Wyndham’s twin city sisters
Did you know that Wyndham has a twin?
Although history shows them existing in some form as early as 836AD, twin towns – or sister cities, as they’re more commonly called in the modern era – largely emerged after the Second World War, as a means to promote friendship and trade between geographically and culturally distinct towns, cities and states around the world.
Twin towns are often chosen due to their cultural or commercial similarities, and a town can have more than one twin city relationship. Given Wyndham’s agricultural heritage, it’s any wonder then that it has for its ‘twins’ the Orange County town of Costa Mesa in California, and Chiryu, Japan.
These relationships, forged in 1996 and 2000 respectively, were formalised by agreement and operate on a Mayor to Mayor basis.
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Costa Mesa, by pilot and photographer D Ramey Logan[/caption]
Although today Costa Mesa’s economy is primarily driven by retail and services, the early years of the 20th century saw it prosper and thrive on the back of its produce. Chiryu, by comparison, was historically known for its horse-trading fairs, and in the modern era has become a significant industrial contributor to Japan’s automotive parts and electronics manufacturing industry.
The Cost Mesa arrangement is a non-profit, community benefit association dedicated to the cultural enrichment of local students, allowing them to experience an education exchange between the two cities. The partnership with Chiryu meanwhile was signed in to effect in order to promote cultural and educational exchange between Wyndham and Chiryu.
If you’re interested to learn more about what the Sister Cities program helps to achieve globally, visit the Sister Cities International website. It’s a small world, after all!