The Auburn Metropolitan Area—officially the Auburn-Opelika, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area—is a metro area in east-central Alabama with a 2009 population of 135,883. It was the 19th fastest growing metro area in the United States between 1990 and 2000. The Auburn Metro area consists of Lee County, and includes the cities of Auburn (population 57,833), Opelika (population 27,443), and the northernmost portion of Phenix City (population 31,100).