Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Americana, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Americana and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Americana
- 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 Americana:
- 26.359236, -98.139176
- 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 Americana
- 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 Americana is near Willacy County and also Cameron County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Willacy County
- eBird sighting report for Cameron 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 Americana ...
We found one communities that share the name Americana.
Within Texas, the name Americana is unique.
Beyond Texas, there is another community also named Americana in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
Curious and Interesting Names Near Americana ...
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.
- Cottonwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cottonwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
- Cottonwood is located in Hidalgo County
- Cottonwood has also been known as:
- Cottonwood Colonia
- Lull
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Meadow Lands
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Lands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Lands
- Meadow Lands is located in Hidalgo County
- Meadow Lands has also been known as:
- Meadow Lands Colonia
- Merrill
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast) - Sandy Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- Sandy Ridge is located in Hidalgo County
- Sandy Ridge has also been known as:
- Sandy Ridge Colonia
- Seminary Village
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seminary Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seminary Village
- Seminary Village is located in Hidalgo County
- Seminary Village has also been known as:
- Seminary Village Colonia
- Spring Gardens
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Gardens
- Spring Gardens is located in Hidalgo County
- Spring Gardens has also been known as:
- Spring Gardens Colonia
- Summerwood
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summerwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerwood
- Summerwood is located in Hidalgo County
- Summerwood has also been known as:
- Summerwood Colonia
- Twin Lake
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
How Far From Americana 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 Americana to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Americana and extending to:
- Edinburg, which is the Seat of Hidalgo County, lies just to the South Southwest.
- Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 270 miles [434.5 km]<1> to the north (N). If you could drive a straight line from Americana to Austin, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 16 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 11 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,495 miles [2,406 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 59 days and walking would take 85 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,375 miles [11,868.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,093 miles [13,024.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,969 miles [9,606.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Americana. 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Americana) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Americana. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.3592, Longitude: -98.1392 In this case, the coordinates for Americana 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 Americana 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 319.795 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.498 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 315.728 degrees. |