FAQ: “How far away are things?”

We are often asked how long it takes to drive places, so this is our attempt to be as objective as we can with that question. Our software makes these maps with downtown (place of most common interest) as the center, and predicts a drive time TO there at 8:30am. If you count from outward inward, the rings represent a 60 min, 45 min, 30 min, 20 min, 15 min, 10 min, and 5 min drive time to destination. The second map represents the same without heavy traffic, at 2pm.

Now the whole ballgame changes if you spend most of your time on highways, avoid dense areas, and avoid traffic lights. If you have little interest in downtown, and will be working at a place like, say, Apple headquarters, then things change enormously. There is also a lot of tech jobs in this Apple area, and Dell (second largest employer next to the state) is also in the north near 45/i35 so would have a similar map. If you don’t detest franchise restaurants and welcome having a nearby Costco or Target, then this might be a map that would better represent your possible Austin life. If concerts, bars, and local flair is more your style, then perhaps the downtown maps would be more relevant to you. That’s the reason we wanted to include both here. Please let us know any questions you might have.