RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania >> Montgomery County >> Bala - Cynwyd >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Bala - Cynwyd, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Bala - Cynwyd 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 Bala - Cynwyd:
    • 40.006315, -75.232353
    • 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 Bala - Cynwyd
  • 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

Curious and Interesting Names Near Bala - Cynwyd ...

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.

  • Allgates
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Bywood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bywood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bywood
    • Bywood is located in Delaware County
  • Carpenter
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carpenter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
    • Carpenter is located in Philadelphia County
  • Cedar Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Park
    • Cedar Park is located in Philadelphia County
  • Chestnut Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Fishers
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishers
    • Fishers is located in Philadelphia County
  • Francisville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Francisville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisville
    • Francisville is located in Philadelphia County
  • Garden Court
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Court have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Court
    • Garden Court is located in Philadelphia County
  • Grassland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grassland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassland
    • Grassland is located in Delaware County
  • Highland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
    • Highland is located in Philadelphia County
  • Hollow Woods
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollow Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollow Woods
    • Hollow Woods is located in Montgomery County
  • Hunting Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunting Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunting Park
    • Hunting Park is located in Philadelphia County
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Mount Pleasant
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Philadelphia County
    • Nicetown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicetown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicetown
      • Nicetown is located in Philadelphia County
    • Roseglen
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseglen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseglen
      • Roseglen is located in Montgomery County
    • Spring Garden
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Garden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
      • Spring Garden is located in Philadelphia County
    • Spruce Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spruce Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spruce Hill
      • Spruce Hill is located in Philadelphia County
    • Strawberry Mansion
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry Mansion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Mansion
      • Strawberry Mansion is located in Philadelphia County
    • University City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University City
      • University City is located in Philadelphia County
    • Wyoming
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wyoming have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
      • Wyoming is located in Philadelphia County

How Far From Bala - Cynwyd 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 Bala - Cynwyd to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Bala - Cynwyd and extending to:

  • Norristown, which is the Seat of Montgomery County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<2> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Bala - Cynwyd to Norristown, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
  • Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 89 miles [143.2 km] to the west northwest (WNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 122 miles [196.3 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,774 miles [9,292.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,480 miles [10,428.5 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,357 miles [7,011.9 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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- Bala - Cynwyd) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bala - Cynwyd. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.0063, Longitude: -75.2324    
<3>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.
<4>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 Bala - Cynwyd to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 306.739 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 302.306 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 303.501 degrees.