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.”)
Our seventh sister city, Curitiba, came on board in April 2009.
Founded in 1693, Curitiba is located in the Brazilian state of Parana, where it is both the state capital and its largest city with a population of 1.9 million. Located just west of a major seaport, the city boasts Brazil’s fourth largest local economy. Like Port Elizabeth, it is home to divisions of several major international corporations.
Curitiba has two other U.S. sister cities: Orlando, and Columbus, OH. Its other sister cities include Akureyri, Iceland; Asuncion, Paraguay; Coimbra, Portugal; Guadalajara, Mexico; Hangzhou, China; Himeji, Japan; Treviso, Italy; Krakow, Poland; Lyon, France; Montevideo, Uruguay; Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia; and Suwon, South Korea.
