Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Alton North, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Alton North and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Alton North
- 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 Alton North:
- 26.29757, -98.310045
- 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 Alton North
- 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 Hidalgo County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Hidalgo County
- Since Alton North is near Starr County and also Willacy County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Starr County
- eBird sighting report for Willacy 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
Curious and Interesting Names Near Alton North ...
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.
- Blue Rock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Carol
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Citrus City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Citrus City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citrus City
- Citrus City is located in Hidalgo County
- Hill-Top
(Less than 2 miles to the west) - Inspiration Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inspiration Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inspiration Heights
- Inspiration Heights is located in Hidalgo County
- Inspiration Heights has also been known as:
- Inspiration Heights Colonia
- Inspiration Point
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inspiration Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inspiration Point
- Inspiration Point is located in Hidalgo County
- Inspiration Point has also been known as:
- Inspiration Point Colonia
- Kane
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Mission
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission
- Mission is located in Hidalgo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84,496 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mission <2>
- Rush
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Storylane
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Sun Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sun Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Valley
- Sun Valley is located in Hidalgo County
- Sun Valley has also been known as:
- Sun Valley Colonia
How Far From Alton North 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 Alton North to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Alton North and extending to:
- Edinburg, which is the Seat of Hidalgo County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<3> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Alton North to Edinburg, with an average speed<4> 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.
- Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 276 miles [444.2 km] to the north (N). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 11 days and walking would take 16 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,506 miles [2,423.7 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 59 days and walking would take 86 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,385 miles [11,885 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,104 miles [13,042.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,979 miles [9,622.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alton North. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Hidalgo County: www.co.hidalgo.tx.us/
The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Alton North) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alton North. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.2976, Longitude: -98.3100 |
| <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 Alton North to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 319.895 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.608 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 315.799 degrees. |