Since the formation of Sister Cities International in 1956, cities across the world have formed diplomatic partnerships, becoming “sister cities” with each other.
The concept of sister cities is simple: two cities, usually in different countries, form an agreement to promote cultural and economic exchanges, promoting cultural growth and economic diversification.
Jacksonville has amassed eight international sister cities since taking on its first partnership in 1967. Most of those cities have something major in common with Jax, such as being a port city or being located near a coast. Jacksonville Sister Cities Association, a local nonprofit, manages these partnerships and coordinates activities between Jax and its sister cities.
We’ve created brief profiles for those eight sister cities to better acquaint Jax residents with each of them. (Honorable mentions also go out to Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Suzhou in China, which are not formally part of the sister city program but are considered “friendship cities.”)
Jacksonville’s fourth sister city, Nantes in France, was added in August 1984.
Located along the Loire river, Nantes has long served as an active port city. The city was formed prior to the turn of the first millennium C.E. It functions as the administrative seat of the Pays de la Loire region of France.
Nantes is the sixth largest city in France with a population of 309,000.
In addition to Jax, Seattle, WA, is also a sister city of Nantes. Its other sister cities include Cardiff, Wales; Saarbrucken, Germany; Tbilisi, Georgia; Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Niigata, Japan; Durban, South Africa; Qingdao, China; and Suncheon, South Korea.
