Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Zoar, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Zoar and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Zoar
- 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 Zoar:
- 37.362650, -77.823331
- 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 Zoar
- 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 Chesterfield County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Chesterfield County
- Since Zoar is near Amelia County and also Powhatan County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Amelia County
- eBird sighting report for Powhatan 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 Zoar ...
We found fifteen communities that share the name Zoar.
Within Virginia, the name Zoar is unique.
Beyond Virginia, we know of another fifteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these fifteen communities, fourteen are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- New Mexico
- New York
- Erie County
- This Zoar is located in Erie County and lies 355 miles [571.3 km]<1> to the north of the Zoar that is located in Chesterfield County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Erie County community of Zoar.
- Jefferson County
- This Zoar is located in Jefferson County and lies 459 miles [738.7 km] to the north of the Zoar that is located in Chesterfield County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Zoar.
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- This Zoar lies 1,502 miles [2,417.2 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Zoar that is located in Chesterfield County.
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Tuscarawas County
- This Zoar is located in Tuscarawas County and lies 296 miles [476.4 km]<1> to the northwest of the Zoar that is located in Chesterfield County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Tuscarawas County community of Zoar.
- Warren County
- This Zoar is located in Warren County and lies 371 miles [597.1 km] to the west northwest of the Zoar that is located in Chesterfield County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Warren County community of Zoar.
- Wisconsin
Curious and Interesting Names Near Zoar ...
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.
- Clayville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north) - Fieldstown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fieldstown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fieldstown
- Fieldstown is located in Amelia County
- Five Forks ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Forks have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Five Forks is located in Amelia County
- Flat Rock
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north) - Goode Crossing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goode Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goode Crossing
- Goode Crossing is located in Powhatan County
- Hallsboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Haw Branch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haw Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haw Branch
- Haw Branch is located in Amelia County
- Holly ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east) - Holly Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holly Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Hills
- Holly Hills is located in Powhatan County
- Masons Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masons Corner
- Masons Corner is located in Amelia County
- Nuttree ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Otterdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterdale
- Otterdale is located in Chesterfield County
- Skinquarter
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skinquarter have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skinquarter
- Skinquarter is located in Chesterfield County
How Far From Zoar to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Zoar 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 Zoar once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Zoar and extending to:
- Chesterfield, which is the Seat of Chesterfield County, lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Zoar to Chesterfield, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take five to six hours.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 24 miles [38.6 km] to the east northeast (ENE). The buggy would take most of a day and walking would take just about two full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 114 miles [183.5 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,996 miles [9,649.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,697 miles [10,777.8 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,575 miles [7,362.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Chesterfield County: www.co.chesterfield.va.us/
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 drawn from Point A (ie- Zoar) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Zoar. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.3627, Longitude: -77.8233 In this case, the coordinates for Zoar have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Zoar 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 Zoar, 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 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 Zoar 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 308.431 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.821 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.608 degrees. |