Sister Cities & Twinned Cities — International

Every U.S. city in our collection and its sister cities & twin cities partners abroad — partner names in their local language. 55 carry a formal sister-city tie and 159 of 159 towns carry an international connection in all. Plan a trip, trace your roots, or wear your city. Tap any name to explore its collection — shop, history, travel and more.

Sister Cities · Twinned Cities · Town Twinning · 姉妹都市 · 자매도시 · ciudades hermanas · villes jumelles · città gemellate · Partnerstädte · cidades irmãs · cathracha deartháireacha

≈ marks an Affinity City — an informal, aspirational kinship (shared character, art, wine, coast or namesake), not a formal twinning.

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A sister city is a formal, long-term partnership between two towns in different countries — the same bond Britain calls town twinning and Europe knows as twinned cities: villes jumelées, Partnerstädte, ciudades hermanas, città gemellate. Twinned cities trade students, festivals, business delegations, and decades of friendship.

This index lists every international connection for the 159 U.S. towns in our collection. Unmarked entries are formal sister-city or twinning ties; entries marked ≈ are affinity cities — informal kinships of shared character, art, wine, coast, or namesake.

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Quick Facts

  • 159 U.S. towns and cities across six states appear in this index.
  • Together they carry 366 international partnerships spanning 20 countries.
  • 55 of the 159 towns hold formal sister-city ties — 158 formal links to 150 partner cities, from Chitose, Japan to Whitehorse, Canada.
  • The remaining towns carry affinity kinships — 208 informal connections marked ≈ below.

Featured Sister-City Pairings

  • San Francisco, CA — its sister-city network began with Osaka, Japan in October 1957, San Francisco’s first, and grew to include Paris, Seoul, Cork, Kiel, Barcelona, and Assisi.
  • San Diego, CA — Yokohama, Japan became San Diego’s first sister city on October 29, 1957, one of the first pairings on the West Coast, commemorated by the Friendship Bell on Shelter Island.
  • Los Angeles, CA — Nagoya, Japan became Los Angeles’s first sister city in 1959, the first pairing for both cities; Bordeaux, Busan, Berlin, Ischia, and Vancouver followed.
  • Fort Worth, TX — twinned on November 9, 1987 with Nagaoka, Japan, the fireworks capital of Japan, whose fireworks have lit Fort Worth celebrations ever since.
  • Austin, TX — seven formal sister cities on three continents; the Ôita, Japan tie, signed in 1990, grew from semiconductor plants and university exchanges in both cities.
  • Houston, TX — formal ties in seven countries: Nice, Chiba, Ulsan, Aberdeen, Leipzig, Huelva, and Tampico.
  • Dallas, TX — formal sisters with Dijon, France; Sendai, Japan; and Valencia, Spain.
  • San Antonio, TX — six formal sisters, including Kumamoto, Gwangju, Darmstadt, Monterrey, and two Spanish cities.
  • Sacramento, CA — formal sisters with Matsuyama, Japan and Yongsan (Seoul), South Korea.
  • Tampa, FL — formal ties with Le Havre, France; South Dublin, Ireland; Oviedo, Spain; and Agrigento, Italy.
  • Clearwater, FL — formal sister of Nagano, Japan since 1959: a Gulf beach town paired with a Japanese Olympic mountain city.
  • Juneau, AK — Alaska’s capital is sister to Whitehorse, capital of Canada’s Yukon: Gold Rush neighbors a border apart.
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Sister Cities & Town Twinning FAQ

What is a sister city?

A sister city is a formal, officially recognized partnership between two communities in different countries, usually approved by both city governments. The pairing commits the towns to ongoing cultural, educational, and economic exchange — students, festivals, delegations, and trade — rather than a one-time gesture.

What is town twinning?

Town twinning is the international name for the same bond: two towns “twinned” across borders. Americans usually say sister cities; Britain and Europe say twinned cities or twin towns — villes jumelées in French, Partnerstädte in German, città gemellate in Italian, ciudades hermanas in Spanish.

What is the difference between a formal sister city and an affinity city?

A formal sister city is a signed, official agreement between two cities. An affinity city — marked ≈ in this index — is an informal, aspirational kinship of shared character, art, wine, coast, or namesake, not a formal twinning. Fifty-five of our 159 towns hold formal ties; every town carries at least one international connection.

How are sister cities chosen?

Cities usually pair over something they share: immigrant roots, a common industry, similar landscapes, universities, or postwar reconciliation. Local committees propose the match, both city governments approve it, and the tie is signed as a lasting agreement — many partnerships in this index have run for decades.

Why do sister cities matter?

Sister cities turn hometown pride into human relationships: student exchanges, cultural festivals, trade visits, and friendships that span oceans. The modern movement grew out of the postwar people-to-people idea that ordinary citizens — not governments — build lasting peace, one paired town at a time.

Sister-city data compiled from municipal, consular, and state sister-city directories; partner names shown in local language with English in parentheses where they differ. Tags: inactive / historic / emeritus / partner region / department / county-level. © Merlin Classics — retro & vintage US city apparel. Wear Local. Feed Local. Stay Classic.