About the Sister Cities Committee
Our purpose is to encourage Santa Cruz and its Sister Cities to understand one another as individuals, as members of their community, as citizens of their country, and as part of the family of nations.
Sister Cities Support
Sister Cities Support is a non-profit organization established to provide financial support for the programs and events of the Santa Cruz Sister Cities Committee. SUPPORT enables successful programs that promote social, cross-cultural, and educational needs, including the Gralen Eidam Wilson Youth Ambassador Program.
Choose your Sister City you would like to donate to below!
Shingu, Japan (Est. 1974)
Shingu, Japan, is a small city on the south end of Honshu Island, about four hours south of Osaka, in the beautiful Wakayama prefecture. Shingu is home to a stunning blue river, beautifully forested mountains, and a lovely coastline. It is a rich cultural destination, home to shrines, temples, history, artists, and a world heritage site that boasts a waterfall and religious significance. Our vibrant friendship with Shingu is 50 years strong, including over 20 years of delegation exchanges for both students and adults.
Sestri Levante, Italy (Est. 1980)
Located on the warm Mediterranean sea between the villages of Portofino and Cinque Terre, Sestri Levante is turning into a tourist hotspot for Italians and international visitors alike. This city provides access to boating, fishing, and swimming in the blue waters of the coast. This town is also famous for being home to writer Hans Christian Andersen, and the Sister Cities Committee hosts a writing contest in honor of the writer every year.
Biarritz, France (Est. 2022)
Biarritz is a sophisticated beach city on the Bay of Biscay, which lies on the Atlantic coast in southwestern France. Known for it’s luxury hotels and beautifully designed casinos, Biarritz is also well known as surfing culture hot spot. Home to 26,000 residents, and featuring direct access to 2.5 miles of creeks and fine sand beaches, Biarritz lies13.5 miles from the Spanish border During the summer months, the population swells by 250,000 as tourism is one of the key industries.
The city is nurturing a growing tech startup environment, with a number of new companies focused on ocean health and ecologically sound business values. The closest university campus is in Bayonne, which is 5 miles away, and is part of the University of Pau. The Bayonne campus offers business and sport management degrees. Surfing and lifeguard related activities (competitions, schools, and clubs), are well-established in city life. Biarritz runs a competitive lifeguard club with over 1,000 members, 600 of which are active every week.
