Sister Cities and Twin Towns
How cities around the world adopt a twin. Thousands of cities have an official twin or sister city abroad. Here is how the idea grew, what the partnerships do and some of the most famous pairs.
Twin town signpost, Oskarshamn: Anchor2009, CC BY-SA 3.0
What is a twin town?
A twin town or sister city is a place that has made a formal friendship with a town in another country. The two councils sign an agreement, and then schools, sports clubs, artists, businesses and families visit each other and work on shared projects.
In Britain and much of Europe the usual term is twinning. In the United States the term sister city is more common, and in parts of Asia people speak of friendship cities. The idea is the same everywhere: get ordinary people to know each other across borders.
Schools often lead the way, with pen-pal letters, video calls and exchange trips between classrooms.
How it began
A few town partnerships existed early in the 20th century, but the idea really took off from the late 1940s onward, as towns in Europe set out to build friendship and understanding between their citizens. In the United States a national sister cities programme was launched in 1956.
Today there are thousands of partnerships worldwide. Many towns have several twins, and big cities can have dozens.
Famous pairs
Paris and Rome have a famously exclusive partnership: since 1956 each has been the other's only twin city, a gesture of how highly each city regards the other. Many places twin with a town of the same name, such as Toledo in Ohio and Toledo in Spain.
Signposts are a fun sign of twinning. Los Angeles, which has more than 20 sister cities, has displayed signposts pointing to partners from Mexico City to Lusaka to Guangzhou. Many small towns in Britain and France put a twin town's name right on the welcome sign at the edge of town.
Many twinnings are based on something the towns share, such as a river, a port, an industry or a university.
Why it still matters
Twinning gives young people a reason to travel and learn languages, helps local businesses find partners and brings festivals, music and food from far away to small communities. In an age of video calls it is easier than ever for classrooms in twin towns to meet.
If your town has a twin, look it up. There may be an exchange visit, a pen-pal scheme or a festival you can join, and a new friend waiting in a place you had never heard of.
Partnerships can be practical too. Twin towns swap know-how on recycling, public transport and tourism, and some raise money together for good causes.
- Twin town signpost, Oskarshamn: Anchor2009, CC BY-SA 3.0
Text written by Actual Twin.
