RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Rock City, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rock City 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 Rock City:
    • 36.263109, -86.053044
    • 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 Rock City
  • 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 Rock City ...

We found ten communities that share the name Rock City.

There is one other community in Tennessee which is also named Rock City.

Beyond Tennessee, we know of another nine communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Located In Tennessee ...
    • Sullivan County
      • This Rock City is located in Sullivan County and lies 202 miles [325.1 km]<1> to the east of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sullivan County community of Rock City.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Jackson County
      • This Rock City is located in Jackson County and lies 119 miles [191.5 km]<1> to the south of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jackson County community of Rock City.
      • Marion County
      • This Rock City is located in Marion County and lies 183 miles [294.5 km] to the south southwest of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marion County community of Rock City.
    • California
      • Contra Costa County
      • This Rock City is located in Contra Costa County and lies 1,968 miles [3,167.2 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Contra Costa County community of Rock City.
    • Georgia
      • Walker County
      • This Rock City is located in Walker County and lies 97 miles [156.1 km]<1> to the south southeast of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Walker County community of Rock City.
    • Illinois
      • Stephenson County
      • This Rock City is located in Stephenson County and lies 462 miles [743.5 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Stephenson County community of Rock City.
    • Kansas
      • 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 Kansas community of Rock City [Ottawa County].
    • New York
      • Cattaraugus County
      • This Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County and lies 567 miles [912.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cattaraugus County community of Rock City.
      • Columbia County
      • This Rock City is located in Columbia County and lies 788 miles [1,268.2 km] to the northeast of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbia County community of Rock City.
      • Dutchess County
      • This Rock City is located in Dutchess County and lies 763 miles [1,227.9 km] to the northeast of the Rock City that is located in Smith County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dutchess County community of Rock City.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Rock City ...

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.

  • Big Spring ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
    • Big Spring is located in Wilson County
  • Bluff Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Creek
    • Bluff Creek is located in Smith County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 1,734 people
  • Carthage
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Flat Rock
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
    • Flat Rock is located in Smith County
  • Grant
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
    • Grant is located in Smith County
  • Graveltown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graveltown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graveltown
    • Graveltown is located in Smith County
  • Jennings ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jennings have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
    • Jennings is located in Wilson County
  • Johntown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johntown
    • Johntown is located in Trousdale County
  • Providence
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Providence is located in Trousdale County
  • Rock House
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock House have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock House
    • Rock House is located in Trousdale County
  • Rome Ferry
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rome Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome Ferry
    • Rome Ferry is located in Smith County
  • Shaver Town
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shaver Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaver Town
    • Shaver Town is located in Smith County
  • Tanglewood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tanglewood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanglewood
    • Tanglewood is located in Smith County

How Far From Rock City to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Rock City to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Carthage, which is the Seat of Smith County, lies just to the East.
  • Nashville, which is the State Capital of Tennessee, lies 40 miles [64.4 km]<1> to the west (W). If you could walk a straight line from Rock City to Nashville, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take over two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just about two full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 525 miles [844.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take just over a day, a buggy would take 21 days and walking would take 30 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,390 miles [10,283.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,107 miles [11,437.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,983 miles [8,019.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rock City. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Tennessee: https://www.tn.gov/

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rock City) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rock City. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.2631, Longitude: -86.0530       In this case, the coordinates for Rock City 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 Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's 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 Rock City 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>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.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.
<6>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 Rock City to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.35 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.293 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.353 degrees.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024