List of sister cities in Maryland

This is a list of sister states, regions, and cities in the U.S. state of Maryland. Sister cities, known in Europe as town twins, are cities which partner with each other to promote human contact and cultural links, although this partnering is not limited to cities and often includes counties, regions, states and other sub-national entities.

Many Maryland jurisdictions partner with foreign cities through Sister Cities International, an organization whose goal is to, "Promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation."[1] The first sister city relationship in Maryland, however, was between Salisbury, Maryland and Salisbury, England, and predated Sister Cities International. Sister cities interact with each other across a broad range of activities, from health care and education to business and the arts.[2] The partnerships in this list vary in how formalized their relationships are. Recently, a number of Maryland cities have partnered with cities in Estonia through a program developed by the Maryland National Guard after Estonia gained its independence from the Soviet Union.[3]

Sister states, regions and cities of Maryland

A major street in the city of Huainan, northern Anhui Province, one of Maryland's sister regions.
Maryland Jurisdiction Sister State, Region, or City Country Since
State of Maryland Anhui Province China 1980[4]
Tartu Estonia 2003[3]
Gyeongsangnam-do Province South Korea 1991[4]
Jalisco State Mexico 1993[4]
Kanagawa Prefecture Japan 1981[4]
Bong County Liberia 2007[4]
Maryland County Liberia 2007[4]
Łódź Province Poland 1993[4]
Nord-Pas de Calais France 1981[5]
State of Rio de Janeiro Brazil 1999[4]
Saint Petersburg
Leningrad Oblast		 Russia 1993[4][6]
Wallonia Region Belgium 1989[4]
County Cork Ireland

