RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Tennessee >> Rutherford County >> Big Springs >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Big Springs, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Big Springs 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 Big Springs:
    • 35.710903, -86.272771
    • 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.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Big Springs
  • 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 Rutherford County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Rutherford County
    • Since Big Springs is near Coffee County and also Bedford County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Coffee County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Bedford 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Big Springs

Communities Also Named Big Springs ...

We found 22 communities that are also named Big Springs.

There are five communities within Tennessee that are also named Big Springs.

Beyond Tennessee, we know of seventeen communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Located In Tennessee ...
    • Blount County
      • This Big Springs is located in Blount County and lies 121 miles [194.7 km]<1> to the east of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Blount County community of Big Springs.
    • Dickson County
      • This Big Springs is located in Dickson County and lies 67 miles [107.8 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dickson County community of Big Springs.
    • Hancock County
      • This Big Springs is located in Hancock County and lies 196 miles [315.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hancock County community of Big Springs.
    • Madison 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 Tennessee community of Big Springs [Madison County].
    • Overton County
      • This Big Springs is located in Overton County and lies 75 miles [120.7 km]<1> to the northeast of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Overton County community of Big Springs.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Bibb 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 Alabama community of Big Springs [Bibb County].
      • Randolph County
      • This Big Springs is located in Randolph County and lies 176 miles [283.2 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of Big Springs.
    • Arizona
      • Coconino County
      • This Big Springs is located in Coconino County and lies 1,450 miles [2,333.5 km]<1> to the west of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Coconino County community of Big Springs.
    • Arkansas
      • Stone 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 Arkansas community of Big Springs [Stone County].
    • California
      • Siskiyou County
      • This Big Springs is located in Siskiyou County and lies 1,975 miles [3,178.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Siskiyou County community of Big Springs.
    • Georgia
      • Troup County
      • This Big Springs is located in Troup County and lies 203 miles [326.7 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Troup County community of Big Springs.
    • Idaho
      • Fremont County
      • This Big Springs is located in Fremont County and lies 1,444 miles [2,323.9 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fremont County community of Big Springs.
    • Indiana
      • Boone County
      • This Big Springs is located in Boone County and lies 301 miles [484.4 km]<1> to the north of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Boone County community of Big Springs.
    • Kansas
      • Douglas County
      • This Big Springs is located in Douglas County and lies 554 miles [891.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Douglas County community of Big Springs.
    • Mississippi
      • Clay 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 Mississippi community of Big Springs [Clay County].
    • Nebraska
      • Deuel County
      • This Big Springs is located in Deuel County and lies 929 miles [1,495.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Deuel County community of Big Springs.
    • New Jersey
      • Sussex County
      • This Big Springs is located in Sussex County and lies 731 miles [1,176.4 km]<1> to the northeast of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of Big Springs.
    • Ohio
      • Logan County
      • This Big Springs is located in Logan County and lies 360 miles [579.4 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Logan County community of Big Springs.
    • South Carolina
      • Chesterfield County
      • This Big Springs is located in Chesterfield County and lies 348 miles [560.1 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chesterfield County community of Big Springs.
    • South Dakota
      • Union County
      • This Big Springs is located in Union County and lies 743 miles [1,195.7 km]<1> to the northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Union County community of Big Springs.
    • Texas
      • Rusk County
      • This Big Springs is located in Rusk County and lies 557 miles [896.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rusk County community of Big Springs.
    • West Virginia
      • Calhoun County
      • This Big Springs is located in Calhoun County and lies 364 miles [585.8 km]<1> to the northeast of the Big Springs that is located in Rutherford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Calhoun County community of Big Springs.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Big Springs ...

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.

  • Bradyville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Bradyville is located in Cannon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradyville
  • Christiana
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Fudgearound
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Fudgearound is located in Coffee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fudgearound
  • Gum
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Gum is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum
  • Hoodoo
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Hoodoo is located in Coffee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoodoo
  • Hopewell ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Hopewell is located in Cannon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
  • Plainview
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Plainview is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
  • Pleasant View
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant View is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
  • Short Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Short Creek is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Creek
  • Steeplechase Meadows
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Steeplechase Meadows is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeplechase Meadows
  • Twin Springs
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Twin Springs is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Springs
  • Webbs Jungle
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Webbs Jungle is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webbs Jungle

How Far From Big Springs 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 Big Springs to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Murfreesboro, which is the Seat of Rutherford County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Big Springs to Murfreesboro, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
  • Nashville, which is the State Capital of Tennessee, lies 41 miles [66 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take about three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 552 miles [888.4 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 22 days and walking would take 32 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,425 miles [10,340 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,141 miles [11,492.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,016 miles [8,072.5 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Big Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 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 Big Springs 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>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 Big Springs to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.7109, Longitude: -86.2728       In this case, the coordinates for Big Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.465 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.348 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.581 degrees.