San Diego isn’t an only child. Did you know that America’s Finest City actually has 16 sister cities? Let’s take a tour of SD’s siblings from abroad, from the comfort of your screen.
Yokohama, Japan, was San Diego’s first-ever sister city.
Photo via @rem.mths
What is a sister city?
Also known as twin or friendship cities, President Dwight D. Eisenhower began the Sister Cities International initiative in 1956. This relationship is established when two places make an agreement to promote lasting cultural ties. The idea is to form a fellowship that encourages trade, tourism, and even cultural exchanges and projects.
SD + Yokohama, sisters since 1957.
Photo via @sodidi6150202
Yokohama, Japan | Est. 1957
San Diego signed its first-ever Sister City Agreement with this city in Tokyo Bay — the first such affiliation on the West Coast. The friendship was cemented with the Yokohama Friendship Bell on Shelter Island in May 1958, and the “Girl with the Red Shoes” sculpture near the bell. The Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park is also considered an expression of friendship between the cities. In Yokohama, find San Diego’s symbol of friendship at the El Camino Real Mission Bells in Yamashita Park.
The sisterhood between San Diego and Tijuana is strong.
Photo via @xolo21
Tijuana, Mexico | Est. 1993
The cross-border proximity makes this a super-close sister city. San Diego is always working with Tijuana on binational projects to bolster economic development on both sides of the border. Find a nod to this friendship (and two other sister cities) at the “Pearl of the Pacific” on Shelter Island.
Edinburgh, Scotland | Est. 1977
With its museums, galleries, theaters, and proximity to the water, San Diego and Edinburgh both have strong tourism industries. However, the deeper connection between these cities lies in a pair of beloved canines.
In Edinburgh, there’s the legend of a Skye Terrier named Bobby who became the devoted companion and “watchdog” of local police officer John Gray in 1850. The pair patrolled the streets of Edinburgh side by side for years until Gray died in 1858. Gray was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard and Bobby lingered around his grave until 1872.
Meanwhile in San Diego, there’s the legend of Bum the dog, a stowaway who boarded a boat in Santa Rosa in 1886 and disembarked in San Diego. The St. Bernard and spaniel mix roamed the streets of SD, quickly becoming the official town dog. Locals fed him and kept an eye on him until his death in 1898.
In 2005, Edinburgh donated a bronze statue of Greyfriars Bobby to San Diego to celebrate their years of sisterhood. In October 2007, the statue was dedicated in “The Brother Dog Statues” ceremony along with a sculpture of Bum. Both pieces sit (like good doggies) at William Heath Davis House Park in the Gaslamp Quarter.
To further cement the Edinburgh-San Diego bond, a statue of Bum was donated to Edinburgh. It sits at St. Cuthbert’s churchyard off King Stables Road.
Senior Newsletter Editor Monica Garske visited this sculpture in April 2025 and discovered visitors leave piles of sticks for Bum. Next to the statue, there’s a plaque explaining Edinburgh’s “canine connection” to San Diego. Read that story.
San Diego and Taichung City have been family for 40 years.
Photo via @l0veinsulat0r
Taichung City, Taiwan | Est. 1983
The cities have strengthened their bond with a Taichung student group visit to San Diego and an exchange of gifts — including this banner given to former Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
León, Mexico | Est. 1969
This city is known as a shoemaking hub, and in April 1999 León gifted a statue to San Diego dubbed “Our Lady of the Shoes.” The statue was created by Mexican artist Carlos Terres and keeps vigil over the graves at Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Panama City, Panama | Est. 2015
This sisterhood dates back to 1915, when San Diego hosted its Panama-California Exposition at the newly-built Balboa Park, to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal. Many historians credit the event for putting our city on the map, and San Diego became the first American port of call north of the canal. One-hundred years later, the duo became sister cities and last year, the House of Panama opened at the International Cottages in Balboa Park.
Campinas, Brazil | Est. 1995
The San Diego International Cities Association says this relationship between San Diego and the city located along the coastal interior of the state of São Paolo is built on “cultural, educational, charitable, and business exchanges.”
Jeonju, Republic of Korea | Est. 1983
In December 1983, former San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock visited Jeonju City and commemorated the moment with this plaque. Also, check out this joint declaration from May 1983 between Hedgecock and Kang Sang Won, the mayor of Jeonju City, written in English and Korean.
Cavite, The Philippines | Est. 1969
This city is located on a peninsula bounded by Manila Bay, and its partnership with San Diego is rooted in cultural exchange. In May 1993, Cavite Mayor Tim Encarnacion presented former San Diego Mayor Susan Golding with a Cannon Ball from Cavite City — a relic fired from the Spanish Artillery installed at Naval Base Cavite at Sangley Point.
Perth, Australia | Est. 1986
This sisterhood began around the time Perth hosted the America’s Cup — and the challenger club was the San Diego Yacht Club. The San Diego-Perth Sister City Society works to keep this tie strong, making connections through education, arts, culture, and economic development.
Jalalabad, Afghanistan | Est. 2004
Per the San Diego International Cities Association, the goal of this sisterhood is “peace, prosperity, stability, and justice” through educational, cultural, and humanitarian collaboration. Check out this sister city certificate presented during the signing ceremony.
Tema, Ghana | Est. 1976
A mosaic mural — the “Peace and Unity Wall” — was constructed in this African sister city using supplies donated from San Diego. The San Diego-Tema Sister Cities Society has also held events locally, including this one in 2014.
Alcalá de Henares, Spain | Est. 1982
This city ~22 miles east of Madrid is the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of “Don Quixote.” The goal of this relationship focuses on cultural exchange, especially between schools and universities. The House of Spain in Balboa Park hosts an annual Cervantes Festival.
Warsaw Prov, Poland | Est. 1996
The San Diego-Warsaw & Mazovia Province Sister City Society focuses on bringing these sisters together through art and film festivals, business conferences, soccer tournaments, and scientific exchanges between universities.
“Pearl of Pacific” on Shelter Island commemorates the sisterhood between San Diego and Vladivostok, Yantai, and Tijuana.
Photo via @lauren_n_davila
Vladivostok, Russia | Est. 1991
Located in Russia’s province of Primorsky Krai, this sister city society coordinates cultural and educational activities, including youth art exchanges. Find a symbol of this friendship at the “Pearl of the Pacific” fountain at the tip of Shelter Island, designed by students from Vladivostok, Yantai, Tijuana, and San Diego. The tiles represent the four quadrants of the Pacific Rim, with nods to each sister city’s country — Russia, China, Mexico, and the US.
Yantai, China | Est. 1985
A delegation from San Diego visited this city in northeastern Shandong Province to sign the sister city agreement. Artifacts from the partnership were displayed in the City Clerk’s Mayoral Artifacts Exhibit in June 2016. You’ll also find Yantai’s presence at the “Pearl of the Pacific.”