Who wouldn’t want to be sisters with Paris, especially in the spring?
© Meredith Mullins

It’s Not a Dull and Boring World

A story that features the words dull and boring can still show promise. We begin with a tale of two cities. Sister cities—Dull, Scotland, and Boring, Oregon.

This particular familial friendship (also called town twinning in Europe) was based on the humorous pairing of their town names. They even added a third city to the clan, creating a celebratory menage à trois. Bland, Australia was invited into the partnership, launching a possible new trend of town tripleting.

Due to the media attention and the increased tourism, these towns are now anything but dull, boring, and bland.

Welcome to Dull, with a side of Boring (and a hint of Bland).
© Gannett77/iStock

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Cultures

There are many reasons to seek a city-to-city partnership. Just as in A Tale of Two Cities, it is during the best of times and the worst of times that these bonds are formed.

The most noble reasons for city sisterhood are to promote understanding among different cultures and to build a foundation for world peace—whether during times of prosperity or times of crisis.

Cities also bond over a common name, similarities in size and demographics, shared history, related industries, trade relationships, tourism opportunities, or cultural links.

Jackson, Mississippi, became a sister city with M’Bour, Senegal,
to open new doors to educational and cultural exchange.
© Meredith Mullins

Led by a Saint

The earliest known city partnership in Europe was between Paderborn, Germany, and Le Mans, France, in 836. These cities had little in common other than an “eternal brotherhood” of two Catholic dioceses, both paying tribute to Saint Liborius.

Liborius was the Bishop of Le Mans for 49 years. After his death—and perhaps due to word of miracles near his tomb—his relics were requested to be brought to Paderborn. They traveled via an 800-kilometer procession, which, if led by a peacock as legend has it, probably took quite a while.

Liborius has remained the patron saint there for more than 1000 years. The two dioceses continue to support each other today.

The relics of Saint Liborius are in the crypt of the beautiful Paderborn Cathedral.

Town Twinning

The first modern twinning agreement was between Keighley, England, and Poix-du-Nord, France, in 1920 following the end of WW I.

Keighley soldiers had been stationed in Poix-du-Nord and had seen the devastation to the town. They urged the town council to offer a twinning agreement as a gesture of solidarity. The townspeople raised funds to build a community center in Poix-du-Nord, which is still in use today (named the Keighley Center, so as not to forget their twin).

A sister-city quiz: Who is pictured here—Toledo, Spain, or Toledo, Ohio?

Another historic early sister relationship was Toledo, Ohio, with Toledo, Spain, in 1931. Perhaps the seed was planted in the late 1800s when Spanish Toledo gave a gift of two quality steel swords to American Toledo. Although, the name match was a vibrant part of the connection, the relationship grew deeper, with frequent student, athletic, and artistic exchange delegations.

The interactions were interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, WW II, and a period of Spanish political isolation, but the relationship continues in many new ways, as both cities undergo revitalization changes. They renew their vows at every anniversary: “Long Live the Spirit of the Two Toledos.”

The Toledo sister relationship started with a gift from Spain of the famous Toledo steel swords.
© ahau1969/iStock

International Momentum for Sister Cities

The idea of twinned towns and sister cities gained momentum in 1956 when Dwight D. Eisenhower created a U.S. nonprofit called Sister Cities International. The organization focused on pairing cities as a way to heal the wounds of WW II and to encourage trade and tourism to bolster the economy.

Sister Cities International keeps a member log, where you can find who is paired with whom in the world today. They also can help a city or town find a sister if guidance is needed (yes, there is a cities-seeking-cities personal page). Who would have thought that a city could be a lonely single?

Sunny film-loving city on the French Riviera—single—seeks a sister city
for long-term relationship focusing on cultural exchange.
© Pascvii/Pixabay

For example, when the French Riviera town of Cannes was searching for a sister, the organization offered a pair with, who else? Beverly Hills, California. Both are known as havens for the rich and film-famous.

Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills has some similarity to the La Croisette walkway in Cannes.

Sister Cities—Is Monogamy Possible?

Some cities are hungry for relationships. They are seeking a larger family, embracing sisters from many parts of the world to expand their cultural awareness and tourism or trade opportunities.

San Francisco has 20 sister cities. Los Angeles has 25. Barcelona has 22. These are popular places— sister city influencers. But the big winner is Saint Petersburg, Russia, with 63.

Saint Petersburg, Russia, wins the sister popularity contest.
© Yulenochekk/iStock

These proud high achievers boast of their global reach with signs in the city centers pointing to all their sisters (and the mileage distance to reach each).

