Dear Friends of Sister Cities of Nashville,
Thank you for your interest in Nashville and the Sister Cities programs. Centrally located, Nashville has a long tradition of welcoming tourists and newcomers alike. Many people visit Music City, USA because of the live music and performing arts venues, art galleries, and professional and amateur sporting events.
People stay in Nashville, however, because the city appreciates diversity and creativity in every industry. Nashville’s more than two dozen area colleges and universities provide a wealth of new talent to both Nashville’s established companies as well as the city’s many entrepreneurs.
Nashville’s reputation as a friendly city with a thriving business community has also made Nashville an attractive place for immigrants with the immigrant population increasing over 83 percent in the past ten years. This trend was recently recognized by Forbes Magazine, which ranked Nashville 3rd among the nation’s best metropolitan areas for minority entrepreneurs.
Sister Cities of Nashville serves as a bridge between the people of Nashville and our international neighbors to promote mutual respect and understanding of diverse cultures through people-to-people exchanges. Nashville has something for everyone and we look forward to sharing the best of Nashville with our international neighbors while learning what makes your city great!
Karl F. Dean
Mayor of Nashville
Honorary Chairman, Sister Cities of Nashville
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. The region’s connection with Tennessee dates from the Scots-Irish settlement of the area in the eighteenth century to the diverse relationships and cultural ties that link Belfast and Nashville today. Belfast has been an official sister city of Nashville since 1995 in a partnership focusing on social projects, education, and musical and cultural exchange.
Caen, the capital of Lower Normandy, is located a few miles inland from the D-Day beaches. It was one of William the Conqueror’s capitals and the departure point for his invasion of England. Caen was Nashville’s first active sister city with the relationship originating nearly thirty years ago. It became an official sister city in 1991. Programs have included annual delegation visits, academic exchanges, programs for students and lawyers, and even basketball games between local teams.
Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta, Canada. Beginning as a fur trading post at the end of the 1700s, the city has grown into an economic, political, and educational center with a population of over one million. Known as Canada’s “festival city,” Edmonton hosts numerous international events in the summer and throughout the year celebrating culture and the arts. It became an official sister city in 1990.
Magdeburg is located along the Elbe River in northern Germany about 90 miles west of Berlin. The importance of the city, which recently celebrated its 1200th birthday, extends from the middle ages through the Reformation to the present. Just to the east of the former inner-German border, Magdeburg is now the capital of Saxony-Anhalt. It has maintained a very active partnership with Nashville for several years and became its official sister city in 2003.
Located in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, Mendoza was settled in 1561 by Pedro del Castillo. Two of the region’s main industries are wine making and olive oil production. Mendoza has been designated as one of the eight great wine capitals of the world. With its proximity to the mountains, Mendoza is a frequent destination for visitors wishing to engage in mountaineering, hiking, rafting and horseback riding activities. Mendoza became an official sister city of Nashville in March 2009.
Taiyuan, China became an official sister city to Nashville in April 2007. It is the capital city of Shanxi Province. Shanxi and Taiyuan have been strategically important to China since ancient times, both for location and mineral resources. Shanxi lies near the Yellow River, where China’s civilization began, and Taiyuan was China’s northern and western outpost. Shanxi continues to be a major producer of coal in China, and has developed heavy industry (notably iron and steel). Taiyuan has a dozen universities, some of which specialize in educating engineers. Although considered a small city by Chinese standards, Taiyuan has a population of 3.4 million. The partnership between Nashville and Taiyuan builds on a longstanding regional partnership established between Tennessee and Shanxi Province in the 1980s.Read More
Japan (Kamakura) South Korea (Gwangjin-Gu) Turkey (Diyarbakir) Australia (Tamworth)
On Monday, February 11, 2008, Nashville, Tennessee and Crouy, France were officially twinned as “International Friendship Cities” with the aim of recognizing historical ties and promoting cooperation and friendship between the citizens of the two cities. The proposal to twin Nashville and Crouy was initiated by Steve Schmoldt of Nashville in October 2006 when he discovered that Captain Charles M. Peal from Nashville had died while flying a mission over the town during World War II. The people of Crouy risked their own safety to give Captain Peal a proper burial during the war and later erected a monument and named a street in his memory. Click here to learn more about the history of the Crouy-Nashville relationship.
