11.  Among American cities, Atlanta was rated No. 2 in philanthropic efforts, behind Minneapolis, in the Chronicle's 1994 survey.

12.  As far as American cities go, Philadelphia is well past middle age.

13.  As American cities continue to recover from their long period of decay and demoralization, a new group is hoping to accelerate the comeback.

14.  Do you call the possible bluff, resolutely defending our interests abroad at the risk of losing an American city?

15.  Eighty-five years later, however, American cities were reaping the smoggy harvest of millions of internal combustion engines.

16.  During 12 years in the congressional leadership, I visited maybe 200 American cities with local congressmen.

17.  Even by the standards of most big American cities, Oklahoma City's center is still disconcertingly empty.

18.  Even Detroit's crime rate, while still high among American cities, has begun to inch down.

19.  Even among American cities, New York was not the initial front-runner for the U.N.'s permanent home.

20.  Eight-five Russians wanted to find out, spending a month as interns at small- and medium-sized businesses in 11 American cities.