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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Oak View (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Oak View. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Oak View ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Oak View: Oak Vw.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak View. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak View.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Oak View is located in Blount County.

To see how the shape of Tennessee's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Blount County: Graham (NC), Swain (NC), Knox, Loudon, Monroe & Sevier.

Below are the counties that are near Oak View. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oak View:

  • Blount County     (The home county of Oak View)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Wildwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Wildwood is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
    • Cowan Springs
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Cowan Springs is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan Springs
      • Estimated population in 2014: 9,010 people
    • Rocky Branch
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Rocky Branch is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Branch
      • Estimated population in 2014: 5,427 people
    • Walland
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Seaton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Seaton is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaton
    • Miller Cove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Miller Cove is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller Cove
      • Estimated population in 2014: 267 people
    • Eagleton Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Eagleton Village is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleton Village
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 5,052 people
    • Rockford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Rockford is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
    • Chelsey Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Chelsey Village is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsey Village
    • Rockgardens
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Rockgardens is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockgardens
      • Estimated population in 2014: 861 people
    • Townsend
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Alcoa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Alcoa is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcoa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,382 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alcoa <1>
    • Maryville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Spring Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Spring Hill is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 16,752 people
    • Claxton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Claxton is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claxton
    • Peak
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Peak is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peak
    • Scarboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Scarboro is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarboro
    • Panther ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Panther is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
    • Clinton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Robertsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Robertsville is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsville
    • Andersonville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Andersonville is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersonville
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 472 people
    • Bethel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bethel is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Estimated population in 2014: 719 people
    • Leinarts
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Leinarts is located in Anderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leinarts
  • Grainger County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Blaine
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Lea Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Lea Springs is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lea Springs
    • Maples ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Maples is located in Grainger County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maples
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Strawberry Plains
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Cook Mill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Cook Mill is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook Mill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 31,335 people
    • Dumplin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Dumplin is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumplin
    • Piedmont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Piedmont is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
    • Rocky Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Rocky Valley is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Valley
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,771 people
    • New Market
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Alena ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Alena is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alena
    • Flat Gap
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Flat Gap is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Gap
    • Dandridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jefferson City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Bonny Kate
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bonny Kate is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonny Kate
    • Shooks
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Shooks is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shooks
    • Colonial Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Colonial Village is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Arrowhead
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Arrowhead is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowhead
    • Topside
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Topside is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topside
      • Estimated population in 2014: 346 people
    • Whites Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Whites Village is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites Village
    • Kimberlin Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Humes Ferry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Humes Ferry is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humes Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,348 people
    • Ramsey Ferry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Ramsey Ferry is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 320 people
    • Riverdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Riverdale is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
    • Aldenwood Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Aldenwood Park is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldenwood Park
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,753 people
    • Knoxville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Marble City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Marble City is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble City
  • Loudon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Greenback
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jena is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jena
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,279 people
    • Centersville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Centersville is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centersville
    • Alleghany ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Alleghany is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany
      • Estimated population in 2014: 630 people
    • Morganton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Morganton is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganton
    • Trigonia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Trigonia is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trigonia
    • Lenoir City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Sharp Estates
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Sharp Estates is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Estates
      • Estimated population in 2014: 919 people
    • Vancouver ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Vancouver is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vancouver
    • Eaton Crossroads
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Eaton Crossroads is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eaton Crossroads
    • Loudon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • White Wing Ferry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • White Wing Ferry is located in Loudon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Wing Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,550 people
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Ipe ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Ipe is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ipe
    • Halfway Town ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Halfway Town is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway Town
    • Tuskeegee ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Tuskeegee is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuskeegee
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,663 people
    • Toqua ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Toqua is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toqua
    • Vonore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ballplay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ballplay is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballplay
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Bear ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Bear is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear
    • Selkirk ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Selkirk is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selkirk
  • Sevier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Dupont
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dupont is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
    • Seymour Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Seymour Heights is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour Heights
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 10,919 people
    • Seymour
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak City is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak City
    • Wear Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Wear Valley is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wear Valley
    • Waldens Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Waldens Creek is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldens Creek
    • Boyds Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyds Creek is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyds Creek
    • Pigeon Forge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Starkeytown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Starkeytown is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starkeytown
      • Estimated population in 2014: 431 people
    • Sevierville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Chalet Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Chalet Village is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalet Village
    • Catlettsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Catlettsburg is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catlettsburg
    • Elkmont ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkmont is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkmont
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Plainview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Plainview is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,184 people
    • Paulette
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Paulette is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulette
    • Gabe ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Gabe is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gabe
    • Luttrell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Luttrell is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luttrell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,088 people
  • Graham County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Fontana Dam
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Fontana Dam is located in Graham County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana Dam
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6 people
      • Fontana Dam has also been known as:
      • Fontana Village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fontana Dam <1>
    • Yellow Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Yellow Creek is located in Graham County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Creek
    • Lake Santeetlah
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Lake Santeetlah is located in Graham County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Santeetlah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
      • Lake Santeetlah has also been known as:
      • Santeetla
      • Santeetlah
      • Santultah
      • Thunderbird Mountain
      • Thunderbird
    • Stecoah
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Stecoah is located in Graham County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stecoah
    • Cheoah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Cheoah is located in Graham County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheoah
  • Swain County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.
    • Bushnell ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bushnell is located in Swain County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushnell
    • Forney ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Forney is located in Swain County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney
    • Judson ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Judson is located in Swain County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oak View, see our County-by-County Page for Oak View.

Cemeteries Near Oak View ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak View.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Oak View - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oak View covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.

  • Cold Springs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Oak View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Headrick Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Union Temple Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Keebles Chapel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Rocky Branch MB Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Walker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Prospect Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Logans Chapel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Centennial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (837 more) ...

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<2>

While we didn't find Oak View in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oak View.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Oak View, with the one closest to Oak View listed first.

  • Notime ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Notime is located in Blount County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Notime
  • Bank ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bank is located in Blount County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bank
  • Seaton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Seaton is located in Blount County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaton
  • Ellejoy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellejoy is located in Blount County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellejoy
  • Hornet
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Hornet is located in Sevier County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornet
  • Rockford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Rockford is located in Blount County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
  • Shooks
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Shooks is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shooks
  • Maryville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Blockhouse
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Blockhouse is located in Blount County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockhouse
  • Trundle Crossroad
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Trundle Crossroad is located in Sevier County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trundle Crossroad
  • Chandler
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Chandler is located in Blount County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler
  • Montvale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Montvale is located in Blount County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montvale
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Wear Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Wear Valley is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wear Valley
    • Mentor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Mentor is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
    • Line Spring
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Line Spring is located in Sevier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Line Spring

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Oak View. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak View.

Newspapers Published in Oak View ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak View.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak View, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak View.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Oak View:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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 Oak View, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Oak View) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.