Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rankin, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rankin and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rankin
- 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 Rankin:
- 40.410902, -79.877549
- 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 Rankin
- 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 Allegheny County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Allegheny County
- Since Rankin is near Westmoreland County and also Washington County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Westmoreland County
- eBird sighting report for Washington 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 Rankin ...
We found 25 communities that share the name Rankin.
Within Pennsylvania, the name Rankin is unique.
Beyond Pennsylvania, we know of another 25 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 25 communities, 24 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Little River County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Rankin [Little River County].
- Perry County
- This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Rankin [Perry County].
- California
- Illinois
- Saint Clair County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Illinois community of Rankin [Saint Clair County].
- Vermilion County
- This Rankin is located in Vermilion County and lies 421 miles [677.5 km]<1> to the west of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Vermilion County community of Rankin.
- Kentucky
- Clark County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Rankin [Clark County].
- Henderson County
- This Rankin is located in Henderson County and lies 450 miles [724.2 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henderson County community of Rankin.
- Wayne County
- This Rankin is located in Wayne County and lies 360 miles [579.4 km] to the southwest of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Rankin.
- Michigan
- Genesee County
- This Rankin is located in Genesee County and lies 264 miles [424.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Genesee County community of Rankin.
- Oceana County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Rankin [Oceana County].
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Guilford County
- This Rankin is located in Guilford County and lies 296 miles [476.4 km]<1> to the south of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Guilford County community of Rankin.
- Mecklenburg County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the North Carolina community of Rankin [Mecklenburg County].
- Pender County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the North Carolina community of Rankin [Pender County].
- Oklahoma
- Ontario
- This Rankin lies 412 miles [663 km]<1> to the north of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- Tennessee
- Cocke County
- This Rankin is located in Cocke County and lies 351 miles [564.9 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cocke County community of Rankin.
- Maury County
- This Rankin is located in Maury County and lies 511 miles [822.4 km] to the southwest of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Maury County community of Rankin.
- Texas
- Ellis County
- This Rankin is located in Ellis County and lies 1,091 miles [1,755.8 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ellis County community of Rankin.
- Hidalgo County
- This Rankin is located in Hidalgo County and lies 1,425 miles [2,293.3 km] to the southwest of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hidalgo County community of Rankin.
- Upton County
- This Rankin is located in Upton County and lies 1,383 miles [2,225.7 km] to the west southwest of the Rankin that is located in Allegheny County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Upton County community of Rankin.
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rankin ...
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.
- Frick Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frick Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frick Park
- Frick Park is located in Allegheny County
- Glen Hazel
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Hazel have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Hazel
- Glen Hazel is located in Allegheny County
- Greenfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- 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 Allegheny County
- Hays
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Homestead
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homestead
- Homestead is located in Allegheny County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,133 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homestead <5>
- Homeville
(Less than 2 miles to the south) - Homewood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Lincoln Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Park
- Lincoln Park is located in Allegheny County
- Lincoln Place
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Place have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Place
- Lincoln Place is located in Allegheny County
- Continue List (6 more) ...
- New Homestead
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Homestead have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Homestead
- New Homestead is located in Allegheny County
- Regent Square
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regent Square have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regent Square
- Regent Square is located in Allegheny County
- Squirrel Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Squirrel Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squirrel Hill
- Squirrel Hill is located in Allegheny County
- Swissvale
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swissvale
- Swissvale is located in Allegheny County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,590 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Swissvale <5>
- Terrace
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Turtle Creek
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Creek
- Turtle Creek is located in Allegheny County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,104 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turtle Creek <5>
- New Homestead
How Far From Rankin 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 Rankin to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rankin and extending to:
- Pittsburgh, which is the Seat of Allegheny County, lies just to the West Northwest.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 157 miles [252.7 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Rankin to Harrisburg, with an average speed<6>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 9 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 183 miles [294.5 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,950 miles [9,575.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,668 miles [10,731.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,543 miles [7,311.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rankin. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Allegheny County: www.county.allegheny.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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rankin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rankin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.4109, Longitude: -79.8775 In this case, the coordinates for Rankin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Rankin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Rankin could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. |
| <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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Rankin to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.515 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.517 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.382 degrees. |