Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the Southern United States. It serves as the county seat of Harris County and is located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers a total area of 640.4 square miles and functions as the southeastern anchor of the Texas Triangle megaregion.
With a population of 2.3 million according to the 2020 census, Houston is the fourth-most populous city in the United States. It is the ninth largest city in the country and holds the distinction of being the largest U.S. city whose municipal government is not consolidated with a county, parish, or borough. While primarily situated within Harris County, portions of the city extend into Fort Bend and Montgomery counties.
The Greater Houston metropolitan area has a population of 7.8 million residents, making it the second-most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the fifth-most populous in the nation.