SISTER CITIES

Belfast, Northern Ireland
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. (Read more)

Caen, France
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 near 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. (Read more)

Edmonton, Canada
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. (Read more)

Magdeburg, Germany
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. (Read more)

Mendoza, Argentina
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. (Read more)

Taiyuan, China
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)