Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968. Consolidation greatly increased its population relative to its extended size which placed most of its metropolitan population within the city limits. As of July 2022, Jacksonville's population was 971,319, making it the most populous city in the Southeastern United States and the largest in the South outside the state of Texas. With a population of 1,733,937, the Jacksonville metropolitan area ranks as Florida's fourth-largest metropolitan region. The metropolitan area consists of Clay County, St. Johns County, Nassau County, and Baker County.