diff --git a/doc/api/api_changes/2015-08-17-JRE.rst b/doc/api/api_changes/2015-08-17-JRE.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0f15fbac4852
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/api/api_changes/2015-08-17-JRE.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+ Preserve units with Text position
+ `````````````````````````````````
+
+Previously the 'get_position' method on Text would strip away unit information
+even though the units were still present.  There was no inherent need to do
+this, so it has been changed so that unit data (if present) will be preserved.
+Essentially a call to 'get_position' will return the exact value from a call to
+'set_position'.
+
+If you wish to get the old behaviour, then you can use the new method called
+'get_unitless_position'.
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/text.py b/lib/matplotlib/text.py
index 92f17a4c9f8f..cd0ddb570c18 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/text.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/text.py
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ def contains(self, mouseevent):
 
     def _get_xy_display(self):
         'get the (possibly unit converted) transformed x, y in display coords'
-        x, y = self.get_position()
+        x, y = self.get_unitless_position()
         return self.get_transform().transform_point((x, y))
 
     def _get_multialignment(self):
@@ -536,8 +536,8 @@ def update_bbox_position_size(self, renderer):
 
             trans = self.get_transform()
 
-            # don't use self.get_position here, which refers to text position
-            # in Text, and dash position in TextWithDash:
+            # don't use self.get_unitless_position here, which refers to text
+            # position in Text, and dash position in TextWithDash:
             posx = float(self.convert_xunits(self._x))
             posy = float(self.convert_yunits(self._y))
 
@@ -877,12 +877,20 @@ def get_horizontalalignment(self):
         """
         return self._horizontalalignment
 
-    def get_position(self):
-        "Return the position of the text as a tuple (*x*, *y*)"
+    def get_unitless_position(self):
+        "Return the unitless position of the text as a tuple (*x*, *y*)"
+        # This will get the position with all unit information stripped away.
+        # This is here for convienience since it is done in several locations.
         x = float(self.convert_xunits(self._x))
         y = float(self.convert_yunits(self._y))
         return x, y
 
+    def get_position(self):
+        "Return the position of the text as a tuple (*x*, *y*)"
+        # This should return the same data (possible unitized) as was
+        # specified with 'set_x' and 'set_y'.
+        return self._x, self._y
+
     def get_prop_tup(self):
         """
         Return a hashable tuple of properties.
@@ -891,7 +899,7 @@ def get_prop_tup(self):
         want to cache derived information about text (e.g., layouts) and
         need to know if the text has changed.
         """
-        x, y = self.get_position()
+        x, y = self.get_unitless_position()
         return (x, y, self.get_text(), self._color,
                 self._verticalalignment, self._horizontalalignment,
                 hash(self._fontproperties),
@@ -950,7 +958,7 @@ def get_window_extent(self, renderer=None, dpi=None):
             raise RuntimeError('Cannot get window extent w/o renderer')
 
         bbox, info, descent = self._get_layout(self._renderer)
-        x, y = self.get_position()
+        x, y = self.get_unitless_position()
         x, y = self.get_transform().transform_point((x, y))
         bbox = bbox.translated(x, y)
         if dpi is not None:
@@ -1365,12 +1373,20 @@ def __init__(self,
 
         #self.set_bbox(dict(pad=0))
 
-    def get_position(self):
-        "Return the position of the text as a tuple (*x*, *y*)"
+    def get_unitless_position(self):
+        "Return the unitless position of the text as a tuple (*x*, *y*)"
+        # This will get the position with all unit information stripped away.
+        # This is here for convienience since it is done in several locations.
         x = float(self.convert_xunits(self._dashx))
         y = float(self.convert_yunits(self._dashy))
         return x, y
 
+    def get_position(self):
+        "Return the position of the text as a tuple (*x*, *y*)"
+        # This should return the same data (possibly unitized) as was
+        # specified with set_x and set_y
+        return self._dashx, self._dashy
+
     def get_prop_tup(self):
         """
         Return a hashable tuple of properties.
@@ -1402,7 +1418,7 @@ def update_coords(self, renderer):
         with respect to the actual canvas's coordinates we need to map
         back and forth.
         """
-        dashx, dashy = self.get_position()
+        dashx, dashy = self.get_unitless_position()
         dashlength = self.get_dashlength()
         # Shortcircuit this process if we don't have a dash
         if dashlength == 0.0: