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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Oaklawn, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Oaklawn 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 Oaklawn:
    • 35.284254, -90.040090
    • 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 Oaklawn
  • 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 Shelby County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Shelby County
    • Since Oaklawn is near Crittenden County and also Mississippi County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Crittenden County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Mississippi 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 Oaklawn

Communities Also Named Oaklawn ...

We found nineteen communities that are also named Oaklawn.

There are two communities within Tennessee that are also named Oaklawn.

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

  • Communities Located In Tennessee ...
    • Cheatham County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Cheatham County and lies 182 miles [292.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cheatham County community of Oaklawn.
    • Putnam County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Putnam County and lies 262 miles [421.6 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Putnam County community of Oaklawn.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Arkansas
      • Desha County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Desha County and lies 123 miles [197.9 km]<1> to the southwest of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Desha County community of Oaklawn.
      • Garland 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 Oaklawn [Garland County].
    • Florida
      • Marion 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 Florida community of Oaklawn [Marion County].
    • Georgia
      • Brooks County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Brooks County and lies 476 miles [766 km]<1> to the southeast of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Brooks County community of Oaklawn.
      • Coweta County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Coweta County and lies 328 miles [527.9 km] to the east southeast of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Coweta County community of Oaklawn.
      • Houston 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 Georgia community of Oaklawn [Houston County].
    • Illinois
      • Vermilion 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 Illinois community of Oaklawn [Vermilion County].
    • Kansas
      • Sedgwick County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Sedgwick County and lies 433 miles [696.8 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sedgwick County community of Oaklawn.
    • Louisiana
      • Saint Mary Parish
      • This Oaklawn is located in Saint Mary Parish and lies 384 miles [618 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saint Mary Parish community of Oaklawn.
      • Saint Tammany Parish
      • This Oaklawn is located in Saint Tammany Parish and lies 344 miles [553.6 km] to the south of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saint Tammany Parish community of Oaklawn.
    • Maryland
      • Prince George's County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Prince George's County and lies 759 miles [1,221.5 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Prince George's County community of Oaklawn.
    • Michigan
      • Ottawa 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 Oaklawn [Ottawa County].
    • Mississippi
      • Claiborne County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Claiborne County and lies 233 miles [375 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Claiborne County community of Oaklawn.
    • Oregon
      • Clackamas County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Clackamas County and lies 1,837 miles [2,956.4 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clackamas County community of Oaklawn.
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Providence County and lies 1,094 miles [1,760.6 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Providence County community of Oaklawn.
    • South Carolina
      • Sumter County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Sumter County and lies 558 miles [898 km]<1> to the east of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sumter County community of Oaklawn.
    • Virginia
      • Culpeper County
      • This Oaklawn is located in Culpeper County and lies 699 miles [1,124.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Oaklawn that is located in Shelby County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Culpeper County community of Oaklawn.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Oaklawn ...

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.

  • Cuba
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cuba is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
  • Felts
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Felts is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felts
  • Griffin Corner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Griffin Corner is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin Corner
  • Island Forty
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Island Forty is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Forty
  • Jester ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jester is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jester
  • Little John
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Little John is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little John
  • Locke
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Locke is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locke
  • Lucy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Lucy is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucy
  • Redman Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Redman Point is located in Crittenden County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redman Point
  • Rugby
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Rugby is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby

How Far From Oaklawn 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 community such as Oaklawn to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Memphis, which is the Seat of Shelby County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from Oaklawn to Memphis, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
  • Nashville, which is the State Capital of Tennessee, lies 192 miles [309 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 757 miles [1,218.3 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 30 days and walking would take 43 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,597 miles [10,616.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,321 miles [11,782 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,197 miles [8,363.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'

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- Oaklawn) 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 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 Oaklawn 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 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.
<4>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 Oaklawn 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 Oaklawn. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.2843, Longitude: -90.0401       In this case, the coordinates for Oaklawn have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 315.792 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.977 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.291 degrees.