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Twin cities

Neighboring cities that become a conurbation


Neighboring cities that become a conurbation

Note

the general concept

There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in status and size, though not necessarily equal; a city and a substantially smaller suburb would not typically qualify, even if they were once separate. Tri-cities and quad cities are similar groups of three or four municipalities.

A common – but not universal – scenario is two cities that developed concurrently on opposite sides of a river. For example, Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota – one of the most widely known pairs of "Twin Cities" – were founded several miles apart on opposite sides of the Mississippi River, and competed for prominence as they grew.

In some cases, twin cities are separated by a state border, such as Albury (New South Wales) and Wodonga (Victoria) in Australia, on opposite sides of the Murray River. In Pakistan, Islamabad and Rawalpindi are twin cities located in northwestern Punjab region: Islamabad is administratively being part of the Islamabad Capital Territory, and Rawalpindi is in the province of Punjab. Cities on opposite sides of international borders sometimes share enough cultural and historical identity to be seen as twins, such as Haparanda (Sweden) and Tornio (Finland), Leticia (Colombia) and Tabatinga (Brazil), or Valga (Estonia) and Valka (Latvia).

In some cases twin cities eventually merge into a single legal municipality, such as Buda and Pest merging in 1873 into Budapest, Hungary; Brooklyn and New York City being consolidated in 1898; and the three ancient cities of Hankou, Hanyang, and Wuchang joining in 1927 into Wuhan.

As a single urban area, twin cities may share an airport whose airport codes include both cities' initials, e.g. DFW (Dallas–Fort Worth), LBA (Leeds–Bradford), MSP (Minneapolis–Saint Paul), RDU (Raleigh and Durham), and CAK (Akron–Canton).

Twin cities

List of International border towns and cities

Africa

Border townsCountries
Kinshasa and BrazzavilleDemocratic Republic of the Congo / Republic of the Congo
Goma and GisenyiDemocratic Republic of the Congo / Rwanda
Kousséri and N'DjamenaCameroon / Chad
Aflao and LoméGhana / Togo
Victoria Falls and LivingstoneZimbabwe / Zambia

Asia

Border townsCountries
Astara and AstaraAzerbaijan / Iran
Erenhot and Zamyn-ÜüdChina / Mongolia
Dandong and SinuijuChina / North Korea
Changbai and Hyesan
Ji'an and Manpo
Manzhouli and ZabaykalskChina / Russia
Heihe and Blagoveshchensk
Dongxing and Mong CaiChina / Vietnam
Hekou and Lao Cai
Johor Bahru and SingaporeMalaysia / Singapore
Vientiane and Nong KhaiThailand / Laos
Dansavan and Lao BaoLaos / Vietnam
Al Ain and Al BuraimiUnited Arab Emirates / Oman
Agartala and AkhauraIndia / Bangladesh
Eilat and AqabaIsrael / Jordan
Jincheng and XiamenTaiwan / China

Europe

Border townsCountries
Vienna and BratislavaThis is an example of capital cities of neighboring nations being twin cities of one another.Austria / Slovakia
Bad Radkersburg and Gornja RadgonaAustria / Slovenia
Comines and CominesFrance / Belgium
Mouscron and Tourcoing
Wervik and Wervicq-Sud
Slavonski Brod and Bosanski BrodCroatia / Bosnia and Herzegovina
Český Těšín and CieszynCzech Republic / Poland
Copenhagen and MalmöDenmark / Sweden
Helsingør and Helsingborg
Valga and ValkaEstonia / Latvia
Narva and IvangorodEstonia / Russia
Imatra and SvetogorskFinland / Russia
Tornio and HaparandaFinland / Sweden
Strasbourg and KehlFrance / Germany
Hendaye and IrunSpain / France
Frankfurt (Oder) and SłubicePoland / Germany
Görlitz and Zgorzelec
Guben and Gubin
Heringsdorf and Świnoujście
Konstanz and KreuzlingenSwitzerland / Germany
Laufenburg (Baden) and Laufenburg, AargauSeparated by the Rhine River (used to be one city until 1801/1802).
Esztergom and ŠtúrovoHungary / Slovakia
Komárno and Komárom
Strabane and LiffordIreland / United Kingdom
Gorizia and Nova GoricaItaly / Slovenia
Rome and Vatican CityVatican City is the only sovereign state surrounded entirely by a single city, Rome. The Vatican is an area in Rome. It was part of Italy until 1929, when Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty.Italy / Vatican
Kerkrade and HerzogenrathNetherlands / Germany
La Línea de la Concepción and GibraltarSpain / United Kingdom
Basel, Weil am Rhein and Saint LouisSwitzerland / Germany / France
Sarp and SarpiTurkey / Georgia}
Tui and ValençaSpain / Portugal
Aubange, Longwy and PétangeBelgium / France / Luxembourg

