The City of San Antonio is the seventh most populous city in the United States and the second most populous city in Texas, with a population of 1,547,253. It is the seat of Bexar County and includes portions of the surrounding counties. San Antonio is the center of the San Antonio–New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area. Commonly referred to as Greater San Antonio, the metropolitan area has a population of over 2.5 million based on the 2019 U.S. census estimate, making it the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the United States and third-largest in Texas. San Antonio was founded in 1718 as a Spanish colonial mission and fortress. It became the first chartered civil settlement in present-day Texas in 1731. The city is home to five Fortune 500 companies and the South Texas Medical Center, the only medical research and care provider in the South Texas region.