Beaumont (/ˈboʊmɒnt/ BOH-mont) is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census making it the twenty-fourth most populous city in the state of Texas. Beaumont's early history was centered around the lumber, farming, and port industries. A big change occurred in 1901 with the Spindletop gusher. The area transformed into one of the major petro-chemical refining areas in the country.