;Notes

North America

Border townsBordering countries
Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New YorkUnited States / Canada
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont
North Portal, Saskatchewan and Portal, North Dakota
Tecate, Baja California and Tecate, CaliforniaUnited States / Mexico
Boquillas del Carmen, Coahuila and Boquillas, Texas
Naco, Sonora and Naco, Arizona
Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Arizona
San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora and San Luis, Arizona
Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and Laredo, Texas
Nuevo Progreso, Río Bravo, Tamaulipas and Progreso, Texas
Calexico, California and Mexicali, Baja California (Calexico–Mexicali)
Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas and Ayutla, San MarcosMexico / Guatemala
Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario (Detroit–Windsor)United States / Canada
International Falls, Minnesota and Fort Frances, Ontario
Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta, SonoraUnited States / Mexico
Yuma, Arizona and San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora
San Diego, California and Tijuana, Baja California see San Diego–Tijuana
Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas see Brownsville–Matamoros
Del Rio, Texas and Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila
Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila
El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua see El Paso–Juárez
Presidio, Texas and Manuel Ojinaga, Chihuahua

South America

Border townCountries
Sant'Ana do Livramento and RiveraBrazil / Uruguay
Chuí and ChuyBrazil / Uruguay
Puerto Iguazú, Foz do Iguaçu, Ciudad del Este, and Presidente FrancoArgentina / Brazil / Paraguay
Posadas and EncarnaciónArgentina / Paraguay
Concordia and SaltoArgentina / Uruguay
Salvador Mazza and YacuibaArgentina / Bolivia

List of internal border towns and cities

Africa

Twin townsCountry
Cairo and Giza. Triple cities if counting Shubra El Kheima.Egypt
Port Said and Port Fuad
Sekondi-TakoradiGhana
Asaba and OnitshaNigeria
Jimeta and Yola
Johannesburg and Pretoria, Gauteng ProvinceSouth Africa

