The movement of economic activity to the suburbs is well documented for North American cities. However, does this necessarily mean the death of downtowns and of centrality? After reviewing relevant literature, we carry out an analysis for 32 metropolitan areas for the period 1980-1995, based on the postulate that the ratio (downtown/suburbs) of prices for comparable office space is a good indicator of centrality. We do not observe a generalized tendency towards downtown decline. Prices in downtown generally remain higher, even where important secondary centers are present. We observe major differences between cities and regions, specifically between Canadian and U.S. cities.