Memphis · the midpoint
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Read more →
Meet halfway between Chicago and Houston
The fair place to meet is Memphis, TN — the city closest to the midpoint of Chicago and Houston. From the farther side that’s about 10 hr 9 min of driving.
Recommended midpoint
Memphis, TN
From Chicago
10 hr 8 min
483 mi to Memphis
From Houston
10 hr 9 min
484 mi to Memphis
That’s an even split — both sides drive within 1 min of each other. Chicago and Houston are about 942 miles apart.
More meetups from Chicago
Meeting in Memphis
Chicago and Houston are about 942 miles apart by road. Split the difference and you arrive near Memphis, the city closest to the halfway point between them. That splits the trip almost evenly — about 10 hr 8 min from Chicago and 10 hr 9 min from Houston.
Over this distance most people will fly rather than drive the whole way. Memphis still makes a fair, central place for Chicago and Houston to converge, splitting the travel instead of asking one side to cross the country.
If Memphis doesn't have what you're after, Nashville and Kansas City are also close to the midpoint and worth a look — each keeps the drive reasonably balanced between Chicago and Houston.
About the cities
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 →
Houston
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 →
City descriptions adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); photos via Wikimedia Commons, credited above.
Questions
- Where is the halfway point between Chicago and Houston?
- Memphis, TN is closest to the geographic midpoint, which makes it the fairest place to meet.
- How far apart are they?
- About 942 miles by road.
- How long is the drive to meet in the middle?
- Roughly 10 hr 9 min from the farther city to Memphis.
Estimates use straight-line distance and typical road speeds; real drive times vary with route and traffic.