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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Buford, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Buford 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 Buford:
    • 36.566805, -79.546139
    • 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 Buford
  • 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 Pittsylvania County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Pittsylvania County
    • Since Buford is near Rockingham County and also Danville City, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Rockingham County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Danville 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 Buford

Communities Also Named Buford ...

We found fifteen communities that are also named Buford.

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

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

  • Communities Located In Virginia ...
    • Nelson County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Virginia community of Buford [Nelson County].
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Etowah County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Buford [Etowah County].
    • Alberta
      • This Buford lies 2,007 miles [3,230 km]<2> to the northwest of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
    • Arkansas
      • Baxter County
      • This Buford is located in Baxter County and lies 715 miles [1,150.7 km]<2> to the west of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Baxter County community of Buford.
    • Colorado
      • Rio Blanco County
      • This Buford is located in Rio Blanco County and lies 1,533 miles [2,467.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rio Blanco County community of Buford.
    • Georgia
      • Gwinnett County
      • This Buford is located in Gwinnett County and lies 302 miles [486 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gwinnett County community of Buford.
    • Kentucky
      • Ohio County
      • This Buford is located in Ohio County and lies 415 miles [667.9 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ohio County community of Buford.
    • Mississippi
      • Marion County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Mississippi community of Buford [Marion County].
    • Montana
      • Mineral County
      • This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Montana community of Buford [Mineral County].
    • North Dakota
      • Williams County
      • This Buford is located in Williams County and lies 1,467 miles [2,360.9 km]<2> to the northwest of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Williams County community of Buford.
    • Ohio
      • Highland County
      • This Buford is located in Highland County and lies 291 miles [468.3 km]<2> to the northwest of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Highland County community of Buford.
    • South Carolina
      • Lancaster County
      • This Buford is located in Lancaster County and lies 139 miles [223.7 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lancaster County community of Buford.
    • Texas
      • El Paso County
      • This Buford is located in El Paso County and lies 1,560 miles [2,510.6 km]<2> to the west of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the El Paso County community of Buford.
      • Mitchell County
      • This Buford is located in Mitchell County and lies 1,242 miles [1,998.8 km] to the west of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mitchell County community of Buford.
    • Wyoming
      • Albany County
      • This Buford is located in Albany County and lies 1,414 miles [2,275.6 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Buford that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Albany County community of Buford.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Buford ...

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.

  • Berry Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Berry Hill is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry Hill
  • Cascade
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Cascade is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
  • Cedar Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Cedar Park is located in Danville City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Park
  • Dan River ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dan River is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dan River
  • Happy Home
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Happy Home is located in Rockingham County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy Home
  • Hickory Grove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hickory Grove is located in Rockingham County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
  • Leaksville Junction
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Leaksville Junction is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaksville Junction
  • Mount Cross
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Cross is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cross
  • Olde Hunting Hills
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Olde Hunting Hills is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olde Hunting Hills
  • Sandy Shores
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Sandy Shores is located in Danville City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Shores
  • Stokesland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Stokesland is located in Danville City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokesland
  • Stony Mill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Stony Mill is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Mill

How Far From Buford to ...

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

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

  • Chatham, which is the Seat of Pittsylvania County, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<2> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Buford to Chatham, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 hours.
  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 134 miles [215.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 8 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 211 miles [339.6 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 12 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,105 miles [9,825 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,806 miles [10,953.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,685 miles [7,539.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Buford 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.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Buford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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 Buford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 Buford 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 Buford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.5668, Longitude: -79.5461       In this case, the coordinates for Buford have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.457 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.873 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.573 degrees.