Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Elsa, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Elsa and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Elsa
- 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 Elsa:
- 26.297860, -97.993689
- 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 Elsa
- 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 Elsa is near Cameron County and also Willacy County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Cameron 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
Communities Also Named Elsa ...
We found two communities that share the name Elsa.
Within Texas, the name Elsa is unique.
Beyond Texas, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these two communities, one is located in the United States and the other in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Yukon
- This Elsa lies 3,087 miles [4,968 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Elsa that is located in Hidalgo County.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Elsa ...
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 John
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Catherine
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast) - Delta - Rodger
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delta - Rodger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta - Rodger
- Delta - Rodger is located in Hidalgo County
- Delta - Rodger has also been known as:
- Delta - Rodger Colonia
- Delta West
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delta West have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta West
- Delta West is located in Hidalgo County
- Delta West has also been known as:
- Delta West Colonia
- Evergreen
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Imperial
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west) - Isaacs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Jessups
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Matt
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Sunrise Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunrise Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise Hill
- Sunrise Hill is located in Hidalgo County
- Sunrise Hill has also been known as:
- Sunrise Hill Colonia
- Tower Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tower Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Heights
- Tower Heights is located in Hidalgo County
- Tower Heights has also been known as:
- Tower Heights Colonia
How Far From Elsa 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 city such as Elsa to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Elsa and extending to:
- Edinburg, which is the Seat of Hidalgo County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Elsa to Edinburg, 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.
- Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 274 miles [441 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 1,491 miles [2,399.5 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 7,373 miles [11,865.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,090 miles [13,019.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,965 miles [9,599.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Elsa. 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Elsa) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Elsa. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.2979, Longitude: -97.9937 In this case, the coordinates for Elsa 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 Elsa 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 319.689 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.364 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 315.672 degrees. |