RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Pittsylvania County >> Whitfield >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Whitfield, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Whitfield 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 Whitfield:
    • 36.547083, -79.472525
    • 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.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Whitfield
  • 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 Pittsylvania County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Pittsylvania County
    • Since Whitfield is near Danville City and also Caswell County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Danville City
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Caswell 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:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Whitfield

Communities Also Named Whitfield ...

We found 22 communities that are also named Whitfield.

Within Virginia, the name Whitfield is unique.

Beyond Virginia, we know of 22 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 22 communities, 21 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Limestone County
      • This Whitfield is located in Limestone County and lies 436 miles [701.7 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Limestone County community of Whitfield.
      • Sumter County
      • This Whitfield is located in Sumter County and lies 568 miles [914.1 km] to the west southwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sumter County community of Whitfield.
    • Arkansas
      • Conway County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Whitfield [Conway County].
    • Florida
      • Manatee County
      • This Whitfield is located in Manatee County and lies 656 miles [1,055.7 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Manatee County community of Whitfield.
      • Santa Rosa County
      • This Whitfield is located in Santa Rosa County and lies 584 miles [939.9 km] to the southwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Santa Rosa County community of Whitfield.
    • Georgia
      • Troup County
      • This Whitfield is located in Troup County and lies 392 miles [630.9 km]<1> to the southwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Troup County community of Whitfield.
    • Indiana
      • Martin County
      • This Whitfield is located in Martin County and lies 431 miles [693.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Martin County community of Whitfield.
    • Kansas
      • Graham County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Whitfield [Graham County].
      • Shawnee 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 Whitfield [Shawnee County].
    • Kentucky
      • Bullitt County
      • This Whitfield is located in Bullitt County and lies 346 miles [556.8 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bullitt County community of Whitfield.
    • Mississippi
      • Jones County
      • This Whitfield is located in Jones County and lies 652 miles [1,049.3 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jones County community of Whitfield.
      • Rankin County
      • This Whitfield is located in Rankin County and lies 672 miles [1,081.5 km] to the west southwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rankin County community of Whitfield.
    • New Mexico
      • Catron County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Catron County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Catron County community of Whitfield.
      • Socorro County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the New Mexico community of Whitfield [Socorro County].
    • New York
      • Ulster County
      • This Whitfield is located in Ulster County and lies 459 miles [738.7 km]<1> to the northeast of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ulster County community of Whitfield.
    • Ohio
      • Montgomery County
      • This Whitfield is located in Montgomery County and lies 338 miles [544 km]<1> to the northwest of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Whitfield.
    • Ontario
      • This Whitfield lies 526 miles [846.5 km]<1> to the north of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Berks County
      • This Whitfield is located in Berks County and lies 321 miles [516.6 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Berks County community of Whitfield.
    • South Dakota
      • Jackson County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the South Dakota community of Whitfield [Jackson County].
    • Tennessee
      • Hickman County
      • This Whitfield is located in Hickman County and lies 457 miles [735.5 km]<1> to the west of the Whitfield that is located in Pittsylvania County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hickman County community of Whitfield.
    • Texas
      • Swisher County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Texas community of Whitfield [Swisher County].
    • West Virginia
      • Ohio County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the West Virginia community of Whitfield [Ohio County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Whitfield ...

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 Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Cedar Park is located in Danville City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Park
  • Dan River ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Dan River is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dan River
  • Danville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Dundee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Dundee is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
  • Grove Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Grove Park is located in Danville City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Park
  • Hickory Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hickory Grove is located in Rockingham County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
  • Mount Cross
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Mount Cross is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cross
  • Olde Hunting Hills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Olde Hunting Hills is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olde Hunting Hills
  • Park Spring
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Park Spring is located in Caswell County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Spring
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Pine Crest
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Pine Crest is located in Danville City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Crest
    • Pleasant Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant Grove is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
    • Providence
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Providence is located in Caswell County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Sandy Shores
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sandy Shores is located in Danville City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Shores
    • Stokesland
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Stokesland is located in Danville City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokesland
    • Virginia Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Virginia Hills is located in Danville City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Hills

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Whitfield and extending to:

  • Chatham, which is the Seat of Pittsylvania County, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<1> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Whitfield to Chatham, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 hours.
  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 131 miles [210.8 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 8 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 209 miles [336.4 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 12 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,103 miles [9,821.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,804 miles [10,950 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,682 miles [7,534.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

Footnotes ...

<1>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Whitfield) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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 Whitfield 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.
<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 Whitfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Whitfield to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Whitfield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.5471, Longitude: -79.4725       In this case, the coordinates for Whitfield have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.414 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.822 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.55 degrees.