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A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Payson, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Payson and the surrounding area.

  • 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 Payson:
    • 40.038458, -111.73243
    • 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 Payson
  • 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 Payson ...

We found three communities that share the name Payson.

Within Utah, the name Payson is unique.

Beyond Utah, we know of another three communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Arizona
      • Gila County
      • This Payson is located in Gila County and lies 400 miles [643.7 km]<1> to the south of the Payson that is located in Utah County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gila County community of Payson.
    • Illinois
      • Adams County
      • This Payson is located in Adams County and lies 1,082 miles [1,741.3 km]<1> to the east of the Payson that is located in Utah County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of Payson.
    • Oklahoma
      • Lincoln County
      • This Payson is located in Lincoln County and lies 867 miles [1,395.3 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Payson that is located in Utah County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lincoln County community of Payson.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Payson ...

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.

  • Benjamin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benjamin
    • Benjamin is located in Utah County
  • Birdseye
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdseye
    • Birdseye is located in Utah County
    • Former names for Birdseye:
    • Clinton
    • Summit Basin
  • Covered Bridge Canyon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Elk Ridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Ridge
    • Elk Ridge is located in Utah County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,427 people
  • Lake Shore
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shore
    • Lake Shore is located in Utah County
  • Lewis
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis
    • Lewis is located in Utah County
  • Rocky Ridge
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ridge
    • Rocky Ridge is located in Juab County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
  • Spanish Fork
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Fork
    • Spanish Fork is located in Utah County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 41,268 people
    • Spanish Fork has also been known as:
    • Spanish Fork City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spanish Fork <3>
  • Thistle ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thistle
    • Thistle is located in Utah County

How Far From Payson 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 city such as Payson to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Payson and extending to:

  • Provo, which is the Seat of Utah County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Payson to Provo, 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.
  • Salt Lake City, which is the State Capital of Utah, lies 50 miles [80.5 km] to the north (N). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take most of two days and walking would take most of three days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,839 miles [2,959.6 km] to the east (E). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 72 days and walking would take 105 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,038 miles [11,326.6 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,806 miles [12,562.5 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,780 miles [9,302 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

The official website for Payson: www.payson.org/

The official website for Utah County: www.co.utah.ut.us/

The official website for State of Utah: https://www.utah.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Payson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Payson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.0385, Longitude: -111.7324    
<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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Payson 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 331.729 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 331.193 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 321.727 degrees.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 10 Mar 2024