Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Israel, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Israel and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Israel
- 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 Israel:
- 39.318153, -79.810901
- 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 Israel
- 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 Preston County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Preston County
- Since Israel is near Barbour County and also Monongalia County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Barbour County
- eBird sighting report for Monongalia 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 Israel ...
We found two communities that share the name Israel.
Within West Virginia, the name Israel is unique.
Beyond West Virginia, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Ohio
- Texas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Israel ...
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.
- Camp Ground
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camp Ground have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Ground
- Camp Ground is located in Preston County
- Chestnut Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Ridge
- Chestnut Ridge is located in Monongalia County
- Dent
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Fellowsville
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fellowsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowsville
- Fellowsville is located in Preston County
- Hardman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest) - Independence
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Independence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Independence is located in Preston County
- Kanetown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - Maple Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Oriole ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north) - Scotch Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotch Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotch Hill
- Scotch Hill is located in Preston County
How Far From Israel 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 Israel to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Israel and extending to:
- Kingwood, which is the Seat of Preston County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<2> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Israel to Kingwood, with an average speed<4> 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 118 miles [189.9 km] to the west southwest (WSW). 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 White House (Washington, DC) is 151 miles [243 km] to the east (E). Driving would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 9 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,995 miles [9,648 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,709 miles [10,797.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,584 miles [7,377.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Israel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Israel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Israel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Israel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.3182, Longitude: -79.8109 In this case, the coordinates for Israel have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | 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 Israel to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.526 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.364 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.746 degrees. |