Houston is located in the south eastern Texas, 50 miles inland from the Gulf Coast, The MSA encompasses a 10-county region at the head of the Houston Ship Channel, which links the city to the Gulf of Mexico.  Houston is an inland seaport and a major financial, distribution and manufacturing center for the southern United States.  The area’s terrain is level and drains into a number of bayous and canals.  Growth has sprawled into nearby counties, primarily to the north and west, making Houston the seventh largest MSA in the Nation.