Houston (/ˈhjuːstən/ (About this sound listen) HYOO-stən) is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2016 population of 2.303 million[5][6] within an area of 667 square miles (1,730 km2),[7] it is also the largest city in the southern United States[8] and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the principal city of the Greater Houston metro area, which is the fifth-most populated MSA in the United States.