[Yuri]

1930's were horrible for the US. Depression messed up with its demographics in an unprecedented way. New York went reasonable well.

The real star, however, was Washington. Government has grown massively and give it a big advantage compared to the industrial cities of the North. That phenomenon happened all over the world, specially on post-war, as the state became big and more complex. And of course, the impact was bigger in capitals that aren't the biggest city: Washington itself, Brasília, Rome, etc.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I want to put the numbers to get later to make sure when New York surpassed London as world's largest metropolis, in 1930/1931 or in 1939/1940. As perceptions take time to change, specially so far in the past where info circulation was more limited, metro area definitions were a rare thing, London was perceived as world's largest throughout WWII.