Louisville · the midpoint
Louisville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. Read more →
Meet halfway between Atlanta and Chicago
The fair place to meet is Louisville, KY — the city closest to the midpoint of Atlanta and Chicago. From the farther side that’s about 6 hr 43 min of driving.
Recommended midpoint
Louisville, KY
From Atlanta
6 hr 43 min
320 mi to Louisville
From Chicago
5 hr 39 min
269 mi to Louisville
Chicago has the shorter trip; the split is off by about 1 hr 4 min. The alternatives below can even it out. Atlanta and Chicago are about 589 miles apart.
More meetups from Atlanta
Meeting in Louisville
Atlanta and Chicago are about 589 miles apart by road. Split the difference and you arrive near Louisville, the city closest to the halfway point between them. That puts roughly 6 hr 43 min of driving on the Atlanta side and 5 hr 39 min on the Chicago side — the fairest single meeting point among the cities near the middle.
That's a half-day drive from each side, so Louisville suits an overnight or a weekend rather than a quick coffee — long enough to want a reason to stay, short enough to drive.
If Louisville doesn't have what you're after, Cincinnati and Nashville are also close to the midpoint and worth a look — each keeps the drive reasonably balanced between Atlanta and Chicago.
About the cities
Atlanta
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the county seat of Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County. Read more →
Chicago
Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.74 million at the 2020 census. Read more →
City descriptions adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); photos via Wikimedia Commons, credited above.
Questions
- Where is the halfway point between Atlanta and Chicago?
- Louisville, KY is closest to the geographic midpoint, which makes it the fairest place to meet.
- How far apart are they?
- About 589 miles by road.
- How long is the drive to meet in the middle?
- Roughly 6 hr 43 min from the farther city to Louisville.
Estimates use straight-line distance and typical road speeds; real drive times vary with route and traffic.