Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Big Run, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Big Run and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Big Run
- 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 Big Run:
- 39.470856, -80.377567
- 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 Big Run
- 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 Marion County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Marion County
- Since Big Run is near Harrison County and also Wetzel County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Harrison County
- eBird sighting report for Wetzel 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 Big Run ...
We found ten communities that share the name Big Run.
There are three communities within West Virginia that are also named Big Run.
Beyond West Virginia, we know of another seven communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In West Virginia ...
- Marshall County
- Webster County
- Wetzel County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Ohio
- Athens County
- This Big Run is located in Athens County and lies 80 miles [128.7 km]<1> to the west of the Big Run that is located in Marion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Athens County community of Big Run.
- Franklin County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Franklin County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Big Run.
- Pike County
- This community is historic and although located in Pike County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pike County community of Big Run.
- Pennsylvania
- Centre County
- This Big Run is located in Centre County and lies 180 miles [289.7 km]<1> to the northeast of the Big Run that is located in Marion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Centre County community of Big Run.
- Dauphin County
- This Big Run is located in Dauphin County and lies 206 miles [331.5 km] to the east northeast of the Big Run that is located in Marion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dauphin County community of Big Run.
- Jefferson 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 Pennsylvania community of Big Run [Jefferson County].
- Lawrence County
- This Big Run is located in Lawrence County and lies 130 miles [209.2 km] to the northeast of the Big Run that is located in Marion County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lawrence County community of Big Run.
- Ohio
Curious and Interesting Names Near Big Run ...
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.
- Alliance
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Curtisville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Curtisville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtisville
- Curtisville is located in Marion County
- Deep Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deep Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Valley
- Deep Valley is located in Marion County
- Dixie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Downs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - Four States
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four States have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four States
- Four States is located in Marion County
- Homewood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - Jimtown
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Joetown
(Less than 2 miles to the west) - Long Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast) - Margaret
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Oak Grove ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Stringtown
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stringtown have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Stringtown is located in Marion County
How Far From Big Run 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 Big Run to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Big Run and extending to:
- Fairmont, which is the Seat of Marion County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Big Run to Fairmont, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
- Charleston, which is the State Capital of West Virginia, lies 102 miles [164.2 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) is 183 miles [294.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,012 miles [9,675.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,727 miles [10,826.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,602 miles [7,406.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Big Run. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Marion County: www.marioncountywv.com/
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.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- Big Run) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Run. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4709, Longitude: -80.3776 |
| <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 Big Run, 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 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 Big Run 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 Big Run 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 309.865 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.772 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.941 degrees. |