Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 38,548 as of the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area.It is located approximately 70 miles north of Houston in the East Texas Piney Woods on Interstate 45, which runs between Houston and Dallas. Huntsville is home to Sam Houston State University, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Huntsville State Park, and HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas. The city served as the residence of Sam Houston, who is recognized in Huntsville by the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and a statue on Interstate 45.