Syracuse ( SIRR-ə-kewz, SERR-, -kewss) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13th-most populated municipality in the state of New York. Formally established in 1820, Syracuse was named after the classical Greek city Syracuse (Siracusa in Italian), a city on the eastern coast of the Italian island of Sicily, for its similar natural features. It has historically functioned as a major crossroads, first between the Erie Canal and its branch canals, then of the railway network. Today, the city is at the intersection of Interstates 81 and 90, and its airport is the largest in Central New York, a five-county region of over one million inhabitants. Syracuse is the economic and educational hub of Central New York. It hosts a number of convention sites, including a large downtown convention complex, and is home to prominent institutions such as Syracuse University, SUNY Upstate Medical University, SUNY ESF, and Le Moyne College.