Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Preston, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Preston and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Preston
- 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 Preston:
- 36.657935, -79.979894
- 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 Preston
- 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 Henry County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Henry County
- Since Preston is near Martinsville City and also Patrick County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Martinsville City
- eBird sighting report for Patrick 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 Preston ...
We found 46 communities that share the name Preston.
There is one other community in Virginia which is also named Preston.
Beyond Virginia, we know of another 45 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 45 communities, 43 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Located In Virginia ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Finney 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 Preston [Finney County].
- Pratt County
- This Preston is located in Pratt County and lies 1,022 miles [1,644.7 km]<2> to the west of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pratt County community of Preston.
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Caddo Parish
- This Preston is located in Caddo Parish and lies 846 miles [1,361.5 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Caddo Parish community of Preston.
- De Soto Parish
- 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 Louisiana community of Preston [De Soto Parish].
- Manitoba
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Hickory County
- This Preston is located in Hickory County and lies 731 miles [1,176.4 km]<2> to the west of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hickory County community of Preston.
- Jasper County
- This Preston is located in Jasper County and lies 795 miles [1,279.4 km] to the west of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jasper County community of Preston.
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nova Scotia
- We haven't found the location of this community yet.
- Ohio
- Hamilton 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 Ohio community of Preston [Hamilton County].
- Muskingum County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Muskingum County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Muskingum County community of Preston.
- Oklahoma
- Beaver 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 Oklahoma community of Preston [Beaver County].
- Okmulgee County
- This Preston is located in Okmulgee County and lies 893 miles [1,437.1 km]<2> to the west of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Okmulgee County community of Preston.
- Ontario
- This Preston lies 465 miles [748.3 km]<2> to the north of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- Pennsylvania
- Luzerne County
- This Preston is located in Luzerne County and lies 382 miles [614.8 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Luzerne County community of Preston.
- McKean County
- This Preston is located in McKean County and lies 352 miles [566.5 km] to the north of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the McKean County community of Preston.
- Wayne 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 Preston [Wayne County].
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Hardin 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 Tennessee community of Preston [Hardin County].
- Knox County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Preston [Knox County].
- Texas
- Dallas 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 Texas community of Preston [Dallas County].
- Grayson County
- This Preston is located in Grayson County and lies 957 miles [1,540.1 km]<2> to the west of the Preston that is located in Henry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grayson County community of Preston.
- Wharton County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Wharton County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wharton County community of Preston.
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Preston ...
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.
- Blackberry
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackberry have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackberry
- Blackberry is located in Henry County
- Chestnut Knob
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Knob have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Knob
- Chestnut Knob is located in Henry County
- Craig
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest) - Grassy Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grassy Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
- Grassy Creek is located in Henry County
- Hill Top
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east) - Horse Pasture
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Pasture
- Horse Pasture is located in Henry County
- Jones Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Creek
- Jones Creek is located in Martinsville City
- Marrowbone Heights
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marrowbone Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marrowbone Heights
- Marrowbone Heights is located in Henry County
- Martinsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Martinsville is located in Martinsville City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,355 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Martinsville <5>
- Pleasant Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Pleasant Grove is located in Henry County
- Rock Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north) - Stanleytown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanleytown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanleytown
- Stanleytown is located in Henry County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanleytown <5>
How Far From Preston 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 Preston to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Preston and extending to:
- Collinsville, which is the Seat of Henry County, lies just to the Northeast.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 152 miles [244.6 km]<2> to the east northeast (ENE). If you could drive a straight line from Preston to Richmond, with an average speed<6>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 222 miles [357.3 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 13 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,119 miles [9,847.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,822 miles [10,978.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,700 miles [7,563.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Preston. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Henry County: www.co.henry.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 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 Preston 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Preston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Preston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.6579, Longitude: -79.9799 |
| <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 Preston, 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 Preston 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 309.708 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.174 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.718 degrees. |