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 Tampa
The fair place to meet is New Orleans, LA — the city closest to the midpoint of Austin and Tampa. From the farther side that’s about 10 hr 5 min of driving.
Recommended midpoint
New Orleans, LA
From Austin
9 hr 37 min
459 mi to New Orleans
From Tampa
10 hr 5 min
481 mi to New Orleans
Austin has the shorter trip; the split is off by about 28 min. The alternatives below can even it out. Austin and Tampa are about 936 miles apart.
More meetups from Austin
Meeting in New Orleans
Austin and Tampa are about 936 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 10 hr 5 min on the Tampa side — the fairest single meeting point among the cities near the middle.
Over this distance most people will fly rather than drive the whole way. New Orleans still makes a fair, central place for Austin and Tampa to converge, splitting the travel instead of asking one side to cross the country.
If New Orleans doesn't have what you're after, Houston and Birmingham are also close to the midpoint and worth a look — each keeps the drive reasonably balanced between Austin and Tampa.
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 →
Tampa
Tampa is a major city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Hillsborough County. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. 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 Tampa?
- New Orleans, LA is closest to the geographic midpoint, which makes it the fairest place to meet.
- How far apart are they?
- About 936 miles by road.
- How long is the drive to meet in the middle?
- Roughly 10 hr 5 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.