Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Merion, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Merion and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Merion
- 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 Merion:
- 39.997600, -75.249500
- 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 Merion
- 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 Montgomery County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Montgomery County
- Since Merion is near Philadelphia County and also Allegheny County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Philadelphia County
- eBird sighting report for Allegheny 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
Curious and Interesting Names Near Merion ...
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)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allgates
- Allgates is located in Delaware County
- Bywood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Carpenter
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - 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
- 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 southeast)- 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
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west) - Hollow Woods
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- 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
- Kellyville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kellyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellyville
- Kellyville is located in Delaware County
- Continue List (6 more) ...
- Pilgrim Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pilgrim Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim Gardens
- Pilgrim Gardens is located in Delaware County
- Roseglen
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - 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 southeast)- 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 east)- 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
- Pilgrim Gardens
How Far From Merion 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 Merion to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Merion and extending to:
- Norristown, which is the Seat of Montgomery County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<2> to the north northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Merion 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 88 miles [141.6 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 121 miles [194.7 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 5,776 miles [9,295.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,481 miles [10,430.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,358 miles [7,013.5 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Merion. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Montgomery County: www.montcopa.org/
The official website for State of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/
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' (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- Merion) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merion. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.9976, Longitude: -75.2495 In this case, the coordinates for Merion have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Merion 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 306.75 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 302.317 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 303.512 degrees. |