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 edit

 
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 Voivodeship   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 edit

Maryland Jurisdiction Sister State, Region, or City Country Since
Annapolis Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia   Canada 1980[7]
Changsha, China   China Unknown[8]
Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway   Scotland, UK 1987[9][10]
Newport   Wales, UK 1982[7]
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro   Brazil 1982[7]
Tallinn, Harju County   Estonia 1999[7]
Wexford, County Wexford   Ireland 1993[7]
Baltimore Alexandria, Alexandria Governorate   Egypt 1995[11][12]
Ashkelon, Southern District   Israel 2005[11]
Bremerhaven   Germany 2007[11]
Changwon   South Korea 2018[12]
Gbarnga, Bong County   Liberia 1973[11]
Genoa, Liguria   Italy 1985[11]
Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture   Japan 1978[11]
Luxor, Luxor Governorate   Egypt 1981[11]
Odesa, Odesa Oblast   Ukraine 1974[11]
Piraeus, Attica   Greece 1982[11]
Rotterdam, South Holland   Netherlands 1985[11]
Xiamen, Fujian   China 1985[11]
Charles County Jõgeva, Jõgeva County   Estonia 2012[13]
Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg   Germany 2002
Columbia Cergy-Pontoise, Île-de-France   France 1977[14]
Tres Cantos, Community of Madrid   Spain 1990[14]
Cumberland Tapa, Lääne-Viru County   Estonia 2000[15]
District Heights Mbuji-Mayi, Kasai-Oriental Province   DR Congo 2008[16]
Thomonde, Centre   Haiti
Frederick Aquiraz, Ceará   Brazil 2006[17]
Mörzheim, Landau   Germany 1982[18]
Schifferstadt, Rhineland-Palatinate   Germany 1982[18]
Frostburg Viljandi, Viljandi County   Estonia 2000[15]
Grantsville Tõrva, Valga County   Estonia 2000[15]
Hagerstown Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia   Germany 1952[19]
Havre de Grace Sillamäe, Ida-Viru County   Estonia 2000[15]
McHenry Otepää, Valga County   Estonia 2000[15]
Montgomery County Gondar, Amhara   Ethiopia
Morazán Department   El Salvador 2011[20]
Oakland Tőrca, Valga County   Estonia
Valga, Valga County   Estonia 2000[15]
Ocean City Finale Ligure, Liguria   Italy 1996[21]
Pärnu, Pärnu County   Estonia 2003[22]
Prince George's County Rishon Le Zion, Central District   Israel 1990[23]
Royal Bafokeng Nation, North West Province   South Africa 1998[24]
Ziguinchor, Casamance   Senegal 1987[25]
Riverdale Park Ipala, Chiquimula   Guatemala 2008[26]
Rockville Jiaxing, Zhejiang ("friendly" relations)   China 2008[27]
Pinneberg, Schleswig-Holstein   Germany 1957[28]
Yilan City, Yilan County   Taiwan 2019[29]
Salisbury Salisbury, Wiltshire   England, UK 1932[30]
Tartu, Tartu County   Estonia 1999[31]
Salinas, Santa Elena   Ecuador 2017[32]
Westminster Paide, Järva County   Estonia 2002[33]

References edit

  1. ^ "Mission and Goals". Sister Cities International. Archived from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  2. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Sister Cities International. Archived from the original on June 15, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Teel, Mark. "Maryland-Estonia State Partnership Program". Estonian Advantage. American Chamber of Commerce in Estonia. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Maryland Sister State Program". Office of the Secretary of State of Maryland. Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  5. ^ Verbrugghe, Ginette (June 21, 2002). "RAPPORT SUR LA POLITIQUE DE COOPERATION AU DEVELOPPEMENT ET DE SOLIDARITE INTERNATIONALE" (PDF). Région Nord-Pas de Calais. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
  6. ^ "Maryland will not sever 'Sister City' status with St. Petersburg over anti-LGBT law". Metro Weekly. Washington, D.C. August 9, 2013. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e Kaley, Kevin (April 19, 1999). "Closer ties with sister cities?". Capital-Gazette Communications, Inc. The Capital (Annapolis, MD.).
  8. ^ "Maryland city gets 40,000 mask donations from Chinese city". Associated Press. August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  9. ^ "Annapolis Tartan Day". City of Annapolis, MD. April 3, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2007.
  10. ^ "Dumfries Male Voice choir celebrates 60 years". www.dailyrecord.co.uk. March 12, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Mayor's Office of International Affairs". City of Baltimore. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
  12. ^ a b "BALTIMORE SISTER CITIES". Baltimore Sister Cities. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "Charles County Commissioners Meeting Agenda". Southern Maryland Online. January 2012. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  14. ^ a b "International Student Exchange - Sister Cities Program". The Columbia Association. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "Mayor and City Council Year 2000 Minutes". City of Cumberland, MD. July 11, 2000. Archived from the original on October 11, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  16. ^ McGill, Natalie (April 24, 2008). "District Heights, Congo city form relationship". The Gazette. Gaithersburg, Md. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  17. ^ Mullen, Katharine (November 16, 2006). "City of Frederick gains a new sister city at ceremony tonight". The Gazette. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  18. ^ a b "August 3, 2003 City Council Minutes". City of Frederick, MD. August 3, 2003. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  19. ^ "Augustoberfest". City of Hagerstown, MD. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  20. ^ "Montgomery County & El Salvador Sister City Agreement". YouTube. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  21. ^ "Council Meeting Minutes". Town of Ocean City, Maryland. October 4, 2004. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  22. ^ "Council Meeting Minutes". Town of Ocean City, Maryland. November 12, 2003. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  23. ^ "Rishon LeZion - One of a Large Family of "Twinned" Cities". Rishon LeZion. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  24. ^ Pierre, Robert (March 5, 1998). "Pr. George's Receives Royalty in Sisterly Relationship; County and Nation in South Africa Establish Ties". The Washington Post.
  25. ^ "County Executive Returns From Successful Business Development and Goodwill Mission in Senegal". Prince George's County. March 28, 2005. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2007.
  26. ^ McGill, Natalie (April 23, 2009). "Riverdale Park and Ipala celebrate sister city partnership". The Gazette. Gaithersburg, Md. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  27. ^ "Rockville to welcome another Sister City: Jiaxing, China". gazette.net. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  28. ^ "Welcome". Rockville Sister City Corporation. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  29. ^ "Rockville, MD". Rockville, MD. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  30. ^ "Delegation From Salisbury, England, Visits SU". Salisbury University. September 27, 2006. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ "City Council Minutes". City of Salisbury, Maryland. May 24, 1999. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  32. ^ "City of Salisbury Announces Partnership with Salinas, Ecuador - City of Salisbury MD". City of Salisbury MD. March 14, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  33. ^ "Westminster Maryland-Paide, Estonia Partner City Program". City of Westminster, Maryland. January 15, 2004. Archived from the original on July 2, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2007.