2911: Chicago as the "Second City" Dec 10, 2024

Chicago is still called "The Second City" despite losing the title of America's second-largest city to Los Angeles four decades ago, in 1984. The descriptive term “second city” is used for lots of other countries’ cities, like Birmingham in the UK or Marseille in France, but those have shifted over the decades, unlike with Chicago. Part of the reason is simply that people got used to this nickname. 

Many will say it has nothing to do with population, and rather the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Then, when the city was largely destroyed and rebuilt, it became a symbol of resilience. Moreover, Chicago was not at all the second largest city—though it was growing rapidly, and incorporating surrounding areas into the municipality. The problem with this story is that the first use of Chicago as the Second city was in 1952, some seven decades later. The nickname "The Second City" is still in use, despite its inaccuracy and likely mythical origin.