RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Roanoke County >> Holly Ridge >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Holly Ridge, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Holly Ridge 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 Holly Ridge:
    • 37.196525, -80.063094
    • 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 Holly Ridge
  • 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 Roanoke County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Roanoke County
    • Since Holly Ridge is near Roanoke City and also Salem City, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Roanoke City
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Salem 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 Holly Ridge

Communities Also Named Holly Ridge ...

We found nine communities that are also named Holly Ridge.

There is one other community in Virginia that is also named Holly Ridge.

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

  • Communities Located In Virginia ...
    • Hanover County
      • This Holly Ridge is located in Hanover County and lies 149 miles [239.8 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Holly Ridge that is located in Roanoke County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hanover County community of Holly Ridge.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Delaware
      • Sussex County
      • This Holly Ridge is located in Sussex County and lies 287 miles [461.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Holly Ridge that is located in Roanoke County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of Holly Ridge.
    • Louisiana
      • Bossier Parish
      • This Holly Ridge is located in Bossier Parish and lies 830 miles [1,335.8 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Holly Ridge that is located in Roanoke County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bossier Parish community of Holly Ridge.
      • Richland Parish
      • This Holly Ridge is located in Richland Parish and lies 731 miles [1,176.4 km] to the west southwest of the Holly Ridge that is located in Roanoke County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Richland Parish community of Holly Ridge.
      • Tensas Parish
      • This Holly Ridge is located in Tensas Parish and lies 744 miles [1,197.4 km] to the west southwest of the Holly Ridge that is located in Roanoke County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tensas Parish community of Holly Ridge.
    • Mississippi
      • Sunflower County
      • This Holly Ridge is located in Sunflower County and lies 655 miles [1,054.1 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Holly Ridge that is located in Roanoke County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sunflower County community of Holly Ridge.
      • Washington County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Mississippi community of Holly Ridge [Washington County].
    • North Carolina
      • Onslow County
      • This Holly Ridge is located in Onslow County and lies 234 miles [376.6 km]<1> to the southeast of the Holly Ridge that is located in Roanoke County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Onslow County community of Holly Ridge.
    • South Carolina
      • Colleton County
      • This Holly Ridge is located in Colleton County and lies 287 miles [461.9 km]<1> to the south of the Holly Ridge that is located in Roanoke County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Colleton County community of Holly Ridge.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Holly Ridge ...

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.

  • Airpoint
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Airpoint is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airpoint
  • Castle Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Castle Hill is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Hill
  • Castle Rock
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Castle Rock is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Rock
  • Cave Spring
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
  • Crescent Heights
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Crescent Heights is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent Heights
  • Crest Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Crest Hill is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crest Hill
  • Green Valley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Green Valley is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
  • Hickory Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Hickory Hill is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
  • Hidden Valley Court
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Hidden Valley Court is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Valley Court
  • Highfields
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Highfields is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highfields
  • Homeplace
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Homeplace is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeplace
  • Homewood
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Homewood is located in Roanoke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Kings Forest
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Kings Forest is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Forest
    • Luther Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Luther Park is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther Park
    • Meadowlark
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Meadowlark is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowlark
    • Rosecrest
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosecrest is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosecrest
    • Scenic Hills
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Scenic Hills is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scenic Hills
    • Springlawn
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Springlawn is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springlawn
    • Sugar Loaf Farms
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sugar Loaf Farms is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Loaf Farms
    • Sugar Loaf Highlands
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Sugar Loaf Highlands is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Loaf Highlands
    • Sugar Loaf Hills
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Sugar Loaf Hills is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Loaf Hills
    • Sunset Hills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Sunset Hills is located in Roanoke City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Hills
    • Woods Crossing
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Woods Crossing is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Crossing

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

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

  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 146 miles [235 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Holly Ridge to Richmond, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 9 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 202 miles [325.1 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 12 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,099 miles [9,815.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,805 miles [10,951.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,682 miles [7,534.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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- Holly Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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 Holly Ridge 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.
<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 Holly Ridge 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 Holly Ridge. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1965, Longitude: -80.0631       In this case, the coordinates for Holly Ridge have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.746 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.297 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.577 degrees.