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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Burke, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Burke 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 Burke:
    • 38.794969, -77.273368
    • 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 Burke
  • 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 Fairfax County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Fairfax County
    • Since Burke is near Fairfax City and also Alexandria City, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Fairfax City
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Alexandria 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 Burke

Communities Also Named Burke ...

We found thirteen communities that are also named Burke.

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

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

  • Communities Located In Virginia ...
    • Botetourt 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 Burke [Botetourt County].
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • California
      • Los Angeles 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 California community of Burke [Los Angeles County].
    • Georgia
      • Lee 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 Georgia community of Burke [Lee County].
    • Idaho
      • Shoshone County
      • This Burke is located in Shoshone County and lies 2,009 miles [3,233.2 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shoshone County community of Burke.
    • Illinois
      • Carroll County
      • This Burke is located in Carroll County and lies 706 miles [1,136.2 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carroll County community of Burke.
    • Kentucky
      • Elliott County
      • This Burke is located in Elliott County and lies 315 miles [506.9 km]<2> to the west of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Elliott County community of Burke.
    • Louisiana
      • Iberia Parish
      • This Burke is located in Iberia Parish and lies 1,025 miles [1,649.6 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Iberia Parish community of Burke.
    • New York
      • Franklin County
      • This Burke is located in Franklin County and lies 450 miles [724.2 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Burke.
    • South Dakota
      • Gregory County
      • This Burke is located in Gregory County and lies 1,183 miles [1,903.9 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gregory County community of Burke.
    • Tennessee
      • Cumberland County
      • This Burke is located in Cumberland County and lies 473 miles [761.2 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cumberland County community of Burke.
    • Texas
      • Angelina County
      • This Burke is located in Angelina County and lies 1,116 miles [1,796 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Angelina County community of Burke.
    • Vermont
      • Caledonia County
      • This Burke is located in Caledonia County and lies 486 miles [782.1 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Caledonia County community of Burke.
    • Wisconsin
      • Dane County
      • This Burke is located in Dane County and lies 693 miles [1,115.3 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Burke that is located in Fairfax County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dane County community of Burke.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Burke ...

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 Oaks
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Blue Oaks is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Oaks
  • Butts Corner
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Butts Corner is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butts Corner
  • Camelot
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Camelot is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelot
  • Chestnut Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Chestnut Hill is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
  • Donovans Corner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Donovans Corner is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donovans Corner
  • Doveville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Doveville is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doveville
  • Fair Oaks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Fair Oaks is located in Fairfax City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
  • Five Forks
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Five Forks is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
  • Green Acres
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Acres is located in Fairfax City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
  • Holly Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Holly Park is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Park
  • Homewood
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Homewood is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
  • Hunts Village
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Hunts Village is located in Fairfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunts Village
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Kings Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Kings Park is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Park
    • Lee Forest
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Lee Forest is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Forest
    • Lee Meadows
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Lee Meadows is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Meadows
    • Little River Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Little River Hills is located in Fairfax City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River Hills
    • Maple Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Maple Hills is located in Fairfax City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hills
    • Red Fox Forest
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Red Fox Forest is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Fox Forest
    • Sideburn
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Station Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Station Hills is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Station Hills
    • Willow Woods
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Willow Woods is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Woods

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

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

  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 86 miles [138.4 km]<2> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Burke to Richmond, with an average speed<3>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 14 miles [22.5 km] to the east northeast (ENE). The buggy would take four to five hours and walking would take most of a day.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,912 miles [9,514.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,617 miles [10,649 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,494 miles [7,232.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'

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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock Creek 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 Burke 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Burke) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Burke 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 Burke. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.7950, Longitude: -77.2734    
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.035 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.589 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.853 degrees.