Third City?

For years, Chicago and Los Angeles have been locked in a kind of wrestling match over which one is second only to New York in size and influence. But Chicago may now be caught in a Golden State bear hug from which it cannot escape. Statistically speaking, the Windy City may no longer be America's second city. A new population tally, conducted by Los Angeles officials but thought to be reliable, puts Los Angeles ahead by 36,222, or 3,041,294 to Chicago's 3,005,072. Not imperiled is Chicago's enduring sense of superiority over Los Angeles. Asserts Joseph Harmon, president of Chicago's convention and tourism bureau: "The bottom line is people know they can come here and still make a buck." Sniffed Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Mike Royko: "So, a buffalo chip is bigger than a diamond." But at least one Chicagoan has already adapted to reality. Three years ago Tricia Fox opened the Second City Day School. Now she has seven and calls them the Fox Day Schools. "I didn't want to change the name every time the city slipped," she says. "Besides, Third or Fourth City Day School just doesn't sound right." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.