Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Loretto, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Loretto and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Loretto
- 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 Loretto:
- 40.505318, -78.634589
- 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 Loretto
- 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 Cambria County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Cambria County
- Since Loretto is near Blair County and also Indiana County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Blair County
- eBird sighting report for Indiana 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 Loretto ...
We found fourteen communities that share the name Loretto.
Within Pennsylvania, the name Loretto is unique.
Beyond Pennsylvania, we know of another fourteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these fourteen communities, twelve are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- California
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- This Loretto lies 1,102 miles [1,773.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Loretto that is located in Cambria County.
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Loretto lies 252 miles [405.6 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Loretto that is located in Cambria County.
- Tennessee
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Loretto ...
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.
- Bens Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bens Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bens Creek
- Bens Creek is located in Cambria County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Bens Creek
- From Loretto to Bens Creek
- Chest Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chest Springs
- Chest Springs is located in Cambria County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Chest Springs
- From Loretto to Chest Springs
- Coupon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Greenfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenfield have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Greenfield is located in Cambria County
- Jamestown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south) - Lower Dutchtown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Dutchtown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Dutchtown
- Lower Dutchtown is located in Cambria County
- Munster
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munster
- Munster is located in Cambria County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Munster
- From Loretto to Munster
- Oil City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south) - Plane Bank
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plane Bank have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plane Bank
- Plane Bank is located in Cambria County
- Shoemaker
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south) - Tripoli
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west) - Tunnelhill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnelhill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnelhill
- Tunnelhill is located in Cambria County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
- Wildwood Springs
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildwood Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood Springs
- Wildwood Springs is located in Cambria County
How Far From Loretto 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 Loretto to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Loretto and extending to:
- Ebensburg, which is the Seat of Cambria County, lies just to the West Southwest.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 93 miles [149.7 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Loretto to Harrisburg, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 6 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 139 miles [223.7 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 8 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,895 miles [9,487.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,611 miles [10,639.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,486 miles [7,219.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Loretto. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Cambria County: www.co.cambria.pa.us/
The official website for Commonwealth 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Loretto) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Loretto. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.5053, Longitude: -78.6346 |
| <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 Loretto, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <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 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. |
| <6> | 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 Loretto to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.747 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.661 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.789 degrees. |