Asia

Twin townsCountry
Dhaka and NarayanganjBangladesh
Guangzhou and FoshanChina
Xi'an and Xianyang
Beijing and Langfang
Wuxi and Suzhou
Chaozhou and Shantou
Haifeng and Lufeng
Hong Kong and Shenzhen
url= http://www.walkthroughindia.com/walkthroughs/10-twin-towns-and-sister-cities-of-indian-states/title= 10 Twin Towns and Sister Cities of Indian Statesauthor=website= walkthroughindia.comdate= 26 September 2013access-date=9 January 2014}}India
Allahabad and Naini, Uttar Pradesh
Bangalore, Karnataka and Hosur, Tamil Nadu
Bishangarh and Jalore, Rajasthan
Chümoukedima and Dimapur, Nagaland
url= http://www.walkthroughindia.com/walkthroughs/10-twin-towns-and-sister-cities-of-indian-states/title= 10 Twin Towns and Sister Cities of Indian Statesauthor=website= walkthroughindia.comdate= 26 September 2013access-date=9 January 2014}}
Durg and Bhilai, Chhattisgarh
Hubli and Dharwad, Karnataka
Mysore and Srirangapatna, Karnataka
Kankroli and Rajsamand, Rajasthan
Kochi and Ernakulam, Kerala
Coimbatore and Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu
Kolkata and Howrah, West Bengal
Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
Kalyan and Dombivli, Maharashtra
Mira and Bhayandar, Maharashtra
Vasai and Virar, Maharashtra
Ambarnath and Badlapur, Maharashtra
Pimpri and Chinchwad, Maharashtra
Sangli and Miraj, Maharashtra
Munger and Jamalpur, Bihar
Noida and Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Pondicherry and Cuddalore
Ranchi and Hatia, Jharkhand
Surat and Navsari, Gujarat
Sumerpur and Sheoganj, Rajasthan
Thrissur and Guruvayur, Kerala
Vijayawada and Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
Bangarpet and Kolar Gold Fields, Karnataka
Harihar and Davangere, Karnataka
Shivamoga and Bhadravati, Karnataka
Attur and Narasingapuram, Tamil Nadu
Bhavani and Komarapalayam, Tamil Nadu
Dharmapuri and Nallampalli, Tamil Nadu
Erode and Pallipalayam, Tamil Nadu
Namakkal and Karur, Tamil Nadu
Tiruchirappalli and Srirangam, Tamil Nadu
Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu
Hyderabad and Secunderabad, Telangana
Asansol and Durgapur, West Bengal
Barrackpore and Barasat, West Bengal
Coochbehar and Alipurduar, West Bengal
Jalpaiguri and Mainaguri, West Bengal
Siliguri and Jalpaiguri, West Bengal
Berhampore and Murshidabad, West Bengal
Erbil and MosulIraq
Seleucia and Ctesiphon
Ramla and LodIsrael
Tel Aviv and Jaffa
Aomori and HakodateJapan
Kamisu and Kashima
Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki
Kyoto and Otsu
Maebashi and Takasaki
Nasushiobara and Otawara
Okayama and Kurashiki
Osaka and Sakai
Sanjo and Tsubame
Toyohashi and Toyokawa
Tsukuba and Tsuchiura
Yokkaichi and Suzuka
Karagandy and TemirtauKazakhstan
Beirut and Jounieh, LebanonLebanon
Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya,Malaysia
Bharatpur and GaindakotNepal
Butwal and Tilottama
Nepalgunj and Kohalpur
Rason and ChongjinNorth Korea
Jhelum and Sarai AlamgirPakistan
Peshawar and Mardan
Rawalpindi and Islamabad
Ramallah and al-BirehPalestine
Baguio and La TrinidadPhilippines
Bantay and Vigan
Bayombong and Solano
Dagupan and Lingayen
Daraga and Legazpi
Dipolog and Dapitan
Laoag and San Nicolas
Lemery and Taal
Palo and Tacloban
Santo Tomas and Batangas
Dammam and KhobarSaudi Arabia
Seoul and Incheon, South KoreaSouth Korea
Busan and Ulsan, South Korea
Sejong City and Daejeon, South Korea
Yangyang and Sokcho, South Korea
Taipei and New Taipei, TaiwanTaiwan
Kaohsiung and Tainan, Taiwan
Zhubei and Hsinchu, Taiwan
Bangkok and Nonthaburi, ThailandThailand
Chiang Mai and Lamphun, Thailand
Songkhla and Hatyai, Thailand
Ho Chi Minh City and Binh DuongVietnam
Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm
Historic
Twin townsCountry
Victoria and Kowloon, colonial Hong Kongalthough, in both colonial Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Victoria is the only city recognised by law; they were widely considered to be separate cities until at least the mid-1970s.British Hong Kong
Wuhan (merger of Wuchang, Hankou, Hanyang)China
Chirala-PeralaIndia
Bangalore Cantonment and Bengaluru Pete along with their suburbs merged to form modern Bangalore
Fukuoka (merger of east side of Naka river, Hakata, and the west side, Fukuoka)Japan
Ise (merger of Uji, Yamada)
Joetsu (merger of Takada, Naoetsu)
Naha and Shuri, Okinawa, once separate cities. Shuri became integrated as a district of Naha.
Zhongli and Taoyuan, merged into Taoyuan City.Taiwan
Saigon and Cholon, merged into Saigon-Cholon, now Ho Chi Minh City.South Vietnam

Europe

--

Twin townsCountry
Nørresundby and AalborgDenmark
Kotka and HaminaFinland
Frejus and Saint-RaphaëlFrance
Lyon and Villeurbanne
Göteborg and MölndalSweden
Düsseldorf and NeussGermany
Frankfurt and Offenbach
Ludwigshafen and Mannheim
Mainz and Wiesbaden
Mönchengladbach and Rheydt
Nuremberg and Fuerth
Sindelfingen and Böblingen
Ulm and Neu-Ulm
Villingen-Schwenningen
Ballybofey and Stranorlar, in County Donegal, Ireland are often called the Twin Towns and form the built up area of Ballybofey and StranorlarIreland
Fredrikstad and SarpsborgNorway
Porsgrunn and Skien. Together with Tollnes, Gulset and Åfoss they form the Grenland urban area.
Sandnes and Stavanger
Bydgoszcz and ToruńPoland
Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski
Porto and Vila Nova de GaiaPortugal
Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde
Alcobendas and San Sebastián de los ReyesSpain
Aldaia and Alaquàs
Coslada and San Fernando de Henares
Elda and Petrer
Llombai and Catadau
Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de la Laguna
Ferrol and NarónJönköping and Huskvarna,
Donetsk and MakiivkaUkraine
Kramatorsk and Sloviansk
Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk
Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad
Brighton and HoveUnited Kingdom
Chatham and Rochester
Leeds and Bradford
Manchester and Salford
Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead
Liverpool and Birkenhead
Warwick and Leamington Spa
Historic
Twin townsCountry
Knokke and Heist-aan-Zee. United into Knokke-HeistBelgium
Frýdek and Místek. United into Frýdek-MístekCzech Republic
Barmen and Elberfeld. United into Wuppertal.Germany
Bonn and Beuel. United into Bonn.
Kouvola and Kuusankoski. United into Kouvola.Finland
Äänekoski and Suolahti. United into Äänekoski.
West Berlin, West Germany and East Berlin. United into Berlin.East Germany
Buda and Pest. United into Budapest.Hungary
Bielsko and Biała. United into Bielsko-Biała.Poland
Skanör and Falsterbo. United into Skanör med Falsterbo.Sweden
City of London and City of Westminster. Absorbed into London.United Kingdom
Berwick-upon-Tweed and Tweedmouth, until the former was taken by England from Scotland.

