Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Laurel, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Laurel and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Laurel
- 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 Laurel:
- 38.960659, -79.988687
- 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 Laurel
- 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 Barbour County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Barbour County
- Since Laurel is near Randolph County and also Upshur County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Randolph County
- eBird sighting report for Upshur 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 Laurel ...
We found 40 communities that share the name Laurel.
Within West Virginia, the name Laurel is unique.
Beyond West Virginia, we know of another 40 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 40 communities, 38 are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Alameda County
- This Laurel is located in Alameda County and lies 2,265 miles [3,645.2 km]<3> to the west northwest of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Alameda County community of Laurel.
- San Mateo County
- This Laurel is located in San Mateo County and lies 2,276 miles [3,662.9 km] to the west northwest of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the San Mateo County community of Laurel.
- Santa Cruz County
- This Laurel is located in Santa Cruz County and lies 2,266 miles [3,646.8 km] to the west of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Santa Cruz County community of Laurel.
- Delaware
- Florida
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Greenup 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 Laurel [Greenup County].
- Lawrence County
- This Laurel is located in Lawrence County and lies 154 miles [247.8 km]<3> to the west southwest of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lawrence County community of Laurel.
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New York
- North Carolina
- Franklin County
- This Laurel is located in Franklin County and lies 215 miles [346 km]<3> to the south southeast of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Laurel.
- Madison 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 North Carolina community of Laurel [Madison County].
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Laurel lies 344 miles [553.6 km]<3> to the north of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Allegheny 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 Pennsylvania community of Laurel [Allegheny County].
- Chester County
- This Laurel is located in Chester County and lies 234 miles [376.6 km]<3> to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Chester County community of Laurel.
- Cumberland County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Pennsylvania community of Laurel [Cumberland County].
- York County
- This Laurel is located in York County and lies 194 miles [312.2 km] to the east northeast of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the York County community of Laurel.
- Quebec
- This Laurel lies 552 miles [888.4 km]<3> to the north northeast of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Anderson County
- This Laurel is located in Anderson County and lies 303 miles [487.6 km]<3> to the southwest of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Anderson County community of Laurel.
- Sevier County
- This Laurel is located in Sevier County and lies 288 miles [463.5 km] to the southwest of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sevier County community of Laurel.
- Texas
- Newton County
- Although located in Newton County, we don't know the location within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Newton County community of Laurel.
- Virginia
- Henrico County
- This Laurel is located in Henrico County and lies 162 miles [260.7 km]<3> to the southeast of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henrico County community of Laurel.
- Russell County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Virginia community of Laurel [Russell County].
- Wise County
- This Laurel is located in Wise County and lies 209 miles [336.4 km] to the southwest of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wise County community of Laurel.
- Washington
- Klickitat County
- This Laurel is located in Klickitat County and lies 2,137 miles [3,439.2 km]<3> to the west northwest of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Klickitat County community of Laurel.
- Whatcom County
- This Laurel is located in Whatcom County and lies 2,189 miles [3,522.9 km] to the west northwest of the Laurel that is located in Barbour County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Whatcom County community of Laurel.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Laurel ...
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.
- Aggregates
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aggregates have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aggregates
- Aggregates is located in Randolph County
- Gage
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - Jeff Scotts ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jeff Scotts have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeff Scotts
- Jeff Scotts is located in Randolph County
- Jimtown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Junior
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Kingsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingsville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsville
- Kingsville is located in Randolph County
- Roaring Creek Junction
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roaring Creek Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring Creek Junction
- Roaring Creek Junction is located in Randolph County
- Skidmore ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the west) - Weaver
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaver
- Weaver is located in Randolph County
How Far From Laurel 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 Laurel 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 Laurel once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Laurel and extending to:
- Philippi, which is the Seat of Barbour County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<3> to the north. If you could walk a straight line from Laurel to Philippi, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Charleston, which is the State Capital of West Virginia, lies 98 miles [157.7 km] to the west southwest (WSW). 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 158 miles [254.3 km] to the east (E). Driving would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 9 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,018 miles [9,685 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,731 miles [10,832.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,606 miles [7,412.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/
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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock 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 Laurel 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> | 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 Laurel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Laurel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Laurel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.9607, Longitude: -79.9887 In this case, the coordinates for Laurel have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Laurel 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 309.648 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.449 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.949 degrees. |