RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Cameron County >> FM 802-511 Colonia >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in FM 802-511 Colonia, we use the following websites to find information relevant to FM 802-511 Colonia 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 FM 802-511 Colonia:
    • 25.938414, -97.410259
    • 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 FM 802-511 Colonia
  • 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 Cameron County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • eBird sighting report for Cameron County
    • Since FM 802-511 Colonia is near Hidalgo County, we have provided a link to its eBird sighting report:
    • eBird sighting report for Hidalgo 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 FM 802-511 Colonia ...

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.

  • Angel Haven
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Angel Haven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel Haven
    • Angel Haven is located in Cameron County
    • Angel Haven has also been known as:
    • Angel Haven Colonia
  • Clarksville ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarksville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville
    • Clarksville is located in Cameron County
  • Four Corners
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
    • Four Corners is located in Cameron County
  • Graham
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
    • Graham is located in Cameron County
    • Graham has also been known as:
    • Graham Colonia
  • Green Valley Farms
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Valley Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley Farms
    • Green Valley Farms is located in Cameron County
    • Green Valley Farms has also been known as:
    • Green Valley Farms Colonia
  • Holly Beach
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holly Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Beach
    • Holly Beach is located in Cameron County
  • Illinois Heights
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Illinois Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinois Heights
    • Illinois Heights is located in Cameron County
    • Illinois Heights has also been known as:
    • Illinois Heights Colonia
  • Indian Lake
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Lake
    • Indian Lake is located in Cameron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 864 people
  • Jaime Lake
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jaime Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaime Lake
    • Jaime Lake is located in Cameron County
    • Jaime Lake has also been known as:
    • Jaime Lake Colonia
  • Palm Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palm Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palm Grove
    • Palm Grove is located in Cameron County
  • Stardust
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stardust have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stardust
    • Stardust is located in Cameron County
    • Stardust has also been known as:
    • Stardust Colonia

How Far From FM 802-511 Colonia 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 FM 802-511 Colonia to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in FM 802-511 Colonia and extending to:

  • Brownsville, which is the Seat of Cameron County, lies just to the West Southwest.
  • Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 299 miles [481.2 km]<2> to the north (N). If you could drive a straight line from FM 802-511 Colonia to Austin, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 17 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 12 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,481 miles [2,383.4 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 58 days and walking would take 85 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,368 miles [11,857.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,082 miles [13,006.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,958 miles [9,588.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- FM 802-511 Colonia) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in FM 802-511 Colonia. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 25.9384, Longitude: -97.4103       In this case, the coordinates for FM 802-511 Colonia have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 FM 802-511 Colonia 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 319.242 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.787 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 315.455 degrees.