North America

Twin townsCountry
Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaCanada
Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario
Battleford and North Battleford, Saskatchewan "The Battlefords"
Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario
Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec
Phenix City, Alabama and Columbus, GeorgiaUnited States
Lookout Mountain, Georgia and Lookout Mountain, Tennessee
Texarkana, Arkansas and Texarkana, Texas
San Bernardino and Riverside, California
Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado
Hartford and New Britain, Connecticut
Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Florida
Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Florida
St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida
Augusta, Georgia and North Augusta, South Carolina
Boulder and Longmont, Colorado
Champaign and Urbana, Illinois
Bloomington and Normal, Illinois
Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana
South Bend and Mishawaka, Indiana
Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa
Bangor and Brewer, Maine
Lewiston and Auburn, Maine
Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan
Montague and Whitehall, Michigan
Houghton and Hancock, Michigan
Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin
Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota
Natchez, Mississippi and Vidalia, Louisiana
Crystal City and Festus, Missouri
New York, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey
Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina
Winston-Salem and Greensboro, North Carolina
Piscataway and New Brunswick, New Jersey
Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota
Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota
Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky
Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington
Delmar, Maryland and Delmar, Delaware
Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina
Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia
Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas
Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas
Midland and Odessa, Texas
Bluefield, Virginia and Bluefield, West Virginia
Neenah and Menasha, Wisconsin
Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan
Seattle and Tacoma, Washington
Wahpeton, North Dakota and Breckenridge, Minnesota
Christiansted and Frederiksted, United States Virgin IslandsUnited States Virgin Islands
Historic
Twin cityCountry
Lloydminster, Alberta/SaskatchewanCanada
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Saginaw and East Saginaw, MichiganUnited States
Stanwood and East Stanwood, WashingtonUnited States
Brooklyn and New York City, New YorkUnited States

South America

Twin citiesCountry
Carmen de Patagones and ViedmaArgentina
Paraná and Santa Fe
Corrientes and Resistencia
Americana and Santa Bárbara d'OesteBrazil
Juazeiro and Petrolina
Olinda and Recife
Vila Velha and Vitória
Ponta Porã and Mato Grosso do Sul
Concepción and TalcahuanoChile
Coquimbo and La Serena
Valparaiso and Viña del Mar
Pedro Juan Caballero and AmambayParaguay
Callao and LimaPeru
Acarigua and AraureVenezuela
Guarenas and Guatire

Oceania

Twin cityCountry
Albury and WodongaAustralia
Canberra and Queanbeyan
Darwin and Palmerston
Echuca and Moama
Forster and Tuncurry
Gold Coast and Tweed Heads
Harden and Murrumburrah
Kalgoorlie and Boulder
Perth and Fremantle
Townsville and Thuringowa
Napier and HastingsNew Zealand
Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt

Tri-cities

Main article: Tri-Cities (disambiguation)

