Austin · the midpoint
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 →
Meet halfway between El Paso and New Orleans
The fair place to meet is Austin, TX — the city closest to the midpoint of El Paso and New Orleans. From the farther side that’s about 11 hr 4 min of driving.
Recommended midpoint
Austin, TX
From El Paso
11 hr 4 min
528 mi to Austin
From New Orleans
9 hr 37 min
459 mi to Austin
New Orleans has the shorter trip; the split is off by about 1 hr 27 min. The alternatives below can even it out. El Paso and New Orleans are about 981 miles apart.
More meetups from El Paso
Meeting in Austin
El Paso and New Orleans are about 981 miles apart by road. Split the difference and you arrive near Austin, the city closest to the halfway point between them. That puts roughly 11 hr 4 min of driving on the El Paso side and 9 hr 37 min on the New Orleans 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. Austin still makes a fair, central place for El Paso and New Orleans to converge, splitting the travel instead of asking one side to cross the country.
If Austin doesn't have what you're after, San Antonio and Dallas are also close to the midpoint and worth a look — each keeps the drive reasonably balanced between El Paso and New Orleans.
About the cities
El Paso
El Paso is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. It is the 22nd-most populous city in the U.S., sixth-most populous city in Texas, and the most populous city in West Texas with a population of 678,815 at the 2020 census. 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 El Paso and New Orleans?
- Austin, TX is closest to the geographic midpoint, which makes it the fairest place to meet.
- How far apart are they?
- About 981 miles by road.
- How long is the drive to meet in the middle?
- Roughly 11 hr 4 min from the farther city to Austin.
Estimates use straight-line distance and typical road speeds; real drive times vary with route and traffic.