Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Monson, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Monson and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Monson
- 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 Monson:
- 37.265115, -81.482884
- 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 Monson
- 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 McDowell County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for McDowell County
- Since Monson is near Tazewell County and also Mercer County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Tazewell County
- eBird sighting report for Mercer 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 Monson ...
We found four communities that share the name Monson.
Within West Virginia, the name Monson is unique.
Beyond West Virginia, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Colorado
- Maine
- Massachusetts
Curious and Interesting Names Near Monson ...
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.
- Abbs Valley
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
- Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
- Bishop
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest) - Black Wolf
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Wolf have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Wolf
- Black Wolf is located in McDowell County
- Filbert
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Horsepen
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Horsepen Cove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horsepen Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsepen Cove
- Horsepen Cove is located in Tazewell County (VA)
- Jenkinjones
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jenkinjones have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenkinjones
- Jenkinjones is located in McDowell County
- Mud Fork
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Skygusty
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north) - Stony Ridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stony Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Ridge
- Stony Ridge is located in Tazewell County (VA)
- Tiptop
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
How Far From Monson to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Monson to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Monson and extending to:
- Welch, which is the Seat of McDowell County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the north northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Monson to Welch, 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 75 miles [120.7 km] to the north (N). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 266 miles [428.1 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 11 days and walking would take 16 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,156 miles [9,907.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,865 miles [11,048.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,741 miles [7,629.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Monson. 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Monson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Monson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.2651, Longitude: -81.4829 In this case, the coordinates for Monson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <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 Monson 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 310.588 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 306.269 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.143 degrees. |