RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Caroline County >> Bagdad >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Bagdad, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Bagdad 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 Bagdad:
    • 37.905417, -77.423315
    • 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.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Bagdad
  • 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 Caroline County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Caroline County
    • Since Bagdad is near Hanover County and also King William County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Hanover County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for King William 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Bagdad

Communities Also Named Bagdad ...

We found nineteen communities that are also named Bagdad.

Within Virginia, the name Bagdad is unique.

Beyond Virginia, we know of eighteen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these eighteen communities, seventeen are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

In addition to the above occurrences of Bagdad, we know of another community located outside of the United States and Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Arizona
      • Yavapai County
      • This Bagdad is located in Yavapai County and lies 1,992 miles [3,205.8 km]<1> to the west of the Bagdad that is located in Caroline County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yavapai County community of Bagdad.
    • California
      • San Bernardino County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of Bagdad [San Bernardino County].
    • Colorado
      • Lincoln County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Bagdad [Lincoln County].
    • Florida
      • Santa Rosa County
      • This Bagdad is located in Santa Rosa County and lies 744 miles [1,197.4 km]<1> to the southwest of the Bagdad that is located in Caroline County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Santa Rosa County community of Bagdad.
    • Kansas
      • Coffey County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in Coffey County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Coffey County community of Bagdad.
    • Kentucky
      • Shelby County
      • This Bagdad is located in Shelby County and lies 415 miles [667.9 km]<1> to the west of the Bagdad that is located in Caroline County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shelby County community of Bagdad.
    • Louisiana
      • Grant Parish
      • This Bagdad is located in Grant Parish and lies 967 miles [1,556.2 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Bagdad that is located in Caroline County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grant Parish community of Bagdad.
    • Michigan
      • Marquette County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Michigan community of Bagdad [Marquette County].
    • New Brunswick
      • This Bagdad lies 810 miles [1,303.6 km]<1> to the northeast of the Bagdad that is located in Caroline County.
    • New York
      • Erie County
      • This Bagdad is located in Erie County and lies 325 miles [523 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Bagdad that is located in Caroline County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Erie County community of Bagdad.
    • Ohio
      • Medina County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in Medina County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Medina County community of Bagdad.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Erie County
      • This Bagdad is located in Erie County and lies 311 miles [500.5 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Bagdad that is located in Caroline County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Erie County community of Bagdad.
      • Westmoreland County
      • This Bagdad is located in Westmoreland County and lies 223 miles [358.9 km] to the north northwest of the Bagdad that is located in Caroline County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Westmoreland County community of Bagdad.
    • South Carolina
      • York County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the South Carolina community of Bagdad [York County].
    • Tennessee
      • Jackson County
      • This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Bagdad [Jackson County].
      • Smith County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Bagdad [Smith County].
    • Texas
      • Taylor County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Texas community of Bagdad [Taylor County].
    • Washington
      • Lincoln County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in Lincoln County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lincoln County community of Bagdad.
  • Communities Beyond North America ...
    • Australia
      • Distance: 10,081 miles [16,223.8 km]<1> to the west southwest
      • Open a Google Map centered on Bagdad

Curious and Interesting Names Near Bagdad ...

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.

  • Bowersville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bowersville is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowersville
  • Cedar Fork
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedar Fork is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Fork
  • Edgar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Edgar is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgar
  • Gum Tree
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Gum Tree is located in Hanover County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Tree
  • Hart Corner
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hart Corner is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hart Corner
  • Houstons Corner
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Houstons Corner is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houstons Corner
  • Kidds Fork
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Kidds Fork is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kidds Fork
  • Little River Crossing
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • McDuff
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • McDuff is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDuff
  • Oliver
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Oliver is located in Hanover County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliver
  • Poplar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Poplar is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar
  • Reedy Mill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Reedy Mill is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedy Mill
  • Signboard
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Signboard is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Signboard
  • Swans Corner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Swans Corner is located in Caroline County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swans Corner

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

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

  • Bowling Green, which is the Seat of Caroline County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Bagdad to Bowling Green, with an average speed<4> 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.
  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 25 miles [40.2 km] to the south (S). The buggy would take most of a day and walking would take just about two full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 71 miles [114.3 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take 4 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,956 miles [9,585.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,658 miles [10,715 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,536 miles [7,300 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

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- Bagdad) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Bagdad, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer.

Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name.

Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time.

Also keep in mind that Bagdad could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out.
<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 Bagdad to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bagdad. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.9054, Longitude: -77.4233       In this case, the coordinates for Bagdad have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.173 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.609 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.248 degrees.