Border townsBordering countries
Brisbane; Gold Coast; and Sunshine Coast, Queensland— see South East QueenslandAustralia
Sydney; Wollongong; and Newcastle, in the geological region known as the Sydney Basin
The Tri-cities of British Columbia consist of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port MoodyCanada
The Tri-citites of Kitchener; Waterloo; and Cambridge, Ontario, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the K-W Tri-City Area
Tri-Town, Ontario- Cobalt, Haileybury and New Liskeard
Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, FujianChina
Wuppertal, Remscheid, Solingen, Rhineland, originally a quad-city until 1929, when Elberfeld and Barmen merged to form WuppertalGermany
Chandigarh; Mohali; and PanchkulaIndia
Vijayawada; Amaravati; and Guntur
Chennai, Avadi and Tambaram
Ranipet, Walajapet and Arcot
Warangal; Hanamkonda; Kazipet — see Warangal Tri-City
Kyoto; Osaka; Kobe - see KeihanshinJapan
Parit Buntar, Perak; Nibong Tebal, Penang; and Bandar Baharu, KedahMalaysia
Guadalajara; Tlaquepaque; Zapopan, JaliscoMexico
Bhaktapur; Kathmandu; and PatanNepal
Tricity, consisting of the cities of Baglung, Beni and Kushma
Bacolod; Silay; TalisayPhilippines
Cebu City; Mandaue; and Lapu-Lapu City
Angeles City; Mabalacat; and San Fernando
Gdańsk; Gdynia; and Sopot — see TricityPoland
Wejherowo; Rumia; and Reda — see Kashubian Tricity
The Dammam metropolitan area, consisting of Dammam; Dhahran; and KhobarSaudi Arabia
The metropolitan municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane (Pretoria) and Ekurhuleni (East Rand), Gauteng ProvinceSouth Africa
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Kariega (Uitenhage) and Despatch in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province
East London, Bhisho and Qonce (King William's Town) in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province
Khartoum; North Khartoum; and OmdurmanSudan
Stockholm; Solna; and SundbybergSweden
Trollhättan; Uddevalla; and Vänersborg
The Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area, consisting of Dubai; Sharjah; and Ajman, United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
Burbank; Glendale; and Pasadena, in Los Angeles County, CaliforniaUnited States
Fremont; Newark; and Union City, in Alameda County, California
Oceanside; Vista; and Carlsbad, in San Diego County, California
Riverside; San Bernardino; and Ontario, California, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Inland Empire
San Jose; San Francisco; and Oakland, California
College Park; East Point; and Hapeville, Georgia, all of which are near Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Bay City; Saginaw; and Midland, Michigan, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Greater Tri Cities, the Great Lakes Bay Region or the MBS region
Ferrysburg; Grand Haven; and Spring Lake, Michigan
Iron River, Caspian, and Gaastra, Michigan
Ironwood; Bessemer; and Wakefield, Michigan
Grand Island; Kearney; and Hastings, in south-central Nebraska, also known as Tri-Cities, Nebraska
Rochester; Dover; and Somersworth, New Hampshire
Farmington; Bloomfield; and Aztec, New Mexico
Albany, Troy, and Schenectady, New York, in the region known as the Capital District
Binghamton; Endicott; and Johnson City, New York, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Triple Cities
New York, New York; Newark; and Jersey City, New Jersey
Greensboro; Winston-Salem; and High Point, North Carolina, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Piedmont Triad
Raleigh; Durham; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Research Triangle
Tuttle; Newcastle; and Blanchard, Oklahoma, also known as the Tri-City Area
Johnson City; Kingsport; and Bristol, Tennessee/Bristol, Virginia, also known as Tri-Cities, Tennessee
Beaumont; Port Arthur; and Orange, Texas, also known as the Golden Triangle (Texas)
Dallas; Fort Worth; and Arlington, Texas
Petersburg; Colonial Heights; and Hopewell, Virginia, also known as Tri-Cities, Virginia
Pasco; Richland; and Kennewick, Washington, also known as Tri-Cities, Washington
Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and Arlington County, Virginia

Quad cities

Border townsBordering countries
Xinhui, Taishan, Kaiping, and Enping together formed Siyi area in Jiangmen, GuangdongChina
Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa in Uusimaa; together form the largest metropolis in the country and its actual capital area.Finland
Pattaya–Chonburi metropolitan area, consisting of the City of Pattaya, Town of Chonburi, Portal town of Laem Chabang and Town of Sattahip on the west coast of Chonburi Province, ThailandThailand
The West Yorkshire Built-up Area consists of the cities of Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, and the large town of Huddersfield, United Kingdom.United Kingdom
The Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Area in Alabama, is locally referred to as "the Quad Cities", with Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia, Alabama. Formerly, when Muscle Shoals was a mere village, this region was known as "Tri-Cities", Alabama. In fact, all except Florence are incorporated as towns.United States
Quad Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline, Illinois. It also includes a fifth member, East Moline, Illinois.
Allentown/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Easton, Pennsylvania/Phillipsburg, New Jersey; the collective area is often called the Lehigh Valley
The Quad Cities of Minnesota, consist of Virginia, Eveleth, Gilbert, and Mountain Iron.
The cities of Pullman, Washington, Moscow, Idaho, Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington, have marketed themselves as "Quad Cities."

