Geographically-Speaking
Austin is in Central Texas. In Travis County. At the edge of the Hill Country. Sitting in a bend of the Colorado River (no, not the same river flowing through the Grand Canyon). Austin is on the Edward's Plateau, along the Balcones Fault line. But where is that, exactly? If you have a globe handy, look for Austin at 97°75'W Longitude and 30°30'N Latitude.
Picture Yourself in Austin
The three photos in the photo gallery (click on the image at the top of the right sidebar to see the second image) show:
- United States, with Texas in blue
- Texas, with Austin in red
- Major driving routes to Austin from the north, south, east, and west parts of the state
Texas is generally identified as being in the Southwestern United States, although some will argue that's not quite true. We're right in the middle of the southern half of the country - the south mid-west. But Southwest is more of an historical reference to when the country was young and anything west of the Mississippi River was the wild and unruly West. Although once part of the Confederacy, Texas has more in common with Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona than the states of the Deep South. So, Southwestern it is.
Austin is in the central part of the State. And if that seems a little off-kilter consider that the Dallas/Fort Worth area is referred to as North Texas even though the Panhandle (that square part up top) extends much further north. But if you chop off the panhandle and the western pointy part where El Paso is you'll see that Austin is in the middle of what's left. See, there is a certain logic to it. For a more detailed description, see "Where in Texas is Austin?"
View a variety of Maps of Texas from About Geography.
State to State
Six main Interstate Highways will bring you into or help you travel around within Texas, although Interstate 35 is the only one that goes directly through Austin.
- Interstate 10 enters Southeast Texas from Louisiana and West Texas from New Mexico, connecting Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso. It is the longest Interstate Highway in Texas.
- Interstate 20 enters East Texas from Louisiana and goes through Dallas and Fort Worth before connecting to Interstate 10 to the west.
- Interstate 30 comes into Northeast Texas from Arkansas and joins with Interstate 20 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
- Interstate 40 passes through Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle from Oklahoma to New Mexico. It superceded the famous Route 66 in 1984.
- Interstate 35 enters North Texas from Oklahoma, splitting into 35E and 35W near Denton. Merging again south of Dallas/Fort Worth, it passes through Waco, Austin, San Antonio, and Laredo — on the border with Mexico.
- Interstate 45 connects the coast with North Texas beginning in Galveston going to Houston and on up to Dallas where it joins Interstate 30.
There are also several other Interstate Highways, spurs, and loops, connecting various highways or smaller cities to the Interstate system.
Once you reach Texas, get Driving Directions to Austin from Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, and El Paso. I'll also show you some noteworthy and scenic Central Texas stops along the way.