RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Stafford County >> The Falls >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

  • Weather ...
  • 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 The Falls:
    • 38.414000, -77.498800
    • 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 The Falls
  • 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 Stafford County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Stafford County
    • Since The Falls is near Fredericksburg City and also Fauquier County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Fredericksburg City
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Fauquier 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 The Falls

Communities Also Named The Falls ...

We found seventeen communities that are also named The Falls.

There is one other community in Virginia that is also named The Falls.

Beyond Virginia, we know of sixteen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these sixteen communities, fifteen are located in the United States and two are in Canada.

  • Communities Located In Virginia ...
    • Nottoway 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 The Falls [Nottoway County].
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alaska
      • This The Falls lies 3,359 miles [5,405.8 km]<2> to the northwest of the The Falls that is located in Stafford County.
    • British Columbia
      • This The Falls lies 2,362 miles [3,801.3 km]<2> to the northwest of the The Falls that is located in Stafford County.
    • Georgia
      • Hall County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Hall County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hall County community of The Falls.
    • Idaho
      • Washington 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 Idaho community of The Falls [Washington County].
    • Kansas
      • Sumner 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 Kansas community of The Falls [Sumner County].
    • Maine
      • Hancock 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 Maine community of The Falls [Hancock County].
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore County
      • This The Falls is located in Baltimore County and lies 80 miles [128.7 km]<2> to the north northeast of the The Falls that is located in Stafford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Baltimore County community of The Falls.
    • Massachusetts
      • Hampshire 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 Massachusetts community of The Falls [Hampshire County].
    • Michigan
      • Ontonagon 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 Michigan community of The Falls [Ontonagon County].
    • New York
      • Niagara 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 New York community of The Falls [Niagara County].
      • Tompkins County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the New York community of The Falls [Tompkins County].
    • North Carolina
      • Wake County
      • This The Falls is located in Wake County and lies 180 miles [289.7 km]<2> to the south southwest of the The Falls that is located in Stafford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wake County community of The Falls.
    • Nova Scotia
      • This The Falls lies 884 miles [1,422.7 km]<2> to the northeast of the The Falls that is located in Stafford County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia 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 Pennsylvania community of The Falls [Philadelphia County].
      • Wyoming County
      • This The Falls is located in Wyoming County and lies 227 miles [365.3 km]<2> to the north northeast of the The Falls that is located in Stafford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wyoming County community of The Falls.
    • West Virginia
      • Grant County
      • This The Falls is located in Grant County and lies 101 miles [162.5 km]<2> to the west northwest of the The Falls that is located in Stafford County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grant County community of The Falls.

Curious and Interesting Names Near The Falls ...

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.

  • Apple Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Apple Grove is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
  • Chapel View
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Chapel View is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel View
  • Cranes Corner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cranes Corner is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranes Corner
  • Cranewood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cranewood is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranewood
  • Diamond Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Diamond Park is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Park
  • Elizabeth Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Elizabeth Park is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth Park
  • England Run
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • England Run is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for England Run
  • English Hills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • English Hills is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Hills
  • Heartland Ridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Heartland Ridge is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartland Ridge
  • Heritage Commons
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Heritage Commons is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Commons
  • Heritage Oaks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Heritage Oaks is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Oaks
  • Hunters Pond
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Hunters Pond is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Pond
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Ivyglen
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Ivyglen is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivyglen
    • Locust Knolls
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Locust Knolls is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Knolls
    • Long Branch
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Long Branch is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
    • Old Homestead
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Old Homestead is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Homestead
    • Park Ridge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Park Ridge is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Ridge
    • Peach Lawn
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Peach Lawn is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peach Lawn
    • Peacock Station
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Peacock Station is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peacock Station
    • Peppermint Forest
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Peppermint Forest is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peppermint Forest
    • Rolling Meadows
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Rolling Meadows is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Meadows
    • Rosedale
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Rosedale is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
    • Roseville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Roseville is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
    • Roseville Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Roseville Heights is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville Heights
    • Seven Lakes
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Seven Lakes is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Lakes
    • Skidmore Corner
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Skidmore Corner is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skidmore Corner

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

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

  • Stafford, which is the Seat of Stafford County, lies just to the East.
  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 60 miles [96.6 km]<2> to the south (S). If you could walk a straight line from The Falls to Richmond, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of three days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take about three full days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 41 miles [66 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take about three full days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,938 miles [9,556.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,642 miles [10,689.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,519 miles [7,272.6 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 The Falls 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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- The Falls) 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 The Falls, 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 The Falls 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 The Falls. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.4140, Longitude: -77.4988       In this case, the coordinates for The Falls have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.19 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.706 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.091 degrees.