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:
- 40.245904, -80.303117
- 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 Washington County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Washington County
- Since Gretna is near Allegheny County and also Brooke County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Allegheny County
- eBird sighting report for Brooke 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 Pennsylvania, the name Gretna is unique.
Beyond Pennsylvania, 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 1,037 miles [1,668.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New York
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Gretna lies 321 miles [516.6 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
- 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.
- Buffalo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
- Buffalo is located in Washington County
- Cokeburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Enterprise
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enterprise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Enterprise is located in Washington County
- Gabby Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gabby Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gabby Heights
- Gabby Heights is located in Washington County
- Hickory
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Hill Church
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill Church have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Church
- Hill Church is located in Washington County
- Lincoln Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Hill
- Lincoln Hill is located in Washington County
- Log Pile
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Manifold
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast) - Meadow Lands
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Lands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Lands
- Meadow Lands is located in Washington County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Meadow Lands <3>
- Muse
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast) - Oak Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Continue List (4 more) ...
- Rich Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Rural Valley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rural Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Valley
- Rural Valley is located in Washington County
- Sugar Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Sugar Hill is located in Washington County
- Weavertown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weavertown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavertown
- Weavertown is located in Washington County
- Rich Hill
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:
- Washington, which is the Seat of Washington County, lies just to the South Southeast.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 180 miles [289.7 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Gretna to Harrisburg, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take a little over three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 11 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 197 miles [317 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 12 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,974 miles [9,614.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,693 miles [10,771.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,568 miles [7,351.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
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 Washington County: www.co.washington.pa.us/
The official website for State of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.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 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: 40.2459, Longitude: -80.3031 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> | 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 Gretna 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 309.786 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.799 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.633 degrees. |