RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Tennessee >> McMinn County >> Athens >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

  • 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 Athens:
    • 35.452488, -84.603911
    • 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 Athens
  • 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 Athens ...

We found 28 communities that share the name Athens.

Within Tennessee, the name Athens is unique.

Beyond Tennessee, we know of another 28 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 28 communities, 27 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Limestone County
      • This Athens is located in Limestone County and lies 140 miles [225.3 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Limestone County community of Athens.
    • Arkansas
      • Howard County
      • This Athens is located in Howard County and lies 536 miles [862.6 km]<1> to the west of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Howard County community of Athens.
    • California
      • Los Angeles County
      • This Athens is located in Los Angeles County and lies 1,905 miles [3,065.8 km]<1> to the west of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Los Angeles County community of Athens.
    • Georgia
      • Clarke County
      • This Athens is located in Clarke County and lies 124 miles [199.6 km]<1> to the southeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clarke County community of Athens.
    • Illinois
      • Menard County
      • This Athens is located in Menard County and lies 418 miles [672.7 km]<1> to the northwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Menard County community of Athens.
    • Indiana
      • Fulton County
      • This Athens is located in Fulton County and lies 395 miles [635.7 km]<1> to the north of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fulton County community of Athens.
    • Kansas
      • Jewell 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 Athens [Jewell County].
      • Woodson County
      • This Athens is located in Woodson County and lies 632 miles [1,017.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Woodson County community of Athens.
    • Kentucky
      • Fayette County
      • This Athens is located in Fayette County and lies 172 miles [276.8 km]<1> to the north of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Athens.
    • Louisiana
      • Claiborne Parish
      • This Athens is located in Claiborne Parish and lies 518 miles [833.6 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Claiborne Parish community of Athens.
    • Maine
      • Somerset County
      • This Athens is located in Somerset County and lies 1,020 miles [1,641.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Somerset County community of Athens.
    • Michigan
      • Calhoun County
      • This Athens is located in Calhoun County and lies 459 miles [738.7 km]<1> to the north of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Calhoun County community of Athens.
    • Minnesota
      • Isanti 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 Minnesota community of Athens [Isanti County].
    • Mississippi
      • Monroe County
      • This Athens is located in Monroe County and lies 243 miles [391.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Athens.
    • Missouri
      • Clark County
      • This Athens is located in Clark County and lies 523 miles [841.7 km]<1> to the northwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clark County community of Athens.
    • Nebraska
      • Richardson County
      • This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Nebraska community of Athens [Richardson County].
    • Nevada
      • Nye County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Nye County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nye County community of Athens.
    • New York
      • Greene County
      • This Athens is located in Greene County and lies 746 miles [1,200.6 km]<1> to the northeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greene County community of Athens.
    • North Carolina
      • Robeson 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 North Carolina community of Athens [Robeson County].
    • Ohio
      • Athens County
      • This Athens is located in Athens County and lies 300 miles [482.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Athens County community of Athens.
    • Ontario
      • This Athens lies 780 miles [1,255.3 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Bradford County
      • This Athens is located in Bradford County and lies 625 miles [1,005.8 km]<1> to the northeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bradford County community of Athens.
    • Texas
      • Henderson County
      • This Athens is located in Henderson County and lies 681 miles [1,096 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henderson County community of Athens.
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake County
      • This Athens is located in Salt Lake County and lies 1,529 miles [2,460.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Salt Lake County community of Athens.
    • Vermont
      • Windham County
      • This Athens is located in Windham County and lies 832 miles [1,339 km]<1> to the northeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Windham County community of Athens.
    • Virginia
      • Caroline County
      • This Athens is located in Caroline County and lies 434 miles [698.5 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Caroline County community of Athens.
    • West Virginia
      • Mercer County
      • This Athens is located in Mercer County and lies 241 miles [387.9 km]<1> to the northeast of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mercer County community of Athens.
    • Wisconsin
      • Marathon County
      • This Athens is located in Marathon County and lies 721 miles [1,160.3 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Athens that is located in McMinn County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marathon County community of Athens.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Athens ...

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.

  • Cedar Springs
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Springs
    • Cedar Springs is located in McMinn County
  • Clearwater
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
    • Clearwater is located in McMinn County
  • Georgetown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
    • Georgetown is located in McMinn County
  • Heritage Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heritage Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Park
    • Heritage Park is located in McMinn County
  • Idlewild
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Idlewild have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewild
    • Idlewild is located in McMinn County
  • Marshall Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshall Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall Hill
    • Marshall Hill is located in McMinn County
  • Mashburn
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mashburn have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashburn
    • Mashburn is located in McMinn County
  • Piney Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piney Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Grove
    • Piney Grove is located in McMinn County
  • Pond Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pond Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond Hill
    • Pond Hill is located in McMinn County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Poplar Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poplar Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Hill
      • Poplar Hill is located in McMinn County
    • Riceville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riceville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
      • Riceville is located in McMinn County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 670 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riceville <5>
    • Rogers Creek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogers Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Creek
      • Rogers Creek is located in McMinn County
    • Suburban Hills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suburban Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suburban Hills
      • Suburban Hills is located in McMinn County
    • Sunset View
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset View have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset View
      • Sunset View is located in McMinn County
    • Zion Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zion Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion Hill
      • Zion Hill is located in McMinn County

How Far From Athens 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 city such as Athens to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Nashville, which is the State Capital of Tennessee, lies 131 miles [210.8 km]<1> to the west northwest (WNW). If you could drive a straight line from Athens to Nashville, 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 8 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 479 miles [770.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of a day, a buggy would take 19 days and walking would take 28 days.
  • The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,369 miles [10,249.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,079 miles [11,392.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,955 miles [7,974.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>

Footnotes ...

<1>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- Athens) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Athens. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.4525, Longitude: -84.6039       In this case, the coordinates for Athens have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 Athens 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>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 Athens, 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'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 Athens 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 312.442 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.135 degrees.
<10>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.95 degrees.