Oh, sister! - Explaining Baton Rouge's sister cities - [225] (2024)

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Currently, Baton Rouge has four sister cities: Malatya, Turkey; Aix-en-Provence, France; Cordoba, Mexico; and Taichung, Taiwan. But what exactly does having a sister city mean?

“You broaden your horizons,” Mayor-President Kip Holden says. “You learn more about what other cities are doing. You can do a comparison to see whether or not there are some things you are lacking in your own city that you may now be able to embark upon to change lives.”

Holden says traveling and experiencing different cultures firsthand inspires these city-to-city relationships. He never sets out with specific partnerships in mind.

“It’s just whenever I go to a place and see things that I like,” he says. “When I see a progressive city, when I see a great mayor or a great leader, I observe, and then make a decision that this is a city we should become closer to because we can both offer advantages to each other.”

But that doesn’t make these agreements easy. Sister cities come and go. In the 1980s, for example, Baton Rouge’s official sister city relationship with Port-au-Prince came to an end.

“With all the uprisings and the upheaval in Haiti, the relationship went completely dormant from both sides,” says Monika Olivier, president of the Baton Rouge Center for World Affairs, Inc. “Maintaining an international relationship takes a lot of work, and there are scarce funds that have to be used most efficiently.”

While a sister city designation requires official signatures and typically involves a ceremony, much of the work of keeping up these relationships—other than the mayor’s personal communication with the foreign leaders—is up to civic organizations and other groups within the Baton Rouge community.

The Red Stick’s next sister city will most likely draw on local educators and be another city in France. Holden has made inroads with the Counsel General of France, based in New Orleans, and discussed methods of assisting foreign exchange students—both French students in Baton Rouge and our local students studying abroad—to become more acclimated and invested in their temporary communities.

Delegates from Baton Rouge’s sister cities often return to the Red Stick for the International Heritage Celebration, held downtown each October.

Beyond breaking down cultural barriers and celebrating the uniqueness of other cities and perspectives, the sister city program is one that Holden views as a strategic economic development tool as well.

In the 1980s, Taiwanese-owned Formosa Plastics located a plant here after Taichung had been a sister city with Baton Rouge for several years.

Now, Holden says business executives from the same area are interested in how they can assist the Baton Rouge Area Foundation with the development of the “Water Campus” research facility that LSU will operate.

“In China I went to a company that makes Samsung, Panasonic and LG, and saw how they assembled those different TV brands,” Holden recalls. “Now, I will probably go back to China and see if I can get them to locate a plant in B.R. Those are the types of opportunities you get.” brcwa.com

Oh, sister! - Explaining Baton Rouge's sister cities - [225] (2024)

FAQs

What is the oldest sister city in the United States? ›

OLDEST SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED BETWEEN TOLEDO, OHIO AND TOLEDO, SPAIN. Although many communities site evidence of exchanges or other activities, Sister Cities International has verified that officials from Toledo, Ohio, and Toledo, Spain signed a twinning document in 1931.

What is the sister city of Baton Rouge? ›

– Explaining Baton Rouge's sister cities. Currently, Baton Rouge has four sister cities: Malatya, Turkey; Aix-en-Provence, France; Cordoba, Mexico; and Taichung, Taiwan. But what exactly does having a sister city mean?

What's the point of sister cities? ›

In addition to trade delegations and tourism dollars, sister city programs create connections with international municipal officials, institutions, and businesses. These connections build trust, access, and expertise that help local businesses find new opportunities and resources.

What happens between sister cities? ›

A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.

What is the oldest still existing city in the United States? ›

Augustine, America's Oldest City. St. Augustine, founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States – more commonly called the "Nation's Oldest City."

What is America's oldest true city? ›

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the United States.

What is the new white town in Louisiana? ›

A wealthy, white community in Baton Rouge got the OK from Louisiana's highest court to form its own city separate from the state's capital. Why it matters: With its incorporation, St. George becomes one of Louisiana's largest cities, with a population similar to Lake Charles.

What is Baton Rouge famous for? ›

Named by French explorers as "the Red Stick City," Baton Rouge is where Louisiana's capital, flagship university, and distinctive Cajun and Creole cultures all come together. Located in Southeast Louisiana, Baton Rouge is the fifth largest city on the Mississippi River and home to Louisiana's largest parish.

What does Baton Rouge mean in French? ›

A: Baton Rouge is French for "Red Stick" . When exploring Louisiana more than three centuries ago, Sieur d'Iberville saw a cypress stick stained with blood along the Mississippi River bluff. The stick became the dividing line between the hunting grounds of the Bayougoula and Houma tribes.

How many US cities have sister cities? ›

Support at the National Level

Founded by President Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International is the national nonprofit, volunteer organization serving the sister city programs of over 500 U.S. cities with more than 2,000 partnerships in 145 countries worldwide.

How do they pick sister cities? ›

Sister city relationships develop from a number of sources, including but not limited to: preexisting mayoral relationships, trade relationships, historical connections, ancestral/demographic connections, expatriate communities, shared geographic/sector challenges, faith-based groups, and personal experiences ranging ...

Who started sister cities? ›

Founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit which serves as the national membership organization for individual sister cities, counties, and states across the United States.

What are the benefits of sister city relationships? ›

Sister city relationships enable communities to realize and strengthen cultural and historical bonds, increase youth education opportunities, develop diverse economies, and collaboratively tackle emerging issues. Our relationships foster thriving, globally competitive communities.

What is a sister state? ›

Sister-State relationships are partnerships between governments, but require active and ongoing participation by the private sector to sustain the relationship. Because the State's capacity to manage Sister-State relationships is finite, a means of terminating moribund or defunct relationships should be provided.

What are LA sister cities? ›

Menu. Athens, Greece Auckland, New Zealand Beirut, Lebanon Berlin, Germany Bordeaux, France Busan, South Korea Eilat, Israel. Giza, Egypt Guangzhou, China Ischia, Italy Jakarta, Indonesia Kaunas, Lithuania Lusaka, Zambia Makati, Philippines. Mexico City, Mexico Mumbai, India Nagoya, Japan St.

What is the second oldest town in the US? ›

Jamestown

Is Savannah one of the oldest cities in America? ›

America's first planned city, Savannah, Georgia, was founded in 1733.

What is Little Rock's sister city? ›

Hanam City, located to the east of the South Korean capital of Seoul, became Little Rock's sister city in 1992, a release on the city of Little Rock website states.

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