Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in The Plains, we use the following websites to find information relevant to The Plains and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for The Plains
- 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 Plains:
- 38.862125, -77.774225
- 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.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on The Plains
- 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 Fauquier County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Fauquier County
- Since The Plains is near Prince William County and also Loudoun County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Prince William County
- eBird sighting report for Loudoun 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:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named The Plains ...
We found 21 communities that share the name The Plains.
Within Virginia, the name The Plains is unique.
Beyond Virginia, we know of another 21 communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Madera County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the California community of The Plains [Madera County].
- Florida
- Highlands County
- This The Plains is located in Highlands County and lies 814 miles [1,310 km]<2> to the south southwest of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Highlands County community of The Plains.
- Georgia
- Cobb County
- This The Plains is located in Cobb County and lies 499 miles [803.1 km]<2> to the southwest of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cobb County community of The Plains.
- Sumter County
- This The Plains is located in Sumter County and lies 600 miles [965.6 km] to the southwest of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sumter County community of The Plains.
- Kansas
- Meade County
- This The Plains is located in Meade County and lies 1,242 miles [1,998.8 km]<2> to the west of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Meade County community of The Plains.
- Kentucky
- Breckinridge 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 Kentucky community of The Plains [Breckinridge County].
- Louisiana
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- This The Plains is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and lies 946 miles [1,522.4 km]<2> to the west southwest of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the East Baton Rouge Parish community of The Plains.
- Maryland
- Caroline County
- This The Plains is located in Caroline County and lies 101 miles [162.5 km]<2> to the east of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Caroline County community of The Plains.
- Charles County
- This The Plains is located in Charles County and lies 56 miles [90.1 km] to the east southeast of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charles County community of The Plains.
- Massachusetts
- Nantucket County
- This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Massachusetts community of The Plains [Nantucket County].
- Michigan
- Marquette County
- This The Plains is located in Marquette County and lies 709 miles [1,141 km]<2> to the northwest of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marquette County community of The Plains.
- Montana
- Sanders County
- This The Plains is located in Sanders County and lies 1,940 miles [3,122.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sanders County community of The Plains.
- New Hampshire
- Belknap County
- This The Plains is located in Belknap County and lies 453 miles [729 km]<2> to the northeast of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Belknap County community of The Plains.
- New Jersey
- Sussex County
- This The Plains is located in Sussex County and lies 226 miles [363.7 km]<2> to the northeast of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of The Plains.
- New York
- Oneida 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 New York community of The Plains [Oneida County].
- Washington County
- This The Plains is located in Washington County and lies 369 miles [593.8 km]<2> to the northeast of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of The Plains.
- Ohio
- Athens County
- This The Plains is located in Athens County and lies 236 miles [379.8 km]<2> to the west of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Athens County community of The Plains.
- Pennsylvania
- Luzerne County
- This The Plains is located in Luzerne County and lies 195 miles [313.8 km]<2> to the north northeast of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Luzerne County community of The Plains.
- South Carolina
- Chesterfield 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 South Carolina community of The Plains [Chesterfield County].
- Texas
- Borden County
- This The Plains is located in Borden County and lies 1,392 miles [2,240.2 km]<2> to the west of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Borden County community of The Plains.
- Yoakum County
- This The Plains is located in Yoakum County and lies 1,447 miles [2,328.7 km] to the west of the The Plains that is located in Fauquier County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Yoakum County community of The Plains.
- California
Curious and Interesting Names Near The Plains ...
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.
- Edwardsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edwardsville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Edwardsville is located in Fauquier County
- Evergreen Farms
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Farms
- Evergreen Farms is located in Prince William County
- Frogtown
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Halfway
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north) - Hopewell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Little Georgetown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Little Georgetown is located in Fauquier County
- Marshall
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
- Marshall is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marshall <5>
- Meadowville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowville
- Meadowville is located in Fauquier County
- Old Tavern
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Tavern have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Tavern
- Old Tavern is located in Fauquier County
- Pilgrims Rest
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pilgrims Rest have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrims Rest
- Pilgrims Rest is located in Fauquier County
- Rock Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Waterfall
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Waterfall Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterfall Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterfall Village
- Waterfall Village is located in Prince William County
How Far From The Plains 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 town such as The Plains to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in The Plains and extending to:
- Warrenton, which is the Seat of Fauquier County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<2> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from The Plains to Warrenton, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 92 miles [148.1 km] to the south (S). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 6 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 39 miles [62.8 km] to the east (E). Driving would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take over two days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,930 miles [9,543.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,637 miles [10,681.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,513 miles [7,263 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for The Plains. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Fauquier County: www.fauquiercounty.gov/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Plains, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 drawn from Point A (ie- The Plains) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in The Plains. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.8621, Longitude: -77.7742 |
| <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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 The Plains 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> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Plains to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.327 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.931 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.038 degrees. |