How far is Baytown from everything?

Thirty miles east of Houston on I-10, and closer to more things than the map suggests. Drive times outside rush hour; add twenty minutes at shift change and an hour if the Fred Hartman is closed.

The list

• Downtown Houston — 30 miles, 35 to 45 minutes. I-10 west; exit 792 is Garth, 793 is Main and 146, 789 is Thompson.
• Hobby Airport — about 35 to 55 minutes depending on the Beltway.
• Bush Intercontinental (IAH) — about 40 to 45 minutes, up the Beltway or 90.
• Galveston — about 50 minutes: 146 south over the Fred Hartman, then I-45. The beach day.
• Kemah Boardwalk — about 35 minutes down 146. The other beach day, without the sand.
• NASA / Space Center Houston — about 40 minutes; Clear Lake is on the way to Kemah.
• Sylvan Beach, La Porte — 25 minutes over the bridge; the nearest sand.
• The San Jacinto Monument — 20 minutes with the ferry wait; the crossing itself is a few minutes — under three by the historical commission's count, seven to ten in wind and traffic by the Chronicle's.
• Mont Belvieu — 10 minutes up 146. Highlands — 15. Crosby — 25.
• Anahuac and the wildlife refuge — 35 minutes east on I-10 for the alligators.
• Beaumont and Port Arthur — an hour and a quarter east; the crews know the road.
• Lake Houston — 30 minutes north through Crosby for the boat.
• Austin — three hours. San Antonio, three and a half. Dallas, four and a half. The rest of Texas is a decision.

The two things that change every number

Shift change at the plants — early morning and late afternoon — puts everyone on 146 and Garth at once; the side streets and the U-turns are the workaround. And the bridge: when the Fred Hartman closes for wind, the only way south is the ferry, which means the only way south is a line. Check the Living Here page before a Galveston run in a norther.

Transit

Harris County Transit runs a few routes in town and a park-and-ride to Houston; the schedule is on the getting-around page. Rideshare works from the hotel row and downtown and thins out after ten. It's a car town; plan accordingly.

Questions people ask

Is Baytown a suburb of Houston? Geographically, an exurb; culturally, its own town with its own economy. Can I commute to downtown Houston? Forty-five minutes on a good day, an hour and a quarter on a bad one; the park-and-ride exists. Which airport? Hobby for Southwest, IAH for everything else; the times are close enough to pick by fare.

En español

¿Qué tan lejos está Baytown? Houston, 35 a 45 minutos por la I-10; el aeropuerto Hobby, 35 a 55; Bush (IAH), 40 a 45; Galveston, 50 por la 146 y el puente; Kemah, 35; NASA, 40; Sylvan Beach en La Porte (la playa más cercana), 25; Mont Belvieu, 10; el monumento de San Jacinto, 20 con la espera del ferry. Sume veinte minutos en el cambio de turno y una hora si el puente Fred Hartman está cerrado por viento. Es una ciudad de carro.