Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Potomac, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Potomac and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Potomac
- 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 Potomac:
- 38.340900, -77.413100
- 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 Potomac
- 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:
- eBird sighting report for Stafford County
- Since Potomac is near Fredericksburg City and also Spotsylvania County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Fredericksburg City
- eBird sighting report for Spotsylvania 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 Potomac ...
We found ten communities that share the name Potomac.
There are two communities within Virginia that are also named Potomac.
Beyond Virginia, we know of another eight communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In Virginia ...
- Alexandria City
- Prince William County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Allegany County
- This Potomac is located in Allegany County and lies 114 miles [183.5 km]<2> to the northwest of the Potomac that is located in Stafford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Allegany County community of Potomac.
- Montgomery County
- This Potomac is located in Montgomery County and lies 48 miles [77.2 km] to the north northeast of the Potomac that is located in Stafford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Potomac.
- Montana
- Nevada
- West Virginia
- Mineral 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 West Virginia community of Potomac [Mineral County].
- Ohio County
- This Potomac is located in Ohio County and lies 208 miles [334.7 km]<2> to the northwest of the Potomac that is located in Stafford County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ohio County community of Potomac.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Potomac ...
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.
- Cedar Bluff
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Cedar Bluff is located in Stafford County
- Clearview
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest) - Cranes Corner
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cranes Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranes Corner
- Cranes Corner is located in Stafford County
- Cranewood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Crows Nest Harbor
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crows Nest Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crows Nest Harbor
- Crows Nest Harbor is located in Stafford County
- Deacon Woods
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deacon Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deacon Woods
- Deacon Woods is located in Stafford County
- Deer Forest
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deer Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Forest
- Deer Forest is located in Stafford County
- Fall Run Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fall Run Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall Run Park
- Fall Run Park is located in Stafford County
- Ferry Farm
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Farm have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Farm
- Ferry Farm is located in Stafford County
- Ferry Road
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Road have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Road
- Ferry Road is located in Stafford County
- Fines Corner
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fines Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fines Corner
- Fines Corner is located in Stafford County
- Fredericksburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
- Fredericksburg is located in Fredericksburg City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 29,492 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fredericksburg <5>
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Hazel Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Hill
- Hazel Hill is located in Fredericksburg City
- Heather Hills
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heather Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heather Hills
- Heather Hills is located in Stafford County
- Heritage Commons
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heritage Commons have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Commons
- Heritage Commons is located in Stafford County
- Hickory Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Ridge
- Hickory Ridge is located in Stafford County
- High School Heights
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for High School Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High School Heights
- High School Heights is located in Stafford County
- Hollyridge
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollyridge have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollyridge
- Hollyridge is located in Stafford County
- Little Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Creek
- Little Creek is located in Stafford County
- Little Falls Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Falls Village have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Falls Village
- Little Falls Village is located in Stafford County
- Locust Knolls
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust Knolls have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Knolls
- Locust Knolls is located in Stafford County
- Misty Forest
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Misty Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Misty Forest
- Misty Forest is located in Stafford County
- Ridge Pointe
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridge Pointe have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Pointe
- Ridge Pointe is located in Stafford County
- Sandy Ridge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- Sandy Ridge is located in Stafford County
- Spring Valley
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
- Spring Valley is located in Stafford County
- Stones Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stones Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stones Corner
- Stones Corner is located in Stafford County
- Sycamore Ridge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sycamore Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Ridge
- Sycamore Ridge is located in Stafford County
- Walnut Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walnut Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Hill
- Walnut Hill is located in Stafford County
- Will-More
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Woodlawn
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hazel Hill
How Far From Potomac 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 Potomac to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Potomac once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Potomac and extending to:
- Stafford, which is the Seat of Stafford County, lies just to the North.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 55 miles [88.5 km]<2> to the south (S). If you could walk a straight line from Potomac to Richmond, with an average speed<6> 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 over two days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 43 miles [69.2 km] to the north northeast (NNE). 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<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,937 miles [9,554.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,641 miles [10,687.7 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,518 miles [7,271 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Stafford County: www.co.stafford.va.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
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 Potomac 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- Potomac) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Potomac. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.3409, Longitude: -77.4131 In this case, the coordinates for Potomac have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Potomac, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 Potomac 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 308.144 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.642 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.082 degrees. |