Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Thomas, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Thomas and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Thomas
- 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 Thomas:
- 37.345109, -82.167914
- 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 Thomas
- 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 Buchanan County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Buchanan County
- Since Thomas is near Pike County and also Dickenson County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Pike County
- eBird sighting report for Dickenson 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 Thomas ...
We found 37 communities that share the name Thomas.
Within Virginia, the name Thomas is unique.
Beyond Virginia, we know of another 37 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 37 communities, 36 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Bureau County
- This Thomas is located in Bureau County and lies 498 miles [801.5 km]<1> to the northwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bureau County community of Thomas.
- Vermilion County
- This Thomas is located in Vermilion County and lies 353 miles [568.1 km] to the northwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Vermilion County community of Thomas.
- Indiana
- Davies's County
- This Thomas is located in Davies's County and lies 289 miles [465.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Davies's County community of Thomas.
- Warren 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 Indiana community of Thomas [Warren County].
- Kansas
- Barton 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 Kansas community of Thomas [Barton County].
- Ellsworth 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 Kansas community of Thomas [Ellsworth County].
- Marshall 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 Kansas community of Thomas [Marshall County].
- Kentucky
- Boyd 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 Thomas [Boyd County].
- Estill County
- This Thomas is located in Estill County and lies 105 miles [169 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Estill County community of Thomas.
- Floyd County
- This Thomas is located in Floyd County and lies 32 miles [51.5 km] to the northwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Floyd County community of Thomas.
- Pike 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 Kentucky community of Thomas [Pike County].
- Louisiana
- Bienville Parish
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Louisiana community of Thomas [Bienville Parish].
- Rapides Parish
- This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Louisiana community of Thomas [Rapides Parish].
- Washington Parish
- This Thomas is located in Washington Parish and lies 628 miles [1,010.7 km]<1> to the southwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington Parish community of Thomas.
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Oakland County
- This Thomas is located in Oakland County and lies 386 miles [621.2 km]<1> to the north of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oakland County community of Thomas.
- Tuscola County
- This Thomas is located in Tuscola County and lies 444 miles [714.5 km] to the north of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscola County community of Thomas.
- Van Buren 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 Michigan community of Thomas [Van Buren County].
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Quebec
- This Thomas lies 819 miles [1,318.1 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Panola 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 Texas community of Thomas [Panola County].
- Rockwall 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 Texas community of Thomas [Rockwall County].
- Upshur County
- This Thomas is located in Upshur County and lies 790 miles [1,271.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Upshur County community of Thomas.
- Utah
- Washington
- King County
- This Thomas is located in King County and lies 2,131 miles [3,429.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the King County community of Thomas.
- Walla Walla County
- This Thomas is located in Walla Walla County and lies 1,930 miles [3,106 km] to the west northwest of the Thomas that is located in Buchanan County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Walla Walla County community of Thomas.
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Thomas ...
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.
- Big Rock
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rock
- Big Rock is located in Buchanan County
- Fedscreek
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Home Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Home Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home Creek
- Home Creek is located in Buchanan County
- Ira
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Lick Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lick Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
- Lick Creek is located in Pike County (KY)
- Longbottom
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longbottom have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longbottom
- Longbottom is located in Buchanan County
- Maxie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Mikegrady
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west) - Motley
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Paw Paw
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Pearly
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Royal City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Royal City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
- Royal City is located in Buchanan County
- Tookland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
How Far From Thomas to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Thomas to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Thomas and extending to:
- Grundy, which is the Seat of Buchanan County, lies just to the Southeast.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 259 miles [416.8 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Thomas to Richmond, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 15 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 11 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 298 miles [479.6 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 12 days and walking would take 17 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,181 miles [9,947.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,892 miles [11,091.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,768 miles [7,673.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Thomas. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
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 from Point A (ie- Thomas) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Thomas. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.3451, Longitude: -82.1679 In this case, the coordinates for Thomas have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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 Thomas, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 Thomas 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 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. |
| <6> | 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 Thomas to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.998 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.751 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.406 degrees. |