RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of West Virginia >> Wyoming County >> Herndon >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Herndon, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Herndon and the surrounding area.

  • 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 Herndon:
    • 37.505393, -81.340379
    • 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 Herndon
  • 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 Wyoming County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Wyoming County
    • Since Herndon is near Mercer County and also McDowell County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Mercer County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for McDowell 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 Herndon

Communities Also Named Herndon ...

We found fifteen communities that are also named Herndon.

Within West Virginia, the name Herndon is unique.

Beyond West Virginia, we know of fifteen communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Baldwin County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Herndon [Baldwin County].
    • Arkansas
      • Craighead County
      • This Herndon is located in Craighead County and lies 529 miles [851.3 km]<2> to the west of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Craighead County community of Herndon.
      • Greene County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Herndon [Greene County].
    • California
      • Fresno County
      • This Herndon is located in Fresno County and lies 2,108 miles [3,392.5 km]<2> to the west of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fresno County community of Herndon.
    • Florida
      • Orange County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Florida community of Herndon [Orange County].
    • Georgia
      • Burke County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of Herndon [Burke County].
      • Jenkins County
      • This Herndon is located in Jenkins County and lies 326 miles [524.6 km]<2> to the south of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jenkins County community of Herndon.
    • Iowa
      • Guthrie County
      • This Herndon is located in Guthrie County and lies 752 miles [1,210.2 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Guthrie County community of Herndon.
    • Kansas
      • Rawlins County
      • This Herndon is located in Rawlins County and lies 1,058 miles [1,702.7 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rawlins County community of Herndon.
    • Kentucky
      • Christian County
      • This Herndon is located in Christian County and lies 346 miles [556.8 km]<2> to the west of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Christian County community of Herndon.
      • Scott County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Herndon [Scott County].
    • Missouri
      • Saline County
      • This Herndon is located in Saline County and lies 654 miles [1,052.5 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Saline County community of Herndon.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Northumberland County
      • This Herndon is located in Northumberland County and lies 327 miles [526.3 km]<2> to the northeast of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Northumberland County community of Herndon.
    • Texas
      • Nolan County
      • This Herndon is located in Nolan County and lies 1,120 miles [1,802.5 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Nolan County community of Herndon.
    • Virginia
      • Fairfax County
      • This Herndon is located in Fairfax County and lies 237 miles [381.4 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Herndon that is located in Wyoming County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fairfax County community of Herndon.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Herndon ...

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.

  • Amigo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Amigo is located in Raleigh County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amigo
  • Basin
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Basin is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Basin
  • Blackeagle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Blackeagle is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackeagle
  • Bud
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bud is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bud
  • Cherokee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Cherokee is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee
  • Crumpler
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Crumpler is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumpler
  • Hiawatha
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hiawatha is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hiawatha
  • Itmann
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Itmann is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Itmann
  • Joe Branch
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Joe Branch is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joe Branch
  • Smokeless
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Smokeless is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smokeless
  • Stonecoal Junction
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Stonecoal Junction is located in Raleigh County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonecoal Junction
  • Widemouth ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Widemouth is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widemouth
  • Worth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Worth is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worth

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

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

  • Pineville, which is the Seat of Wyoming County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<2> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Herndon to Pineville, with an average speed<3> 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 60 miles [96.6 km] to the north northwest (NNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take most of three days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 252 miles [405.6 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 10 days and walking would take 15 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,139 miles [9,879.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,849 miles [11,022.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,725 miles [7,604.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Herndon 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.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Herndon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Herndon 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 Herndon. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.5054, Longitude: -81.3404       In this case, the coordinates for Herndon have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.499 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.204 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.008 degrees.