About Tyler Sister Cities
Locally, Tyler Sister Cities, Inc., began in 1982-83 through efforts of Dr. George Hamm (then president of the University of Texas at Tyler) to offer a global vision for the East Texas/Tyler community. Since then, Tyler has “twinned” with four sister cities, three of which are actively engaged with exchange opportunities today.
Yachiyo City, Japan; Jelenia Gora, Poland; and Lo Barnechea, Chile are currently involved in the Tyler Sister Cities program, offering citizen-to-citizen visits and friendship ties. Metz, France, the original Sister partner, accepted ties with larger communities matching its own city population and development.
Tyler Sister Cities, part of Sister Cities International, began by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a people to people personal diplomacy project in 1956.
Sister Cities International represents about 2,400 communities involved with 130 countries around the world.. International headquarters are in Washington, D.C. The larger mission statement holds that “Everyone has the power to make a difference.” Our focus is not just on “high level exchanges behind closed doors among political leaders, but citizen diplomacy on a personal level” through Sister City relationships.
Tyler Sister Cities, Inc., has an open membership policy with a modest dues structure for support from individuals, family, student, and corporate. A board of 20 members represents the Tyler community with ties to issues of economics, education, health care and culture. The Board meets monthly at the board room of the Tyler Chamber of Commerce, planning with community input, exchange visits with Sister City delegations and increased visibility of Sister City issues. Tyler Sister Cities and Yachiyo City, Japan, jointly cooperate through one-year Assistant Language Teacher positions in Yachiyo.
Contact tylersistercities@tyler.org for additional information. History, current officers, visits of Sister City delegation and photos of Sister Cities activities are available on the website.