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Introduction ...
Below is our collection of tidbits, odds 'n ends for Astor.
This page contains four sections:
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How Far From Astor 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 Astor to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Astor to:
- Grafton [Map], which is the Seat of Taylor County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km] to the Northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Astor to Grafton, with an average speed<2> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Charleston [Map], which is the State Capital of West Virginia, lies 101 miles [162.5 km] to the Southwest (SW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take three full days and walking would take 6 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC [Map]) is 168 miles [270.4 km] to the East (E). Driving would take about three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 10 days.
- The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock [Map]) is 6,012 miles [9,675.4 km] and it lies to the Northeast (NE).<4>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba [Map]) is 6,726 miles [10,824.4 km] and it lies to the Northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican [Map]) is 4,602 miles [7,406.2 km] and it lies to the Northeast (NE).<6>
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Communities Also Named Astor ...
We have found 6 communities that share the name Astor.
While the name Astor is unique within West Virginia, we know of another 6 communities with the same name in the United States.
Communities Outside of West Virginia
Florida
Lake County
Our profile page for Astor, Lake County [Map]
Distance: About 700 miles [1,126.5 km] to the South
Georgia
Clayton County
Our profile page for Astor, Clayton County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.<7>
Although located in Clayton County, we don't know the location of this community within the county.
Iowa
Crawford County
Our profile page for Astor, Crawford County [Map]
Distance: About 812 miles [1,306.8 km] to the West Northwest
Kansas
Greeley County
Our profile page for Astor, Greeley County [Map]
Distance: About 1,168 miles [1,879.7 km] to the West
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Massachusetts
Suffolk County
Our profile page for Astor, Suffolk County
We found mention of this community, but have little information.
Although located in Suffolk County, we don't know the location of this community within the county.
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Nevada
Washoe County
Our profile page for Astor, Washoe County
This community is historic.<8>
Although located in Washoe County, we don't know the location of this community within the county.
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Curious and Interesting Names Near Astor ...
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 talk about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
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Notable Births & Deaths ...
This is a new section for us and we are still collecting data.
Below is our list of notable people who were born, died or were buried in the area surrounding Astor. Please note that while we are collecting data on an ongoing basis, it's a big task and it's unlikely that our list will ever be more than a sample.
| Don Knotts (Jesse Donald Knotts) |
| | Comedian, actor. He was born in Morgantown (West Virginia) on Monday July 21, 1924 and died in Los Angeles (California) on Friday February 24, 2006 at an age of 81. He was buried at Westwood Memorial Park (Los Angeles County, California) [Map].
Morgantown [Map] is located 29 miles [46.7 km] to the north of Astor
Find-A-Grave Memorial: Don Knotts<9>
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Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Astor. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page. The official website for State of West Virginia: www.wv.gov/
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Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance that begins in Astor. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Astor) to Point B.
Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Astor. The point that we are using is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.2404, Longitude: -80.1412 [Map]. In this case, the coordinates for Astor have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).- Return to Citation |
| <2> | 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. - Return to Citation |
| <3> | 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 Astor to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. - Return to Citation |
| <4> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.73 degrees. - Return to Citation |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.584 degrees. - Return to Citation |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.918 degrees. - Return to Citation |
| <7> | 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 Astor 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.- Return to Citation |
| <8> | 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 Astor, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. - Return to Citation |
| <9> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. - Return to Citation |
For additional information, please visit our Glossary for Astor.
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