More than four cities

Border townsCountry
The Triangle Region, consisting of Billund, Fredericia, Haderslev, Kolding, Middelfart, Vejen and Vejle.Denmark
The Ruhr district consisting of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum, Oberhausen, Mülheim, Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen and Herne in its core.Germany
The cities of New Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad have formed a huge metropolitan area known as National Capital Region (India).India
The cities of Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath and Badlapur have formed a huge Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The cities of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Puchong, Shah Alam, Klang, Port Klang, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Kajang have formed a huge metropolitan area (around the size of Singapore) known as Greater Kuala Lumpur.Malaysia
The cities of Karaganda, Temirtau, Shakhtinsk, Abai, Saran, Topar, Dolinka, Shahan, Kokpekti, and Novodolinsky form an industrial-mining area known since Soviet times as Karbass (Karaganda coal basin).Kazakhstan
The cities of Będzin, Bytom, Chorzów, Czeladź, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Gliwice, Jaworzno, Katowice, Knurów, Mikołów, Mysłowice, Piekary Śląskie, Ruda Śląska, Siemianowice Śląskie, Świętochłowice, Sosnowiec, Tychy, Tarnowskie Góry, and Zabrze form the Katowice urban area.Poland
Illinois and Iowa: The cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa; Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in Illinois form a metropolitan area known as the Quad Cities.United States
Michigan and Wisconsin include the 6 cities of Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Quinnesec (in Michigan), Aurora, and Niagara (in Wisconsin). The area is collectively known as the Iron Mountain Area.
Virginia: Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach; the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called Hampton Roads

Examples of cities formed by amalgamation

Asia

:China :* Wuhan in China consists of the towns of Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang in Hubei Province. :India :* Delhi: What used to be Old Delhi, New Delhi, and a collection of smaller villages has now grown into the current megalopolis that is seen today, also known as the National Capital Region (NCR) :* In Telangana, the cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad are merged to form Greater Hyderabad. :Japan :* Fukuoka in Japan, a city of 1.4 million people, formerly the twin cities of Hakata and Fukuoka until the late 19th century. :* Kitakyushu in Japan, a city of 900,000 people, created in 1963 by the merger of Yahata, Kokura, Moji, Wakamatsu, and Tobata. Yahata and Kokura had formerly been major cities in their own right. :* Saitama in Japan, a city of 1.2 million people, created in 2001 by the merger of the cities of Urawa, Omiya, Yono, and later Iwatsuki. Urawa and Omiya could formerly have been considered twin cities. :Pakistan :* Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, has been expanded to include smaller towns including Rawat in its territory. :* Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan, has, as of 2013, grown out so much that small towns by this giant city, such as Shahdara, have been absorbed in its city limits. :Taiwan :* The former cities of Taoyuan and Zhongli, Taiwan, which merged along with the entire county in 2014 to form a single municipality city of Taoyuan, the two cities sit directly next to each other and shares almost the same population. :Thailand :* Bangkok, the capital and largest city of Thailand, was created in 1971, when the previous Bangkok province (Phra Nakhon) was merged with Thonburi province. :Vietnam :* The cities of Saigon and Cholon merged in 1931 to form a single city named Saigon-Cholon; in 1956, the name Cholon was dropped and the city became known as Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). :* The city of Hà Đông, capital of Hà Tây Province was merged into Hà Nội upon the latter's amalgamation into Hà Nội in August 2008. Since then, Hà Đông became an urban district (quận) of Hà Nội.

