Town twinning dates back to the ninth century, when Paderborn, Germany and Le Mans, France, formally forged a partnership. The first US city to participate was Toledo, Ohio, which partnered with its namesake in Spain in 1931. In fact, the Alcázar, the city's famous 16th-century palace, is located right next to a street called Calle Toledo de Ohio if you visit that old Spanish city today.
Several thousands of cities have done the same over the years. Some share common interests; for example, Lexington, Kentucky, and Newmarket, England, who collaborate because they both enjoy horse racing, while Mumbai and Los Angeles both have booming film industries. Others do it for attention; otherwise, why would Boring, Oregon want to cooperate with Dull, Scotland, and Bland, Australia?
However, many others, like the Toledos, are simply looking for towns with the same name. Examples are Cambridge, Massachusetts and Cambridge, England, as well as Orange, California and Orange, Australia. The 21 US cities, towns, and unincorporated localities named Paris fell short in this regard.
Chicago, Illinois
At a White House summit on citizen diplomacy that President Eisenhower presided over in 1956, he introduced the Sister City International program. Rome, Italy and Paris, France formalized their exclusive twinning agreement in the same year. Although they do allow "friendship city" relations, a form of secondary agreement that falls short of the entire twin city package, they only have eyes for each other when it comes to twin cities.
In general, these relationships are beneficial, but occasionally, conflicts over political choices or unforeseen events can cause diplomatic splits. Other times, partnerships come to an end as a result of unexpected changes in governance or the redistribution of geographical boundaries. However, the majority of twin cities have had peaceful, long-lasting relationships.
What about those American cities, though, that have forged partnerships with communities around the globe that share their values? Here's a great example – Chicago and Warsaw – and their twins' story.
Chicago and Warsaw, Poland
Warsaw, Poland
The relationship between Chicago and Warsaw as twin cities can be explained by the sizable Polish community in the Windy City. Although it is sometimes asserted that Chicago is the largest Polish city outside of Poland, New York may possibly have a stronger case depending on your definition of a city. The Warsaw town-twinning deal was nevertheless the first of its kind for a city that would later enthusiastically embrace the sister city concept, and it was signed in 1960 by Mayor Daley. Today, Chicago still has friendship agreements with Paris and 28 other cities, including far-flung ones like Australia, Japan, and South Africa.
Are you willing to visit Chicago's international twin?
If so, we would like to give you one helpful tip – this information will be handy for those who prefer to travel by air.
If you get to the airport by car, you always need to find a good parking space for your vehicle to leave for the period of a trip. In most cases, airports have special on-site parking for that purpose. However, such a parking lot is pretty costly most of the time, and people aren't ready to spend a lot of money at the beginning of a trip. So is there any solution?
The best way to solve this problem is to choose off-site parking. Why, you may ask? We will explain.
There are many reasons which can prove the benefit of this parking type. Here are some of them:
- Affordable Rates. Depending on the duration of your trip, you can choose between short-term and long-term airport parking. Anyway, an off-site airport is much cheaper, so you can save your money and spend the most considerable amount on things you really want to see or try while traveling.
- Fast service. In contrast with on-site airport parking, which can take quite a long time, off-site parking offers you the convenience of driving directly to the entrance and having a staff member pull your luggage out of your vehicle and load it into the shuttle. Then they will park your car for you. After your baggage is loaded, you can take your seat in the shuttle, which will bring you and your bags to the airport. It is a hassle-free option that is usually faster.
- Convenience. When people travel, they may be stressed about making it to the airport on time. If you use off-site parking, you will definitely make your travel experience more convenient, as you use the service of a private company. Even though you may be able to park on-site at the airport in a short-term or long-term airport parking lot, consider using an off-site parking lot service.
We are glad to say that our booking platform, ParkingNearAirports.io, offers travelers online reservations for parking just outside airports that are convenient and affordable. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing travelers parking options at over 100 airports in the U.S. and Canada. The app allows customers to search and compare parking rates at up to 70 percent savings compared to the cost of on-site parking at all major airports.
With our platform, it only takes a few clicks in the app to reserve a parking spot. Guests receive a booking confirmation and a guaranteed parking space upon arrival at the off-airport parking. In addition, the app helps customers locate the most convenient lots to the airport. Cancellations are easy if plans change with hassle-free, refundable cancellations.
Besides this, we also offer services for top cruise ports in Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, and Texas.
Now let's take a good example. Imagine that you're planning a trip to Warsaw, Poland. So if you're flying from Chicago, Illinois, you can use cheap parking near Chicago O'Hare Airport. If you're coming from Newark, New Jersey, you can choose the affordable airpark EWR. It just depends on the place you're flying from.
You can always find everything you need on our official website: the best deals for parking near U.S. and Canadian airports, airport parking fees, and much more.
