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The Commemorative Quarter for Virginia







Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in West Galax, we use the following websites to find information relevant to West Galax 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 West Galax:
    • 36.651517, -80.930634
    • 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 West Galax
  • 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

Curious and Interesting Names Near West Galax ...

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.

  • Carsonville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carsonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsonville
    • Carsonville is located in Grayson County
  • Cliffview
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cliffview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffview
    • Cliffview is located in Carroll County
  • Fries
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Fries Junction
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fries Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fries Junction
    • Fries Junction is located in Carroll County
  • Hebron
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hebron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
    • Hebron is located in Carroll County
  • Hickory Flat
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Flat
    • Hickory Flat is located in Carroll County
  • Hilltown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilltown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltown
    • Hilltown is located in Grayson County
  • Low Gap
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
    • Low Gap is located in Grayson County
  • Moore Ferry
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moore Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Ferry
    • Moore Ferry is located in Grayson County
  • Pipers Gap
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
    • Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County
  • Providence
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Providence is located in Grayson County
  • Wolf Glade
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Glade have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Glade
    • Wolf Glade is located in Carroll County
  • Woodlawn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

How Far From West Galax 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 West Galax to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in West Galax and extending to:

  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 202 miles [325.1 km]<3> to the east northeast (ENE). If you could drive a straight line from West Galax to Richmond, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take a little over three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 12 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 8 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 263 miles [423.3 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 11 days and walking would take 15 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,160 miles [9,913.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,865 miles [11,048.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,742 miles [7,631.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Galax. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- West Galax) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Galax. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.6515, Longitude: -80.9306       In this case, the coordinates for West Galax have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 West Galax to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.266 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.812 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.106 degrees.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025