Port de la Selva, Spain became Municipality United in Friendship to Nashville, Tennessee in March 2009. A picturesque resort town situated on the northern side of the Cap Creus peninsula, Port de la Selva is a popular destination for tourists from Spain (Barcelona primarily), France and Scandinavia. The beach is especially popular with wind surfers. The surrounding village with its many footpaths leads visitors to explore numerous historical sites from the megalithic era and Medieval times. While tourism is a main source of livelihood, the primary source of income in this quaint village is fishing.
If you are interested in joining in the efforts of any of these committees, please contact Heather Cunningham at director@scnashville.org.
Membership Application
To join Sister Cities of Nashville, simply click on the icon below to make your tax deductible membership donation. Also, please complete and submit the application form below so that we have your contact information and areas of interest. If you prefer, download the application and mail with your check (payable to Sister Cities of Nashville) to:
Sister Cities of Nashville
P.O. Box 120555
Nashville, TN 37212
Apply Online
Your donation to Sister Cities of Nashville will provide you with an annual membership to the organization.
Please make your contribution based on the following membership categories:
Family $75
Student (full time) $15
Teacher $20
Friend $100
*For additional corporate and partner sponsorship levels, please visit our Sponsors page.
Member Benefits
Sister Cities of Nashville is an active, membership-driven organization in which members are encouraged to help shape the programs that are meaningful to Sister Cities and to the Nashville community. Sister Cities of Nashville works directly in cooperation with the Nashville mayor’s office, with members serving as ambassadors for international visitors here and when traveling abroad to our sister cities.
Members are invited to participate on any of the sister city committees and/or the standing committees (student exchange, fundraising, membership, music). The committees are the lifeblood of the organization and help create the programs that fulfill the Sister Cities mission.
Membership is valid for the current calendar year with an opportunity for annual renewal. All members have voting rights (for board of directors) at the annual meeting. Additionally, members receive:
- invitation to annual meeting and reception
- monthly e-newsletters
- priority notice and registration for student, professional, and cultural exchanges; and
- invitations to all membership events and delegation visits to our sister cities
Thank you for your interest in Nashville, Tennessee. We are proud to be known around the world as Music City. We are a city that has long been fundamental to the development of music – music of all genres. From writing to recording to performing live, musicians haven’t just played music in Nashville – they have created it here.
Nashville’s music scene is multifaceted. From quiet listening rooms and high-energy rock clubs to classical performances and live stage shows which are second-to-none. But, Music City also offers a vast array of historical and cultural attractions that complement our musical backdrop. Whether you’re visiting art galleries, museums or historical institutions you’ll find that Nashville has found a way to hold onto its heritage and charm while continuing to move forward and remain modern and relevant.
Between taking in the sights and sounds, sample the incredible cuisine at some of Nashville’s finest eateries and visit neighborhoods from the hip and trendy, to the posh and affluent. We think you’ll find your dining and neighborhood options to be just as varied as the music in Music City.
Come experience a city known around the world for Southern hospitality and authenticity. And once you visit, it won’t take you long to discover why Nashville is Music City, the friendliest Sister City in the world.
Sincerely,
Butch Spyridon
President, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau
Nashville Facts:
City Population: 635,710
Metropolitan Area Population: 1,600,358
County: Davidson
State Population: 6,296,254
Major attractions: Parthenon/Centennial Park, Ryman Auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame,
Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, Schermerhorn Symphony Hall,
Nashville Zoo, Grand Ole Opry
Related links:
http://www.nashville.gov
http://www.visitmusiccity.com
