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

Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

  • Weather ...
  • 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 Martinsburg:
    • 39.457180, -77.968902
    • 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 Martinsburg
  • 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 Berkeley County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Berkeley County
    • Since Martinsburg is near Jefferson County and also Washington County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Jefferson County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Washington 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 Martinsburg

Communities Also Named Martinsburg ...

We found sixteen communities that are also named Martinsburg.

Within West Virginia, the name Martinsburg is unique.

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

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Illinois
      • Pike County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Pike County and lies 685 miles [1,102.4 km]<1> to the west of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pike County community of Martinsburg.
    • Indiana
      • Washington County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Washington County and lies 438 miles [704.9 km]<1> to the west of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Martinsburg.
    • Iowa
      • Keokuk County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Keokuk County and lies 760 miles [1,223.1 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Keokuk County community of Martinsburg.
    • Kansas
      • Atchison County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Martinsburg [Atchison County].
      • Leavenworth 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 Kansas community of Martinsburg [Leavenworth County].
    • Kentucky
      • Elliott County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Martinsburg [Elliott County].
      • Monroe County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Monroe County and lies 452 miles [727.4 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Martinsburg.
    • Maryland
      • Montgomery County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Montgomery County and lies 33 miles [53.1 km]<1> to the southeast of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Martinsburg.
    • Missouri
      • Audrain County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Audrain County and lies 730 miles [1,174.8 km]<1> to the west of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Audrain County community of Martinsburg.
      • Ripley County
      • This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Missouri community of Martinsburg [Ripley County].
    • Nebraska
      • Dixon County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Dixon County and lies 1,003 miles [1,614.2 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dixon County community of Martinsburg.
    • New York
      • Lewis County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Lewis County and lies 322 miles [518.2 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lewis County community of Martinsburg.
    • Ohio
      • Columbiana County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Columbiana County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbiana County community of Martinsburg.
      • Knox County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Knox County and lies 239 miles [384.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Knox County community of Martinsburg.
      • Meigs County
      • This community is historic and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ohio community of Martinsburg [Meigs County].
    • Pennsylvania
      • Blair County
      • This Martinsburg is located in Blair County and lies 62 miles [99.8 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Martinsburg that is located in Berkeley County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Blair County community of Martinsburg.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Martinsburg ...

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.

  • Egypt
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Egypt is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
  • Files Crossroad
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Files Crossroad is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Files Crossroad
  • Goose Nest
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Goose Nest is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goose Nest
  • Grubbs Corner
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Grubbs Corner is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubbs Corner
  • Heatherfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Heatherfield is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heatherfield
  • Hedgesville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Irish Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Irish Hill is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irish Hill
  • Jones Springs
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jones Springs is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Springs
  • Leetown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Leetown is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leetown
  • Mount Pleasant
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Pleasant is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
  • Pikeside
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Pikeside is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pikeside
  • Scrabble
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Scrabble is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Spring Mills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Spring Mills is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Mills
    • Swan Pond
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Tablers Station
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Tablers Station is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tablers Station
    • Tomahawk
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Tomahawk is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
    • Union Corner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Union Corner is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Corner

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

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

  • Charleston, which is the State Capital of West Virginia, lies 211 miles [339.6 km]<1> to the west southwest (WSW). If you could drive a straight line from Martinsburg to Charleston, with an average speed<5>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take a little over three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 12 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 9 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 63 miles [101.4 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take less than an hour, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take most of three days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,913 miles [9,516.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,622 miles [10,657.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,498 miles [7,238.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

Footnotes ...

<1>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- Martinsburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<2>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 Martinsburg 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.
<3>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 Martinsburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Martinsburg 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 Martinsburg. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4572, Longitude: -77.9689    
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.409 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.115 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.897 degrees.