Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rector, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rector and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rector
- 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 Rector:
- 40.189528, -79.243707
- 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 Rector
- 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 Westmoreland County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Westmoreland County
- Since Rector is near Somerset County and also Fayette County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Somerset County
- eBird sighting report for Fayette 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 Rector ...
We found four communities that share the name Rector.
Within Pennsylvania, the name Rector is unique.
Beyond Pennsylvania, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- California
- Missouri
- New York
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rector ...
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.
- Buttermilk Falls
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buttermilk Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttermilk Falls
- Buttermilk Falls is located in Westmoreland County
- California Furnace
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for California Furnace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for California Furnace
- California Furnace is located in Westmoreland County
- Donegal
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donegal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donegal
- Donegal is located in Westmoreland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donegal <3>
- Gray
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast) - Hillsview
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Idlepark
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Jones Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Mills
- Jones Mills is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jones Mills <3>
- Longbridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longbridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longbridge
- Longbridge is located in Westmoreland County
- Mansville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Meadowdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowdale
- Meadowdale is located in Somerset County
- Oak Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Oak Grove is located in Westmoreland County
- Pleasant Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Pleasant Grove is located in Westmoreland County
- Roytown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roytown
- Roytown is located in Somerset County
How Far From Rector 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 Rector to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rector and extending to:
- Greensburg, which is the Seat of Westmoreland County, lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<1> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Rector to Greensburg, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take five to six hours.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 124 miles [199.6 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 147 miles [236.6 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 9 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,934 miles [9,549.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,649 miles [10,700.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,525 miles [7,282.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rector. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Westmoreland County: www.co.westmoreland.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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rector) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rector. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.1895, Longitude: -79.2437 |
| <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 Rector 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 309.138 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.056 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.18 degrees. |