About Us

Duluth Sister Cities International has participated, planned and developed a broad range of international projects and programs that have given Duluth a wonderful, unique global connection.

Some of those include:

  • Sister Cities generates an estimated average of five hundred thousand dollars a year to the local economy through tourism.
  • Official Delegation exchanges since 1987 with each of our Sister Cities
  • Several All Sister Cities Festivals with delegations and musicians representing each of our Sister Cities
  • International tri-lateral program with Japan, Russian and Duluth; focusing on clean water and other global environmental issues
  • Annual student exchange program with Ohara-Isumi City, Japan began in 1992; each year a group of students (ages 13-15) participate in the exchange both to Duluth and to Ohara-Isumi City
  • Sponsored the Royal Swedish Opera in 1994, in collaboration with UMD
  • International Sculpture Exchange in collaboration with the Duluth Public Arts Commission with Ohara, Japan “Water & Friendship” ; Petrozavodsk, Russia “Green Bear”; & Vaxjo, Sweden “The Stone”: All 3 sculptures are located in Duluth’s Lake Place Park & Sculptures from Duluth, located in our Sister Cities include: Ohara, Japan “Harmony”; Petrozavodsk, Russia “The Fisherman”; & Vaxjo, Sweden “Caring”
  • Petrozavodsk Pedagogical University and College of St. Scholastica have collaborated on a ‘language camp’ since 1991
  • USIA sponsored “Duluth-Petrozavodsk Domestic Violence Project”; 6 women from Gender Studies Institute to Duluth and 4 women from Duluth Women’s Coalition (shelter) to Petrozavodsk in 1998-99
  • Aunties & Uncles Program
  • A Japanese Peace Bell Garden committee is in the process of raising funds to create a Japanese Garden in Enger Park by the Peace Bell from Ohara, Japan
  • July 2007 Duluth Sister Cities International & the Fond du Lac Reservation Cultural Center & Museum participate in a ‘birch bark canoe project in Petrozavodsk

Sister Cities History

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the people-to-people concept. President Eisenhower thought that relationships fostered in this program would lessen the possibility of future world conflicts. This concept grew and eventually led to the creation of Sister Cities International (SCI). SCI is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between U.S. and international communities in an effort to increase global cooperation at the municipal level, to promote cultural understanding and to stimulate economic development. SCI leads the movement for local community development and volunteer action by motivating and empowering private citizens, municipal officials and business leaders to conduct long-term programs of mutual benefit.

The Duluth Sister Cities Commission, established in 1986 as a City of Duluth commission broadened its scope in 2007 to become an independent non-profit 501(c)3 organization known as Duluth Sister Cities International. Today, Duluth Sister Cities International continues to expand its relationships with its four Sister Cities: Thunder Bay, Canada; Ohara-Isumi, Japan; Petrozavodsk, Russia and Växjö, Sweden.

Our Sister Cities

Växjö, Sweden
An exciting combination of idyllic small town, university town and center of entertainment, Vaxjo is a strong regional center in the middle of southern Sweden, with close to 80,000 people inhabiting the city. More ...

Ohara-Isumi, Japan
Located 50 miles south of Tokyo, this 22,000 person agricultural town has been a Sister City since 1990. That tie began in 1954 when an ancient Buddhist temple bell, which found its way to Duluth after World War II, was returned to Ohara. More ...

Petrozavodsk, Russia
Established as a Sister City in 1987, Petrozavodsk shares a mining and shipping history with Duluth. The city of 266,000, one of the biggest in Northwestern Russia, was founded by Peter the Great in 1703. More ...

Thunder Bay, Canada
Duluth’s first and closest Sister City – the community formalized the bond in 1980 – Thunder Bay is one of the largest and busiest ports in Canada. More ...