Europe

:Germany :* Berlin (Berlin and Cölln), in Germany :* Duisburg (Duisburg and Hamborn, 1929–1935 called Duisburg-Hamborn), in North Rhine-Westphalia :* Krefeld (Krefeld and Uerdingen, 1929–1940 called Krefeld-Uerdingen), in North Rhine-Westphalia :* Wuppertal (Barmen and Elberfeld), in North Rhine-Westphalia :Greece :* Athens incorporated dozens of villages and towns and absorbed whole of Athens basin and parts outside of it, notably Piraeus. :Hungary :* Budapest, Hungary is the amalgamation of Buda, Pest and Óbuda. :The Netherlands :* Eindhoven, the Netherlands, merged with five neighbouring municipalities (Woensel, Tongelre, Stratum, Gestel en Blaarthem and Strijp) into the new Groot-Eindhoven ("Greater Eindhoven") in 1920. The prefix "Groot-" was later dropped. :Spain :* Madrid, evolved by absorption of other towns (like Tetuán de las Victorias, Vallecas, Chamartín de la Rosa or Aravaca) :United Kingdom :* Edinburgh, Scotland, absorbed a number of surrounding villages, but most notably the separate burgh of Leith. :* London, grew from its cores in the City of London and the City of Westminster to encompass many other towns and villages within neighbouring counties and absorbed almost the whole of Middlesex county. :* Manchester and the city of Salford in the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester (formerly in Lancashire). :* Stoke-on-Trent was created in 1910 from the towns of Burslem, Hanley, Tunstall, Longton, Fenton and Stoke, taking its name from the latter. Neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme remains a separate town.

North America

:Canada :* Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, was formed in 1967 when Alberni and Port Alberni, merged to become one city. :* Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, amalgamated with 12 surrounding municipalities and its metropolitan corporation in 1971 under what was referred to as unicity reforms in local government restructuring. :* Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, were merged in 1996 along with Bedford and Halifax County to create the Halifax Regional Municipality. :* Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, was formed in 2001 by the amalgamation of the former Regional Municipality of Sudbury, comprising the municipalities of Sudbury, Nickel Centre, Valley East, Capreol, Rayside-Balfour, Onaping Falls and Walden, plus a number of previously unamalgamated townships. The amalgamation made it the most populous city in the Northern Ontario region. :* Kingston, Ontario, Canada, was amalgamated in 1998 with the neighboring Kingston and Pittsburgh Townships. :* Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, was given its large area by the amalgamation in 2001 of the old City of Ottawa, the suburbs of Nepean, Kanata, Gloucester, Rockcliffe Park, Vanier and Cumberland, Orleans, and the rural townships of West Carleton, Osgoode, Rideau, and Goulbourn :* Toronto, Ontario, Canada, formed by an amalgamation of the Old Toronto with East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough and York, which were themselves products of earlier amalgamations. :* Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (Fort William and Port Arthur). :* Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, formed by the amalgamation of the old City of Gatineau, City of Hull, City of Aylmer, City of Buckingham and the Municipality of Masson-Angers all facing the City of Ottawa, Ontario from the north shore of the Ottawa River. :* Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was merged with the other 27 communities on the Island of Montreal by an act in the Quebec Parliament in 2002. Following a change in the provincial government, several communities later voted via referendum to de-merge and there are now a total of 15, leaving Montreal merged with the other 12. :* Saguenay, Quebec, Canada (Chicoutimi, Jonquière, et al.) :* Lloydminster, Canada, on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border, was formed as a single entity in 1903, when both future provinces were part of the Northwest Territories, but was divided into two separate entities in 1905 because the border between the newly created provinces bisected the community. In 1930, the two towns were reunited as a single town under the shared jurisdiction of both provinces, and Lloydminster was reincorporated as a single city in 1958. :United States :* Helena–West Helena, Arkansas was formed in 2006 by the merger of the previous cities of Helena and West Helena. :* Fremont, California was formed in 1956 by the combination of the five towns of Centerville, Irvington, Niles, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs, California. The town of Newark has always refused to merge into Fremont, and Newark is completely surrounded by Fremont. :* Boston, Massachusetts is made up of the former towns of Boston, Dorchester, Brighton, Roxbury, Charlestown, and Hyde Park. :* Iron River, Michigan absorbed the nearby city of Stambaugh and village of Mineral Hills in July 2000. :* Minneapolis, Minnesota. St. Anthony (not to be confused with St. Anthony Village, a modern city which is a suburb) was a twin city to Minneapolis in the two cities' youth. Minneapolis annexed St. Anthony in the late 1800s. :* Park Hills, Missouri was formed in 1994 by a four-way municipal merger involving the cities of Flat River, Elvins, and Esther, plus the village of Rivermines. :* Jersey City, New Jersey, was incorporated in 1820, and slowly grew by annexing surrounding municipalities: Van Vorst Twp. (1851), Bergen City (1869), Hudson City (1869), Bergen Twp. (1869) and finally Greenville Twp. (1873). :* New York City, New York (five boroughs, historically especially between Manhattan and Brooklyn) :* What is now the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina was once two separate towns called Winston and Salem that were combined into one. :* Cleveland (Cleveland and Ohio City) in Ohio :* Lincoln City, Oregon was formed in 1965 by merging the extant seaside towns of Oceanlake, Delake, and Taft, with the adjoining unincorporated areas of Nelscott and Cutler City. :* Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which absorbed the cities of South Bethlehem, and West Bethlehem. The former Bethlehem and South Bethlehem are situated in Northampton County, and West Bethlehem is in Lehigh County. As a result, present-day Bethlehem straddles the county line. :* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, annexed Allegheny City, which is now the quarter of the city that lies north of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers. Also annexed was Birmingham, now referred to as the "South Side". :* Richmond (Richmond and Manchester) in central Virginia :* Bellingham, Washington was formed from four cities, Fairhaven, Sehome, Bellingham and Whatcom.