A street sign in Los Angeles points to some of its sister cities.
© Tupungato/iStock

Among Europe’s twin towns, there is one noted monogamous relationship. Since 1956, Rome and Paris have been exclusively twinned with each other. Their proclamation: “Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris.”

However, this exclusivity doesn’t seem to bar them from adding sister cities or partner cities. Paris is a sister/partner city to Prague, Tokyo, Athens, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., among others. Rome is a partner to Buenos Aires, Sydney, and Madrid.

Exclusive twins—Paris and Rome—share layers of history.
© Meredith Mullins

Perfect Matches and Odd Couples

Some pairings have an obvious connection. Some sisters have similarities that exist beneath the surface. And some couples are just odd.

Indianapolis, Indiana, and Monza, Italy, are sisters in speed. The Indy 500 is famous in America and the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (Italian Grand Prix) is famous in Monza. A relationship was inevitable. The Italian-American community in Indianapolis was also a part of the equation.

Agra, India, and Petra, Jordan, are connected by some of the world’s wonders. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal and Petra is known for its archeological sites.

Places offering the world’s treasures often seek each other out as sister cities.
© Meredith Mullins

Cuzco, Peru, and Xi’an, China, are also well paired and linked by UNESCO status.  Cuzco is a stepping stone for Machu Picchu and Xi’an for the Terracotta Army.

A cultural exchange with two world-treasure sites yields high travel dividends.

Digging Deeper

Sonoma, California, and Chambolle-Musigny, France, are united in an appreciation of terroir and fine wine. Who would win the blind tasting? It’s difficult to say, but perhaps everyone’s a winner when you’re talking about the elegance of Pinot Noir.

Would your sister city choice be based on a horse’s head?
© Maky Orel/Pixabay

Horseheads, New York, and Nakagawa, Japan, are linked in an equine way. A Japanese man from Bato-machi (which translates from Japanese to horse head) saw Horseheads on a map and encouraged his local government to “friend” them. The official sister city designation was awarded. Bato-machi became a part of the larger city Nakagawa, but the relationship remains intact

Sometimes one person’s footsteps are present in both sister cities’ history. Monterey, California, is a sister to Lleida/Lérida, Spain because the Spanish expedition leader, Don Gaspar de Portolá, born in Lleida, was one of the founders of Monterey (as well as San Diego).

De Portolá became the first governor of the Californias (Alta California and Baja California under Mexican rule) from 1768–1770, and later in 1776 Monterey became its capital. A statue and many building names in Monterey are reminders of de Portolá’s important influence.

Lleida/Lérida, Spain—the birthplace of Gaspar de Portolá
© Geertwillemarck/Pixabay

The sister liaison of Amritsar, India, and Bakersfield, California, is, at first glance, a mystery. Bakersfield sits in the desert-like San Joaquin Valley, an agricultural and oil hub near Los Angeles. Amritsar is near the Pakistani border, and home of The Golden Temple.

The common denominator is a connection to the Sikh religion. Bakersfield has an active Sikh community. Amritsar is the holiest city for Sikhism.

The generosity of the Sikh community is present, whether in Bakersfield or Amritsar.
© Meredith Mullins

Timbuktu, Mali, and Tempe, Arizona, became sisters as a part of a large-scale humanitarian effort. And, often, when a natural disaster or political issues disrupt a city, the sister is there to help.

Break-Ups Happen

Good sister karma cannot always last forever. Sometimes the relationship is terminated for ethical or political reasons. Prague ended its sisterhood with Saint Petersburg and Moscow because of Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.

Prague broke up with Saint Petersburg for ethical reasons.
© Felix Mittermeier/Pixabay

Laguna Niguel, California, put its sister relationship with Al Qa’im, Iraq, on hold after the Iraqi town was taken over by ISIS.

And sometimes a sister city goes dark for years when politics enter the picture. (Minsk hasn’t returned phone calls to one sister in years.)

Thinking Globally: The OIC Moment

Do you know the sister city/cities of the place you live? A better understanding of a sister and the reasons for the pairing will surely enhance your knowledge of home.

More to the point . . . if you could choose someone—anyone—for your sister, how would you decide? Someone with shared roots? Common interests? A best friend? An exotic stranger? A strategic partner? Someone you can count on in times of need and in times of celebration, even from afar?

Who would you choose for your sister city or twinned town to continue this quest for world peace and better human understanding?

As you think about the answer, you’ll open a window to the world . . . and to yourself.

For more information on sister cities, visit Sister Cities International.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.