Lancaster is a city in the South Central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is the county seat of Lancaster County. With a population of 55,351, it is the eighth largest city in Pennsylvania, behind Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Bethlehem, and Scranton. The metropolitan area population stands at 494,486 making it the 101st largest metropolitan area in the US. Locally, Lancaster is pronounced /ˈlæŋkɨstər/(LANK-ister), rather than the wider American pronunciation.