Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rafter, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rafter and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rafter
- 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 Rafter:
- 35.392580, -84.178248
- 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 Rafter
- 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 Monroe County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Monroe County
- Since Rafter is near Cherokee County and also Graham County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Cherokee County
- eBird sighting report for Graham 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:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Rafter ...
We found one communities that share the name Rafter.
Within Tennessee, the name Rafter is unique.
Beyond Tennessee, there is another community also named Rafter in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Manitoba
- This Rafter lies 1,610 miles [2,591 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Rafter that is located in Monroe County.
- Manitoba
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rafter ...
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.
- Acorn
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Ballplay
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballplay
- Ballplay is located in Monroe County
- Belltown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belltown
- Belltown is located in Monroe County
- Big Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest) - Chestnut Valley
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Valley
- Chestnut Valley is located in Monroe County
- Hopewell Mill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopewell Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell Mill
- Hopewell Mill is located in Monroe County
- Jacktown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Mount Harmony
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Harmony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Harmony
- Mount Harmony is located in Monroe County
- Sandy Lane
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Lane have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Lane
- Sandy Lane is located in Monroe County
- Sink ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Tariffville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tariffville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tariffville
- Tariffville is located in Monroe County
- Three Points
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Points have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Points
- Three Points is located in Monroe County
How Far From Rafter 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 Rafter to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rafter and extending to:
- Madisonville, which is the Seat of Monroe County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Rafter to Madisonville, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Nashville, which is the State Capital of Tennessee, lies 154 miles [247.8 km] to the west northwest (WNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 9 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 461 miles [741.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of a day, a buggy would take 18 days and walking would take 27 days.
- The shortest distance<4> 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).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,063 miles [11,366.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,939 miles [7,948.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rafter. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Monroe County: www.monroegovernment.org/
The official website for State of Tennessee: https://www.tn.gov/
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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rafter) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rafter. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.3926, Longitude: -84.1782 In this case, the coordinates for Rafter have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <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 Rafter to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 312.185 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 307.831 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.791 degrees. |