Sister Cities

The Sister City Program began in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated the People-to-People Program.

Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the United States and international communities in an effort to:

• Increase global cooperation at the municipal and city level
• Promote cultural understanding
• Stimulate economic development
• SCI leads the movement for local community development and volunteer action by motivating and empowering private citizens, municipal officials, educators, and business leaders to conduct long-term programs of mutual benefit.

Additional Documents

• Articles of Incorporation(PDF, 543KB)
• Sister Cities Bylaws 1982(PDF, 441KB)
• Sister Cities Bylaws 1989(PDF, 313KB)
• Sister Cities Bylaws 1994(PDF, 275KB)
• Sister Cities Bylaws 1997(PDF, 242KB)
• Sister Cities Proposed Agreement 1982(PDF, 282KB)
• Sister Cities Proposed Agreement 2018(PDF, 158KB)

Contact Us

Sister City Program
Marie.Patea@ssf.net

P.O. Box 711
South San Francisco, CA 94083

Phone: (650) 829-6666

This shield is symbolic to the town of "Atotonilco El Alto" it emphasizes the imperial crown of Carlos I of Spain and V of Germany showing the letter "K". This shield holds legends and myths of how the town was given its name. Atotonilco El Alto is located in the central region of the state of Jalisco. On the north side is Tepatitlan de Morelos and Arandas, to the south side is Ocotlan and La Barca.

One of the town's celebrations occurs on December 8 to celebrate "La Inmaculada Concepción". The town is decorated with ribbons, fabrics, and traditional paper decorations. Music is played throughout the streets, fire crackers are lit, and fireworks illuminate the sky. Traditional crafts and foods are sold to gather funds for City improvements.

The climate in Atotonilco El Alto is semi-dry, with winters that are dry and semi-warm like spring. The average temperature is 70 degrees; the rainy season begins in June and ends in September.

Atotonilco El Alto obtains its wealth from 1800 acres of land that is used for a diversity of resources.

Today's Kishiwada City has been well developed since early times. Kishiwada's prototype was a village with abundant marine and farming resources. In 1922, Kishiwada became the third city in the Osaka prefecture. It was the start of Kishiwada developing into the economic, cultural, and administrative nucleus of southern Osaka. Today, Kishiwada, located within 25 km (15 ½ miles) of central Osaka City, has a population of approximately 190,000 and an area of 70.87 km (27.4 miles).

In September every year, a gala air prevails over downtown Kishiwada. A total of 32 Danjiri floats, each weighing about 4 tons, are pulled by energetic youths along the city's main streets. More than 500,000 people visit Kishiwada to see the two-day festival.

The Citizen's Festival, which takes place in the Central Park on May 3, is perfectly managed and operated by city citizens themselves. Various events, including an open-air concert, "jazz dance" performances, and a bazaar, offer a good opportunity for citizens to deepen their mutual understanding and friendship.

In Kishiwada there are 5 senior high schools, 11 junior high schools, 24 primary schools, and 27 kindergartens. The city operates 9 Kominkan community halls, citizens' hall, a citizens' center, 3 gymnasiums, and 13 playgrounds.

Japan has a 6-3-3-4 school education system. Students receive compulsory education in primary school for 6 years and junior high for 3 years then may elect to attend senior high school for 3 years and college or university for 4 years.

When one views the city of Lucca for the first time, or multiple times, it will be admired not only for the works of art that it encloses or the rare and precious examples of its historic wonders, but for the continuous warm and positive spirit of the local “Lucchesi”.

Historically, archeological diggings have shown a massive discovery of Etruscan artifacts. Founded by the Romans in 180 BC and with its abundance of Carrara marble, Lucca became the center of Romanesque architecture. When approaching the circular city from any direction, one confronts its immense 2.7- mile wall fortification structure and moat. It includes six main entrance gates and eleven bastions, giving a wider firing range. Throughout its history, the town never stopped renovating itself. It has two other walls within the city, the last one built in 1504, adapting to the new changes in armaments. Lucca was independent for more than 700 years due to its diplomacy, which established profitable relationships (except during the time of Napoleon). It was never used for what it was intended (for the protection of the city), but during World War II it was used as civilian bomb shelters.

Key points of interest within the city are: the Church of Saint Michele, the Cathedral, the Amphitheater Plaza, the home of Giacomo Puccini, the Guinigi Tower, and via Fillungo, to mention just a few. Born within the city center is the Catholic Saint, Gemma Galgari, canonized on April 11, 1940; and Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), regarded as one of the most successful proponent of Italian Opera, second to Giuseppe Verdi. In mid-September, for the feast of Santa Croce, the crucifix of “Il Volto Santo” (a holy “black faced” Christ on a crucifix) is carried throughout Lucca and its province. To the Lucchesi it is as popular as Easter or Christmas.

Lucca, a Medieval Jewel city of the past, the present and the future!

There are several different legends about the origin of the word "Pasig." A pair of lovers, named Virgilio, a Spanish mestizo and a Filipina beauty named Paz, customarily spent their evenings together on the bank of the river. They found a banca and went boating one moonlit night but as fate would have it, the banca capsized. Virgilio not knowing how to swim was carried away by the current and desperately tried to keep afloat but to no avail. He shouted "Paz, sigue me" (meaning "Paz, come with me"), until he could only utter Paz, sigh and finally sink into the river. Thus, the name Pasig.

It was also believed that it came from the Sanskrit word "passis" or sand and refers to the community on a river bank which was sandy. Historians who are less inclined to rely on a legendary romantic origins traced the town's name to the word "mabagsik" meaning violent in action or force which aptly describes the river. Its strong and swift current brought the woods of Montalban to Manila.

It was also called "mapaksik" by the Chinese living in Binondo. As time went on, "mapaksik" became "Pasik" then later on "Pasig." Another belief was that it was derived from "pasigan" which means "baybay ng ilog," river edge or bank in English.

The most convincing theory on the origin of the name comes from the late Dr. Jose Villa Panganiban, linguist, polyglot, professor, and former director of The Institute of National Language, who said that "Pasig" is an old Sanskrit word referring to a "river flowing from one body of water to another," in the case of the Pasig River, from Laguna de Bay (pronounced Ba-I) to Manila Bay.

Capital of Basse-Navarre, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port was an important town, cross-roads of the route to Saint Jacques de Compostelle, at the foot of the mountain pass, the Col de Ronceveaux. For these reasons Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port has a rich history and architecture well worth a visit.

The town was once a part of the Spanish province of Navarra and the Basque language is still spoken on both sides of the border and they still share similar traditions. It has traditionally been an important point on the Way of St. James, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, as it stands at the base of the Roncevaux Pass across the Pyrenees. Pied-de-Port means 'foot of the pass' in Pyrenean French. The routes from Paris, Vézelay and Le Puy-en-Velay meet at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and it was the pilgrims' last stop before the arduous mountain crossing.

The cobbled rue de la Citadelle runs down hill and over the river from the fifteenth century Porte St-Jacques to the Porte d'Espagne by the bridge. From the bridge, there are views of the old houses with balconies overlooking the Nive. Many of the buildings are very old, of pink and grey schist, and retain distinctive features, including inscriptions over their doors. One, a bakery, lists the price of wheat in 1789.

The 14th century red schist Gothic church, Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont, stands by the Porte d'Espagne. The original was built by Sancho the Strong of Navarre to commemorate the 1212 Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa where Moorish dominance of Spain was undermined. Above the town at the top of a hill is the citadel, remodeled by Vauban in the 17th century and outside the walls is a new town, with the Hôtel de Ville and a pelota fronton.