RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of South Carolina >> Beaufort County >> Bluffton >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Bluffton, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Bluffton and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Bluffton:
    • 32.237145, -80.860641
    • 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 Bluffton
  • 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 Bluffton ...

We found sixteen communities that share the name Bluffton.

Within South Carolina, the name Bluffton is unique.

Beyond South Carolina, we know of another sixteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these sixteen communities, fifteen are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Cherokee County
      • This Bluffton is located in Cherokee County and lies 291 miles [468.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cherokee County community of Bluffton.
    • Alberta
      • This Bluffton lies 2,180 miles [3,508.4 km]<1> to the northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
    • Arkansas
      • Yell County
      • This Bluffton is located in Yell County and lies 755 miles [1,215.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yell County community of Bluffton.
    • Florida
      • Volusia County
      • This Bluffton is located in Volusia County and lies 218 miles [350.8 km]<1> to the south of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Volusia County community of Bluffton.
    • Georgia
      • Clay County
      • This Bluffton is located in Clay County and lies 240 miles [386.2 km]<1> to the west of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clay County community of Bluffton.
    • Indiana
      • Wells County
      • This Bluffton is located in Wells County and lies 633 miles [1,018.7 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wells County community of Bluffton.
    • Iowa
      • Winneshiek County
      • This Bluffton is located in Winneshiek County and lies 976 miles [1,570.7 km]<1> to the northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Winneshiek County community of Bluffton.
    • Kansas
      • Coffey County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Bluffton [Coffey County].
      • Ottawa 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 Kansas community of Bluffton [Ottawa County].
    • Michigan
      • Muskegon County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Bluffton [Muskegon County].
    • Minnesota
      • Otter Tail County
      • This Bluffton is located in Otter Tail County and lies 1,242 miles [1,998.8 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Otter Tail County community of Bluffton.
    • Missouri
      • Montgomery County
      • This Bluffton is located in Montgomery County and lies 751 miles [1,208.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Bluffton.
      • Ray County
      • Although located in Ray County, we don't know the location within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ray County community of Bluffton.
    • Ohio
      • Allen County
      • This Bluffton is located in Allen County and lies 620 miles [997.8 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allen County community of Bluffton.
    • Tennessee
      • Cocke County
      • This Bluffton is located in Cocke County and lies 280 miles [450.6 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cocke County community of Bluffton.
    • Texas
      • Llano County
      • This Bluffton is located in Llano County and lies 1,041 miles [1,675.3 km]<1> to the west of the Bluffton that is located in Beaufort County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Llano County community of Bluffton.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Bluffton ...

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.

  • Cherry Point Landing
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Point Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Point Landing
    • Cherry Point Landing is located in Beaufort County
  • Copp Landing
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Copp Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copp Landing
    • Copp Landing is located in Beaufort County
  • Harbour Town
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbour Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbour Town
    • Harbour Town is located in Beaufort County
  • Hickory Bluff
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Bluff
    • Hickory Bluff is located in Beaufort County
  • Honey Horn Plantation
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Honey Horn Plantation have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Horn Plantation
    • Honey Horn Plantation is located in Beaufort County
  • Horse Landing
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horse Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Landing
    • Horse Landing is located in Beaufort County
  • Indigo Run
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indigo Run have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indigo Run
    • Indigo Run is located in Beaufort County
  • Otter Hole
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otter Hole have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Hole
    • Otter Hole is located in Beaufort County
  • Point Comfort
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Spanish Wells
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spanish Wells have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Wells
    • Spanish Wells is located in Beaufort County
  • Windmill Harbor
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windmill Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windmill Harbor
    • Windmill Harbor is located in Beaufort County

How Far From Bluffton 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 town such as Bluffton to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Bluffton and extending to:

  • Beaufort, which is the Seat of Beaufort County, lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<1> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Bluffton to Beaufort, 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.
  • Columbia, which is the State Capital of South Carolina, lies 122 miles [196.3 km] to the north (N). 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 507 miles [815.9 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 20 days and walking would take 29 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,354 miles [10,225.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,039 miles [11,328.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,926 miles [7,927.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bluffton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bluffton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.2371, Longitude: -80.8606    
<2>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 Bluffton 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.
<3>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.
<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 Bluffton 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 310.19 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.087 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.349 degrees.