RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Prince William County >> Bristow >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Bristow, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Bristow 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 Bristow:
    • 38.732805, -77.545714
    • 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 Bristow
  • 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 Prince William County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Prince William County
    • Since Bristow is near Manassas City and also Manassas Park City, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Manassas City
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Manassas Park City
  • 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 Bristow

Communities Also Named Bristow ...

We found fourteen communities that are also named Bristow.

There is one other community in Virginia that is also named Bristow.

Beyond Virginia, we know of thirteen communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Located In Virginia ...
    • Fairfax County
      • This Bristow is located in Fairfax County and lies 18 miles [29 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fairfax County community of Bristow.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Cherokee County
      • This Bristow is located in Cherokee County and lies 553 miles [890 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cherokee County community of Bristow.
    • Indiana
      • Perry County
      • This Bristow is located in Perry County and lies 497 miles [799.8 km]<1> to the west of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Perry County community of Bristow.
    • Iowa
      • Butler County
      • This Bristow is located in Butler County and lies 849 miles [1,366.3 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Butler County community of Bristow.
    • Kansas
      • Osborne County
      • This community is historic<2> and although located in Osborne County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Osborne County community of Bristow.
    • Kentucky
      • Warren County
      • This Bristow is located in Warren County and lies 494 miles [795 km]<1> to the west of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Warren County community of Bristow.
    • Mississippi
      • Monroe County
      • This Bristow is located in Monroe County and lies 683 miles [1,099.2 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Bristow.
    • Missouri
      • Vernon County
      • This Bristow is located in Vernon County and lies 907 miles [1,459.7 km]<1> to the west of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Vernon County community of Bristow.
    • Nebraska
      • Boyd County
      • This Bristow is located in Boyd County and lies 1,132 miles [1,821.8 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Boyd County community of Bristow.
    • North Carolina
      • Mecklenburg 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 North Carolina community of Bristow [Mecklenburg County].
    • Oklahoma
      • Creek County
      • This Bristow is located in Creek County and lies 1,052 miles [1,693 km]<1> to the west of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Creek County community of Bristow.
    • South Carolina
      • Marlboro County
      • This Bristow is located in Marlboro County and lies 319 miles [513.4 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Bristow that is located in Prince William County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marlboro County community of Bristow.
    • Tennessee
      • Benton 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 Bristow [Benton County].
    • Wisconsin
      • Vernon 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 Wisconsin community of Bristow [Vernon County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Bristow ...

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.

  • Bloom Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Bloom Hill is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloom Hill
  • Bull Run
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Bull Run is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull Run
  • Camelot
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Camelot is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelot
  • Cedar Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cedar Park is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Park
  • Clover Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Clover Hill is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Hill
  • Country Scene
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Country Scene is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Scene
  • Coverstone
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Coverstone is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coverstone
  • Foxridge
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Foxridge is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxridge
  • Greenwich
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Greenwich is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
  • Hunters Square
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Hunters Square is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Square
  • Iron Gate
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Iron Gate is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
  • Kings Crossroads
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kings Crossroads is located in Prince William County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Crossroads
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Lakeview
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakeview is located in Prince William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Longview
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Longview is located in Prince William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
    • Rocky Run
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Rocky Run is located in Prince William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Run
    • Twin Oaks
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Twin Oaks is located in Prince William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Oaks
    • Windy Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Windy Hill is located in Prince William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy Hill
    • Woodlawn Farms
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Woodlawn Farms is located in Prince William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Farms
    • Woodlawn Meadows
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Woodlawn Meadows is located in Prince William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Meadows

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

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

  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 82 miles [132 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Bristow to Richmond, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 5 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). The buggy would take just over a day and walking would take just about two full days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,926 miles [9,537 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,632 miles [10,673.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,508 miles [7,254.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Bristow) 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 Bristow, 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 Bristow 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 Bristow 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 Bristow. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.7328, Longitude: -77.5457    
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.20 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.766 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.991 degrees.