Distances from Miami, FL to nearby cities and major US destinations

Reachable places are rarely spread evenly around a town, and they are not around Miami, FL. Of everything above twenty thousand people within three hours' drive, the largest share — 47 of 77 — lies to the north, with 11 to the northwest. Only 8 sit to the west. That asymmetry is usually geography rather than road building: coastline, a state line, mountains or simply empty country in one direction and settlement in another.

77 of those places are in Florida and 0 are across a state line, which matters more than the mileage does. Speed limits, phone rules and what you may do at a red light are all set state by state, so a drive of the same length can be governed by two sets of rules or by one. The state-by-state differences are set out separately.

The major-city list below spans a wide range: Tampa, FL is about 238 miles out, roughly 3 hr 58 min of driving, while Los Angeles, CA is around 2,746 miles — a different order of trip entirely, and one to plan in stages rather than as a day. 4 of the 10 routes below have a page of their own, with the towns along the way and how flying compares.

One thing none of these figures account for: the distance is the same in both directions but the drive often is not. A route that climbs on the way out descends on the way back, rush hour is in one direction in the morning and the other in the evening, and a mountain pass can be open one way and closed the other in winter. The estimate here is symmetrical because the road is; the day is not. For a long haul out of Miami, FL, the road safety guides cover the part the mileage leaves out.