Sister cities of Maryland cities and counties

Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Maryland's sister state of Rio de Janeiro.
Devorgilla Bridge in Dumfries, Scotland, one of Annapolis' sister cities.
Unique architecture in Rotterdam, Baltimore's sister city in the Netherlands.
Rishon Le Zion on Israel's central coastal strip, sister city to Prince George's County.
A church in Paide, Estonia, sister city to Westminster, Maryland.
Maryland Jurisdiction Sister State, Region, or City Country Since
Annapolis Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia Canada 1980[7]
Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland United Kingdom 1987[8]
Karlskrona, Blekinge County Sweden 1994[7]
Newport, Wales United Kingdom 1982[7]
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 1982[7]
Redwood City, California US 1976[7]
Tallinn, Harju County Estonia 1999[7]
Wexford, County Wexford Ireland 1993[7]
Baltimore Alexandria, Alexandria Governorate Egypt 1995[9]
Ashkelon, South District Israel 2005[9]
Bremerhaven Germany 2007[9]
Gbarnga, Bong County Liberia 1973[9]
Genoa, Liguria Italy 1985[9]
Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture Japan 1978[9]
Luxor, Luxor Governorate Egypt 1981[9]
Odessa, Odessa Oblast Ukraine 1974[9]
Piraeus, Attica Greece 1982[9]
Rotterdam, South Holland Netherlands 1985[9]
Xiamen, Fujian China 1985[9]
Charles County Jõgeva, Jõgeva County Estonia 2012[10]
Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg Germany 2002
Columbia Cergy-Pontoise, Île-de-France France 1977[11]
Tres Cantos, Community of Madrid Spain 1990[11]
Cumberland Tapa, Lääne-Viru County Estonia 2000[12]
District Heights Mbuji-Mayi, Kasai-Oriental Province DR Congo 2008[13]
Thomonde, Centre Haiti
Frederick Aquiraz, Ceará Brazil 2006[14]
Mörzheim, Landau Germany 1982[15]
Schifferstadt, Rhineland-Palatinate Germany 1982[15]
Frostburg Viljandi, Viljandi County Estonia 2000[12]
Grantsville Tõrva, Valga County Estonia 2000[12]
Hagerstown Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany 1952[16]
Havre de Grace Sillamäe, Ida-Viru County Estonia 2000[12]
McHenry Otepää, Valga County Estonia 2000[12]
Montgomery County Gondar, Amhara Ethiopia
Morazán Department El Salvador 2011[17]
Oakland Tőrca, Valga County Estonia
Valga, Valga County Estonia 2000[12]
Ocean City Finale Ligure, Liguria Italy 1996[18]
Pärnu, Pärnu County Estonia 2003[19]
Prince George's County Rishon Le Zion, Center District Israel 1990[20]
Royal Bafokeng Nation, North West Province South Africa 1998[21]
Ziguinchor, Casamance Senegal 1987[22]
Riverdale Park Ipala, Chiquimula Guatemala 2008[23]
Rockville Jiaxing, Zhejiang China 2008[24]
Pinneberg, Schleswig-Holstein Germany 1957[25]
Salisbury Salisbury, Wiltshire, England United Kingdom 1932[26]
Tartu, Tartu County Estonia 1999[27]
Westminster Paide, Järva County Estonia 2002[28]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Mission and Goals". Sister Cities International. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  2. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Sister Cities International. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Teel, Mark. "Maryland-Estonia State Partnership Program". Estonian Advantage. American Chamber of Commerce in Estonia. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 "Maryland Sister State Program". Office of the Secretary of State of Maryland. Archived from the original on 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  5. ↑ Verbrugghe, Ginette (2002-06-21). "RAPPORT SUR LA POLITIQUE DE COOPERATION AU DEVELOPPEMENT ET DE SOLIDARITE INTERNATIONALE" (PDF). Région Nord-Pas de Calais. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  6. ↑ "Maryland will not sever 'Sister City' status with St. Petersburg over anti-LGBT law". Metro Weekly (Washington, D.C.). 9 August 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Kaley, Kevin (April 19, 1999). "Closer ties with sister cities?". Capital-Gazette Communications, Inc. The Capital (Annapolis, MD.).
  8. ↑ "Annapolis Tartan Day". City of Annapolis, MD. April 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 9.10 "Mayor's Office of International Affairs". City of Baltimore. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  10. ↑ "Charles County Commissioners Meeting Agenda". Southern Maryland Online. January 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "International Student Exchange - Sister Cities Program". The Columbia Association. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 "Mayor and City Council Year 2000 Minutes". City of Cumberland, MD. July 11, 2000. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  13. ↑ McGill, Natalie (24 April 2008). "District Heights, Congo city form relationship". The Gazette (Gaithersburg, Md.). Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  14. ↑ Mullen, Katharine (November 16, 2006). "City of Frederick gains a new sister city at ceremony tonight". The Gazette. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "August 3, 2003 City Council Minutes". City of Frederick, MD. August 3, 2003. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  16. ↑ "Augustoberfest". City of Hagerstown, MD. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  17. ↑ "Montgomery County & El Salvador Sister City Agreement". Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  18. ↑ "Council Meeting Minutes". Town of Ocean City, Maryland. October 4, 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  19. ↑ "Council Meeting Minutes". Town of Ocean City, Maryland. OctoNovember 12, 2003. Retrieved 2007-06-28. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ↑ "Rishon LeZion - One of a Large Family of "Twinned" Cities". Rishon LeZion. Archived from the original on 2007-06-24. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  21. ↑ Pierre, Robert (March 5, 1998). "Pr. George's Receives Royalty in Sisterly Relationship; County and Nation in South Africa Establish Ties". The Washington Post.
  22. ↑ "County Executive Returns From Successful Business Development and Goodwill Mission in Senegal". Prince George's County. March 28, 2005. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  23. ↑ McGill, Natalie (23 April 2009). "Riverdale Park and Ipala celebrate sister city partnership". The Gazette (Gaithersburg, Md.). Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  24. ↑ "Rockville to welcome another Sister City: Jiaxing, China". gazette.net. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  25. ↑ "Welcome". Rockville Sister City Corporation. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  26. ↑ "Delegation from Salisbury, England Visits SU". Salisbury University. September 27, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  27. ↑ "City Council Minutes". City of Salisbury, Maryland. May 24, 1999. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  28. ↑ "Westminster Maryland-Paide, Estonia Partner City Program". City of Westminster, Maryland. January 15, 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2007-07-07.