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The second city of a country is the city that is (or was) the second-most important, usually after the capital or first city, according to some criteria.

Criteria for second city status include population size, economic or commercial importance, political importance or some cultural sense. Since it is often difficult to draw a precise boundary where cities end, deciding which city is second in a country is not always straightforward. If the cultural definition is used, then the choice of second city is highly subjective and a matter of opinion rather than fact. In many countries, more than one city might have a legitimate claim to being second city, depending on the definition or criteria used.

It is also believed, rightly or wrongly, that the second city assumes the role of capital city (as seat of government, market trading, etc.) if the capital were to be compromised by invasion or insurrection.

Australia

In Australia, Melbourne is sometimes referred to as the second city, behind the largest city Sydney (although neither is the national capital; this is the comparatively small Canberra; compare to New York City, Washington D. C. and Chicago in the United States, or Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia in Brazil). Sydney and Melbourne are both state capitals.

The postcodes for the state capitals are roughly in order of population size.

Sydney 2000 Canberra 2600 - since it lies within the state of New South Wales. Melbourne 3000 Brisbane 4000 Adelaide 5000 Perth 6000 Hobart 7000

The Postcode 1000 was not originally used. Thus Sydney 2000 looks to be a second city, but on closer inspection is the top city.

Canada

In Canada, Toronto was referred to as the second city before the late 1970s when it overtook Montreal in population and the centre of the financial industry moved from St. James Street to Bay Street.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the idea of a 'second city' arose during the Industrial Revolution. Birmingham has generally been considered the second city since around the First World War. More recently, others have claimed that Manchester deserves the distinction. (Many Birmingham residents agree, with the tongue-in-cheek stipulation that Birmingham be the 'First City'.)

Glasgow and Liverpool each also had a claim to being the second city of the UK or indeed of the entire British Empire. Both cities were prominent because of their economic importance, especially the central role which they played in overseas trade. Other UK cities with minor claims to ancient second or even capital city status include Lincoln, York, Norwich, Winchester and Hamwick (now in Southampton).

United States

In the United States, the term is a nickname for Chicago, because for most of its history was second both in population and in cultural influence to New York City (although Los Angeles overtook Chicago to become the second-largest city in the 1980s). Chicago still remains an important cultural and business capital in the United States.

In the years prior to the American Revolution, Philadelphia was the second-largest English-speaking city in the British Empire after London.

Other countries

Cities

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Second city".

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