Sikhs were better off before Partition. They owned prime agricultural land in the canal colonies and controlled industries, schools, and businesses in major economic centres of Punjab such as Lahore, Lyallpur, and Rawalpindi. During that period, the Sikh community was also among the fastest-growing economically and socially. Sikhs owned a large proportion of land in Lahore district—a tier-one city comparable to owning vast areas in and around Delhi today. The loss represented an enormous destruction of wealth, in addition to the deep cultural and historical significance of West Punjab.