Saint-Étienne (; ; Saint Stephen) is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon. Saint-Étienne is the capital of the Loire department and has a population of approximately 178,500 in the city itself and over 508,000 in the metropolitan area (2011).