New Orleans · the midpoint
New Orleans is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Read more →
Meet halfway between Austin and Birmingham
The fair place to meet is New Orleans, LA — the city closest to the midpoint of Austin and Birmingham. From the farther side that’s about 9 hr 37 min of driving.
Recommended midpoint
New Orleans, LA
From Austin
9 hr 37 min
459 mi to New Orleans
From Birmingham
6 hr 33 min
312 mi to New Orleans
Birmingham has the shorter trip; the split is off by about 3 hr 4 min. The alternatives below can even it out. Austin and Birmingham are about 679 miles apart.
More meetups from Austin
Meeting in New Orleans
Austin and Birmingham are about 679 miles apart by road. Split the difference and you arrive near New Orleans, the city closest to the halfway point between them. That puts roughly 9 hr 37 min of driving on the Austin side and 6 hr 33 min on the Birmingham side — the fairest single meeting point among the cities near the middle.
That's a half-day drive from each side, so New Orleans suits an overnight or a weekend rather than a quick coffee — long enough to want a reason to stay, short enough to drive.
If New Orleans doesn't have what you're after, Houston and Memphis are also close to the midpoint and worth a look — each keeps the drive reasonably balanced between Austin and Birmingham.
About the cities
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. With a population of 961,855 at the 2020 census, it is the 12th-most populous city in the U.S., fifth-most populous city in Texas, and second-most populous U.S. Read more →
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the third-most populous city in the state, with an estimated population of 196,357 as of 2024. Read more →
City descriptions adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); photos via Wikimedia Commons, credited above.
Questions
- Where is the halfway point between Austin and Birmingham?
- New Orleans, LA is closest to the geographic midpoint, which makes it the fairest place to meet.
- How far apart are they?
- About 679 miles by road.
- How long is the drive to meet in the middle?
- Roughly 9 hr 37 min from the farther city to New Orleans.
Estimates use straight-line distance and typical road speeds; real drive times vary with route and traffic.