Fictional twin cities

  • Ankh-Morpork, from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, is referred to as "the twin cities of proud Ankh and pestilent Morpork"
  • Besźel and Ul Qoma in China Miéville's novel The City & the City are intertwined twin city-states in Eastern Europe whose inhabitants have trained themselves to only see the city they live in and unsee the city they don't.
  • Central City and Keystone City, from the current Flash comics, are shown as twin cities. Before the 1985-86 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, Central and Keystone are presented as located in the same space but on different parallel Earths.
  • Duckburg and St. Canard were depicted in the cartoon Darkwing Duck as sister cities connected by a bridge, very similar to Oakland and San Francisco.
  • Gotham City (the home of Batman) and Metropolis (the home of Superman) have sometimes been presented as twin cities, mainly in 1970s and 1980s stories by DC Comics. In stories presenting them as twin cities, Gotham City and Metropolis are located on opposite sides of a large bay (identified as Delaware Bay in 1990's The Atlas of the DC Universe), with both cities linked by the Metro–Narrows Bridge, a suspension bridge resembling New York City's Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge.
  • Helium, from the Barsoom series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, consists of the twin cities Greater Helium and Lesser Helium.

Notes

References

References

  1. "Johor Bahru & Singapore: Is the conurbation defining megaregion in the South-East Asia?".
  2. (2019-10-03). "5 Famous Sets of Twin Cities From Around the Globe".
  3. "The Chief Executive's 2021 Policy Address - Policy Address".
  4. . (26 September 2013). ["10 Twin Towns and Sister Cities of Indian States"](http://www.walkthroughindia.com/walkthroughs/10-twin-towns-and-sister-cities-of-indian-states/).
  5. . (26 September 2013). ["10 Twin Towns and Sister Cities of Indian States"](http://www.walkthroughindia.com/walkthroughs/10-twin-towns-and-sister-cities-of-indian-states/).
  6. [http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2006/06/01/stories/2006060103980800.htm Weather story from 2006] The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 2006-12-31
  7. [http://www.legco.gov.hk/1952/h520220.pdf] [http://www.legco.gov.hk/1952/h520319.pdf] [http://www.legco.gov.hk/1958/h580326.pdf] [http://www.legco.gov.hk/1966/h660224.pdf] [http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr71-72/h720830.pdf] [http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr72-73/h730425.pdf] [http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr75-76/english/lc_sitg/hansard/h751022.pdf]
  8. "It's a wise man who knows where Chatham ends and Rochester begins." [[Charles Dickens]]
  9. (Jan 6, 2014). "Tricity residents to get Emaar MGF's Central Plaza soon". [[The Financial Express (India).
  10. (28 April 2010). "Quad Cities too generic a name for ID, WA cities". [[The Seattle Times]].
  11. "Juan Manuel Grijalvo - Madrid - Barrios desaparecidos y actuales - Antiguos municipios independientes".
  12. See e.g. the introduction of The Hogfather [[q:Terry Pratchett's Hogfather]]
  13. ''The Flash'' (volume 1) #123, [[DC Comics]], September 1961
  14. Starr, Joe. (2015-08-05). "Nerd Rabbit Hole: A Guide To Disney's Duck Universe". Pajiba.
  15. "San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge".
  16. ''[[Action Comics]]'' #451, [[DC Comics]], September 1975
  17. ''New Adventures of [[Superboy]]'' #22, [[DC Comics]], October 1981
  18. ''[[World's Finest Comics]]'' #259, [[DC Comics]], October–November 1979
  19. Burroughs, Edgar Rice (1917). ''[[A Princess of Mars]]''. [[A. C. McClurg. A. C. McClurg & Co]]. pp. 279–80, 305, 313–14.
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