Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rio, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rio and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rio
- 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 Rio:
- 39.138439, -78.670015
- 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 Rio
- 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 Hampshire County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Hampshire County
- Since Rio is near Hardy County and also Shenandoah County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Hardy County
- eBird sighting report for Shenandoah 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 Rio ...
We have found twelve communities that share the name Rio.
Within West Virginia, the name Rio is unique.
Beyond West Virginia, we know of another twelve communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Florida
- Martin County
- This Rio is located in Martin County and lies 827 miles [1,330.9 km]<1> to the south of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Martin County community of Rio.
- Georgia
- Spalding County
- This Rio is located in Spalding County and lies 514 miles [827.2 km]<1> to the southwest of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Spalding County community of Rio.
- Illinois
- Knox County
- This Rio is located in Knox County and lies 633 miles [1,018.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Knox County community of Rio.
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Hart County
- This Rio is located in Hart County and lies 405 miles [651.8 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hart County community of Rio.
- Louisiana
- Washington Parish
- This Rio is located in Washington Parish and lies 861 miles [1,385.6 km]<1> to the southwest of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington Parish community of Rio.
- Mississippi
- Kemper County
- This Rio is located in Kemper County and lies 726 miles [1,168.4 km]<1> to the southwest of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kemper County community of Rio.
- New York
- North Dakota
- Utah
- Utah County
- This Rio is located in Utah County and lies 1,734 miles [2,790.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Utah County community of Rio.
- Virginia
- Albemarle County
- This Rio is located in Albemarle County and lies 74 miles [119.1 km]<1> to the south of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Albemarle County community of Rio.
- Wisconsin
- Columbia County
- This Rio is located in Columbia County and lies 623 miles [1,002.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rio that is located in Hampshire County.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rio
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbia County community of Rio.
- Florida
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rio ...
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.
- Bean Settlement [Hardy County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bean Settlement
- Bean Settlement [Hardy County] lies 8 miles [12.9 km]<1> to the west of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bean Settlement have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Bean Settlement
- Bubbling Spring [Hampshire County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bubbling Spring
- Bubbling Spring [Hampshire County] lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the northeast of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bubbling Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Bubbling Spring
- Frenchburg [Hampshire County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchburg
- Frenchburg [Hampshire County] lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the north of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frenchburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Frenchburg
- Furnace [Hardy County] - Historic
- Continue List (11 more) ...
- Gravel Springs [Frederick County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Springs
- Gravel Springs [Frederick County] lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the east of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gravel Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Gravel Springs
- Hooks Mills [Hampshire County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooks Mills
- Hooks Mills [Hampshire County] lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the northeast of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hooks Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Hooks Mills
- Hunters Valley [Frederick County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Valley
- Hunters Valley [Frederick County] lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the east of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunters Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Hunters Valley
- Inkerman [Hardy County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inkerman
- Inkerman [Hardy County] lies 5 miles [8 km]<1> to the west of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inkerman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Inkerman
- Kirby [Hampshire County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirby
- Kirby [Hampshire County] lies 4 miles [6.4 km]<1> to the northwest of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirby have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Kirby
- Needmore [Hardy County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Needmore [Hardy County] lies 8 miles [12.9 km]<1> to the southwest of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needmore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Needmore
- Pancake [Hampshire County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pancake
- Pancake [Hampshire County] lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the northwest of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pancake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Pancake
- Rockland [Hardy County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Rockland [Hardy County] lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the south of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Rockland
- Sector [Hampshire County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sector
- Sector [Hampshire County] lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the northwest of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sector have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Sector
- Shanks [Hampshire County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanks
- Shanks [Hampshire County] lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the north of Rio
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shanks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Shanks
- Yellow Spring [Hampshire County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Spring
- Yellow Spring [Hampshire County] lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the east of Rio
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Yellow Spring
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yellow Spring<4>
- Gravel Springs [Frederick County]
Notable Births & Deaths ...
This is a new section for us and we are still collecting data.
Below is our list of notable people who were born, died or were buried in the area surrounding Rio. Please note that while we are collecting data on an ongoing basis, it's a big task and it's unlikely that our list will ever be more than a sample.
- View Our List ...
- Patsy Cline (Singer, songwriter)
- Singer, songwriter. She was born in Winchester (Virginia) on Thursday September 8, 1932 and died in Camden (Tennessee) on Tueday March 5, 1963 at the age of 30.
- Winchester is located 27 miles [43.5 km] to the east of Rio.
- Find-A-Grave Memorial: Patsy Cline<5>
- David Arthur 'Dave' Roberts (Major League Baseball)
- Major League Baseball. He was born in Gallipolis (Ohio) on Monday September 11, 1944 and died in Short Gap (West Virginia) on Friday January 9, 2009 at the age of 64. He is buried at Frostburg Memorial Park (Allegany County, Maryland).
- Short Gap is located 28 miles [45.1 km] to the north of Rio.
- Find-A-Grave Memorial: David Arthur 'Dave' Roberts<5>
- Patsy Cline (Singer, songwriter)
How Far From Rio 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 Rio to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rio and extending to:
- View Our List ...
- Romney, which is the Seat of Hampshire County and lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the north northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Rio to Romney, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day 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 168 miles [270.4 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 10 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 89 miles [143.2 km] to the east (E). Driving would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,956 miles [9,585.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,666 miles [10,727.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,542 miles [7,309.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Other Roadside Stops ...
Find a Community within West Virginia
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rio. 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rio) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rio. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1384, Longitude: -78.6700 In this case, the coordinates for Rio have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's 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 Rio 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> | 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 have found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Rio to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.847 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.564 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.317 degrees. |