Houston · the midpoint
Houston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.3 million at the 2020 census. Read more →
Meet halfway between Austin and New Orleans
The fair place to meet is Houston, TX — the city closest to the midpoint of Austin and New Orleans. From the farther side that’s about 6 hr 40 min of driving.
Recommended midpoint
Houston, TX
From Austin
3 hr 39 min
146 mi to Houston
From New Orleans
6 hr 40 min
318 mi to Houston
Austin has the shorter trip; the split is off by about 3 hr 1 min. The alternatives below can even it out. Austin and New Orleans are about 459 miles apart.
More meetups from Austin
Meeting in Houston
Austin and New Orleans are about 459 miles apart by road. Split the difference and you arrive near Houston, the city closest to the halfway point between them. That puts roughly 3 hr 39 min of driving on the Austin side and 6 hr 40 min on the New Orleans side — the fairest single meeting point among the cities near the middle.
That's a half-day drive from each side, so Houston suits an overnight or a weekend rather than a quick coffee — long enough to want a reason to stay, short enough to drive.
If Houston doesn't have what you're after, Dallas and San Antonio are also close to the midpoint and worth a look — each keeps the drive reasonably balanced between Austin and New Orleans.
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 →
New Orleans
New Orleans is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. 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 New Orleans?
- Houston, TX is closest to the geographic midpoint, which makes it the fairest place to meet.
- How far apart are they?
- About 459 miles by road.
- How long is the drive to meet in the middle?
- Roughly 6 hr 40 min from the farther city to Houston.
Estimates use straight-line distance and typical road speeds; real drive times vary with route and traffic.