Located at the gateway to the Texas Hill Country, San Marcos was recognized as the fastest growing city in the U.S from 2013 to 2015. It is midway between the two major metros of San Antonio and Austin. The spring-fed San Marcos River provides a refreshing playground for swimming, canoeing, tubing, and glass bottom boat rides at the Aquarena Center. San Marcos is the seat of Hays County and is home to Texas State University, the seventh-largest university in Texas and an Emerging Research University with more than 38,000 students. San Marcos also claims the most parkland per capita of any city in the Austin-Round Rock MSA. San Marcos attracts millions of domestic and international visitors to its outlet malls and is home to brand-name companies like Amazon, Best Buy, H-E-B and a host of innovative start-ups.