Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Austin, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Austin and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Austin
- 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 Austin:
- 34.477897, -82.163720
- 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 Austin
- 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 Laurens County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Laurens County
- Since Austin is near Abbeville County and also Greenwood County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Abbeville County
- eBird sighting report for Greenwood 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 Austin ...
We found 42 communities that share the name Austin.
Within South Carolina, the name Austin is unique.
Beyond South Carolina, we know of another 42 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 42 communities, 39 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Conway County
- This Austin is located in Conway County and lies 589 miles [947.9 km]<2> to the west of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Conway County community of Austin.
- Lonoke County
- This Austin is located in Lonoke County and lies 558 miles [898 km] to the west of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lonoke County community of Austin.
- Van Buren County
- This Austin is located in Van Buren County and lies 605 miles [973.7 km] to the west of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Van Buren County community of Austin.
- California
- Colorado
- Delta County
- This Austin is located in Delta County and lies 1,454 miles [2,340 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Delta County community of Austin.
- Garfield County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Austin [Garfield County].
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Neosho County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Neosho County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Neosho County community of Austin.
- Sumner County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Austin [Sumner County].
- Kentucky
- Manitoba
- This Austin lies 1,363 miles [2,193.5 km]<2> to the north northwest of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- Michigan
- Hillsdale County
- This Austin is located in Hillsdale County and lies 519 miles [835.2 km]<2> to the north northwest of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hillsdale County community of Austin.
- Kalamazoo County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Austin [Kalamazoo County].
- Marquette County
- This Austin is located in Marquette County and lies 860 miles [1,384 km] to the north northwest of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marquette County community of Austin.
- Oakland 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 Michigan community of Austin [Oakland County].
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Cass County
- This Austin is located in Cass County and lies 728 miles [1,171.6 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cass County community of Austin.
- Dunklin County
- This Austin is located in Dunklin County and lies 465 miles [748.3 km] to the west northwest of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dunklin County community of Austin.
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New York
- Cattaraugus County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the New York community of Austin [Cattaraugus County].
- Cayuga County
- This Austin is located in Cayuga County and lies 651 miles [1,047.7 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cayuga County community of Austin.
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Austin lies 832 miles [1,339 km]<2> to the north of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Quebec
- This Austin lies 908 miles [1,461.3 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Hardin County
- This Austin is located in Hardin County and lies 347 miles [558.4 km]<2> to the west of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hardin County community of Austin.
- Wilson County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Austin [Wilson County].
- Texas
- Utah
- Washington
- Island County
- This Austin is located in Island County and lies 2,262 miles [3,640.3 km]<2> to the northwest of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Island County community of Austin.
- Spokane County
- This Austin is located in Spokane County and lies 2,014 miles [3,241.2 km] to the northwest of the Austin that is located in Laurens County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Spokane County community of Austin.
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Austin ...
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.
- Blue Heaven
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Heaven have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Heaven
- Blue Heaven is located in Abbeville County
- Cold Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Point
- Cold Point is located in Laurens County
- Doubling ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Edens ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north) - Erie ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Hickory Tavern
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Tavern have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Tavern
- Hickory Tavern is located in Laurens County
- Jones ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Poplar Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poplar Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Springs
- Poplar Springs is located in Laurens County
- Reedy River ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reedy River have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedy River
- Reedy River is located in Laurens County
- Tumbling Shoals ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tumbling Shoals have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tumbling Shoals
- Tumbling Shoals is located in Laurens County
How Far From Austin 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 Austin to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Austin once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Austin and extending to:
- Laurens, which is the Seat of Laurens County, lies just to the East.
- Columbia, which is the State Capital of South Carolina, lies 72 miles [115.9 km]<2> to the east southeast (ESE). If you could drive a straight line from Austin to Columbia, 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 4 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 416 miles [669.5 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take most of a day, a buggy would take 17 days and walking would take 24 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,310 miles [10,155 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,010 miles [11,281.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,889 miles [7,868.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Laurens County: www.laurenscountysc.org/
The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock Creek 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 Austin 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. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Austin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Austin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.4779, Longitude: -82.1637 In this case, the coordinates for Austin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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 Austin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 Austin 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 310.978 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.313 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.232 degrees. |