What's the second most powerful city in France (people, bank, travel)

[vivardi007]

Paris seems to dominate everything. What's the second most important city for France? Not necessarily in term os GDP or population, but in terms of general importance. Lyon? Marseille? Toulous?

[Douglas Dakota]

Hmm... not easy to say, I think Marseille and Lyon are more or less equal. Due to economic terms (port, gate to corsica and the mediterranean sea) I would see Marseille a little step ahead.

[Chris82]

I'd say Lyon - it has both a strong banking and pharmaceutial industry, which makes it more robust than Marseille, in my opinion.

[Minato ku]

Lyon by far.
The city has a bigger metropolitan area and a bigger and stronger economy. It is also a bigger transportation hub than MArseille.

[Nanty]

Lyon of course

For me :
1.Paris
2.Lyon
3.Toulouse
4.Marseille
5.Lille

[Avondrood]

I'll also have to go with Lyon: it's a major financial and industrial center.

[Tiger Beer]

Interesting thread.

As its so seldom we even hear of any other city in France besides Paris.

[slowlane3]

In the 1800s France built its railway system with Paris strongly at the hub, so that (at least for many decades) travelers had to go through Paris to get almost anywhere else -- even to travel between 2 southern cities they would have to go far north and then back south again. There were few direct lines that did not go through Paris. Nearly all French intellectuals and other prominent people lived in Paris. A long-ago book that criticized this Paris-centrism was titled as I recall, "Paris et le desert Francais." (Paris and the French desert).

[Douglas Dakota]

Hmm maybe you all convinced me that Lyon is more powerful than Marseille. I always thought the countries largest port migth be very important to France.

However I have only been to Paris, Nice, Toulouse, Avignon and Strassbourg yet.

[Minato ku]

Lyon