Sister Cities Have Lasting Roots

The Sister Cities program in America was started in 1956 by President Dwight Eisenhower. It has sense continued to grow, fostering community involvement and local governments into beneficial relationships.

In Europe, the term is more commonly know as Twin Towns. Germany formed an unofficial early pairing in 1836 with its city Paderborn to French city Le Mans. It later became official in 1967. In 1930, the first official pairing was between Wiesbaden, Germany and Klagenfurt, Austria.

Europe kicked it all off after World War II in an effort to promote closer understanding of one another. The purpose was to create mutually beneficial programs across governments and borders. With the same idea and intentions, the U.S. paired with the People's Republic of China in 1979 with its city of San Francisco, California and Shanghai, China. China now has several Sister Cities in the U.S.

It goes beyond pen-pal type relationships, however. Some Sister Cities help with basic urban planning and human health problems like sanitation, housing and clean drinking water. This is done under the Technical Assistance Program of 1977. Japan has sent rice, Germany has trained in technical apprenticeships, and the U.S. has assisted in joint-venture businesses in Russia and China--just to name a few. There is always a two-way street of assisting and aiding communities, especially in urban areas.

My relative, who worked for the Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama, was invited to her Sister City in Japan where she stayed in a private home and was automatically immersed into the culture. It had a profound effect. She came away with a better understanding of Japanese culture, food and a society that wastes nothing.

Sister Cities develop their relationships in various ways. Some are close neighbors like Juneau, Alaska and Whitehorse, Canada. Others share a common bond through the arts like Beverly Hills, California and Cannes, France. Climates may be a tad bit similar, such as with Denver, Colorado and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Or Clearwater, Florida and Nagano, Japan. Honolulu, Hawaii stayed tropical with San Juan, Puerto Rico. Peoria, Illinois preferred to stick with the same name, uniting with Peoria, Arizona. And then there's New York, whose cities could pair with just about anyone else's in the world. How about Cambridge with Scontrone, Italy.

Check with your city or county about Sister Cities and what type of citizen involvement they may offer. You may find some common history between the two. It's a great way to learn about culture and mutual understanding, some of the reasons it was all started in the first place.