RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Texas >> Hidalgo County >> Sno-Bird Estates >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Sno-Bird Estates, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Sno-Bird Estates 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 Sno-Bird Estates:
    • 26.205351, -98.374183
    • 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 Sno-Bird Estates
  • 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 Sno-Bird Estates is near Starr County, we have provided a link to its eBird sighting report:
    • eBird sighting report for Starr 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 Sno-Bird Estates ...

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
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Rock
    • Blue Rock is located in Hidalgo County
    • Blue Rock has also been known as:
    • Blue Rock Colonia
  • Carol
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carol
    • Carol is located in Hidalgo County
    • Carol has also been known as:
    • Carol Colonia
  • Chihuahua
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chihuahua
    • Chihuahua is located in Hidalgo County
    • Chihuahua has also been known as:
    • Chihuahua Colonia
  • Hill-Top
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill-Top have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill-Top
    • Hill-Top is located in Hidalgo County
    • Hill-Top has also been known as:
    • Hill-Top Colonia
  • Inspiration Heights
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Kane
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kane have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kane
    • Kane is located in Hidalgo County
  • Lakeview
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Lakeview is located in Hidalgo County
    • Lakeview has also been known as:
    • Lakeview Colonia
  • Leslie
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leslie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leslie
    • Leslie is located in Hidalgo County
    • Leslie has also been known as:
    • Leslie Colonia
  • Mission
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Rush
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rush have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush
    • Rush is located in Hidalgo County
    • Rush has also been known as:
    • Rush Colonia
  • Storylane
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Storylane have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storylane
    • Storylane is located in Hidalgo County
    • Storylane has also been known as:
    • Storylane Colonia
  • Sun Valley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • 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 Sno-Bird Estates to ...

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Sno-Bird Estates and extending to:

  • Edinburg, which is the Seat of Hidalgo County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<3> to the east northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Sno-Bird Estates to Edinburg, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
  • Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 283 miles [455.4 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 1,513 miles [2,434.9 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 60 days and walking would take 86 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,393 miles [11,897.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,111 miles [13,053.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,986 miles [9,633.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sno-Bird Estates) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sno-Bird Estates. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 26.2054, Longitude: -98.3742       In this case, the coordinates for Sno-Bird Estates have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Sno-Bird Estates 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 319.918 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.625 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 315.829 degrees.