of Allen [Morgan County].
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Allen ...
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.
- Bells Camp
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bells Camp have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Camp
- Bells Camp is located in McKean County
- Big Shanty
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Shanty have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Shanty
- Big Shanty is located in McKean County
- Cyclone
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Duke Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Center
- Duke Center is located in McKean County
- Farmers Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmers Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers Valley
- Farmers Valley is located in McKean County
- Howard
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Irishtown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest) - Lewis Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewis Run have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis Run
- Lewis Run is located in McKean County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewis Run <5>
- Red Rock
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Walkertown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walkertown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkertown
- Walkertown is located in McKean County
- Wolf Run
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
How Far From Allen to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Allen to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Allen and extending to:
- Smethport, which is the Seat of McKean County, lies just to the Southeast.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 141 miles [226.9 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could drive a straight line from Allen to Harrisburg, with an average speed<6>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 8 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 221 miles [355.7 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 13 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,833 miles [9,387.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,554 miles [10,547.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,429 miles [7,127.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Allen: www.allentownship.org/
The official website for State of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.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 from Point A (ie- Allen) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Allen. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8828, Longitude: -78.5731 In this case, the coordinates for Allen have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock 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 Allen 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. |
| <3> | 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 Allen, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Allen to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.614 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.723 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.221 degrees. |