Stuttgart stretches across a variety of hills (some of them covered with vineyards), valleys, and parks – a landscape uncommon for a German city. This often surprises visitors, who primarily associate the city with its industrial reputation. Stuttgart holds the status of Stadtkreis, a form of self-governing urban district. Additionally, it serves as the seat of the state legislature, the regional parliament, the local council, and the Protestant State Church in Württemberg.

In 2010, Stuttgart ranked 30th globally in the Mercer Quality of Living Index and 7th in Germany, behind top-ranking cities such as Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, and Munich. Regarding economic and social innovation, Stuttgart was ranked 11th globally, 2nd in Germany after Hamburg, and 7th in Europe in 2009, based on a study of 256 cities.

The city's tourism slogan is “Stuttgart offers more”. According to current plans, the city aims to improve its transport links as part of the Stuttgart 21 project. In March 2008, the city unveiled a new logo and slogan, describing itself as “Das Neue Herz Europas” (“The New Heart of Europe”). In July 2010, Stuttgart introduced a new logo designed to attract more business professionals to stay in the city and enjoy short breaks or vacations in the area.

Stuttgart is also known as Schwabenmetropole (Swabian Metropolis) due to its location in the center of the Swabia region, as well as a reference to the Swabian dialect spoken by its native residents. In this dialect, the city's name is pronounced Schtugert or Schtuagerd. However, many non-Swabian Germans have moved to Stuttgart for economic reasons.

Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg, located in southern Germany. It is the sixth-largest city in Germany, with a population of 613,392 (December 2011), while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 5.3 million (2008). The Greater Stuttgart Metropolitan Region is the fourth largest in Germany, after the Rhine-Ruhr, Berlin/Brandenburg, and Frankfurt/Rhine-Main regions. The city lies at the center of a densely populated area and is surrounded by smaller towns. This region, known as the Stuttgart Region, has a population of 2.7 million, with the urban area housing approximately 1.8 million people.