RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania >> Washington County >> Gretna >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

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.

  • 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.
    • Open 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:
    • Open the 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:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Allegheny County
    • Open the 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Gretna

Communities Also Named Gretna ...

We found thirteen communities that are also named Gretna.

Within Pennsylvania, the name Gretna is unique.

Beyond Pennsylvania, we know of thirteen communities that are located 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
      • Gadsden County
      • This Gretna is located in Gadsden County and lies 708 miles [1,139.4 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gadsden County community of Gretna.
    • Illinois
      • DuPage County
      • This Gretna is located in DuPage County and lies 421 miles [677.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the DuPage County community of Gretna.
    • Kansas
      • Phillips County
      • This Gretna is located in Phillips County and lies 998 miles [1,606.1 km]<1> to the west of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Phillips County community of Gretna.
    • Louisiana
      • Jefferson Parish
      • This Gretna is located in Jefferson Parish and lies 900 miles [1,448.4 km]<1> to the southwest of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson Parish community of Gretna.
    • 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
      • Wayne County
      • This Gretna is located in Wayne County and lies 742 miles [1,194.1 km]<1> to the southwest of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Gretna.
    • Missouri
      • Taney County
      • This Gretna is located in Taney County and lies 742 miles [1,194.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Taney County community of Gretna.
    • Nebraska
      • Sarpy County
      • This Gretna is located in Sarpy County and lies 835 miles [1,343.8 km]<1> to the west of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sarpy County community of Gretna.
    • New York
      • Dutchess County
      • This Gretna is located in Dutchess County and lies 352 miles [566.5 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dutchess County community of Gretna.
    • Ohio
      • Logan County
      • This Gretna is located in Logan County and lies 187 miles [300.9 km]<1> to the west of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Logan County community of Gretna.
    • 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
      • Edmunds County
      • This Gretna is located in Edmunds County and lies 1,033 miles [1,662.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Edmunds County community of Gretna.
    • Virginia
      • Pittsylvania County
      • This Gretna is located in Pittsylvania County and lies 232 miles [373.4 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Gretna that is located in Washington County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pittsylvania County community of Gretna.

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)
    • Buffalo is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
  • Cokeburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cokeburg is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokeburg
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
  • Enterprise
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Enterprise is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
  • Gabby Heights
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Gabby Heights is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gabby Heights
  • Hickory
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Hickory is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
  • Hill Church
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Hill Church is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Church
  • Lincoln Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Lincoln Hill is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Hill
  • Log Pile
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Log Pile is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Pile
  • Manifold
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Manifold is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manifold
  • Meadow Lands
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Muse
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Muse is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muse
  • Oak Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Grove is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Rich Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Rich Hill is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Hill
    • Rural Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Rural Valley is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Valley
    • Sugar Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Sugar Hill is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
    • Weavertown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Weavertown is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavertown

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<3>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<4> 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).<5>
  • 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).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,568 miles [7,351.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Gretna) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Gretna to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.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).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.786 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.799 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.633 degrees.