Twin cities

Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. 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 phenomena involving 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. Islamabad and Rawalpindi are the twin cities of Pakistan; Islamabad is the Federal Territory of Pakistan, while Rawalpindi is a city in the Punjab province. 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 being annexed by New York City in 1898; or the three ancient cities of Hankou, Hanyang, and Wuchang joining in 1927 into Wuhan, China.

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).

Examples

Africa

Egypt

• Cairo and Giza. Triple cities if counting Shubra El Kheima.
• Port Said and Port Fuad

Ghana

• Sekondi-Takoradi

South Africa

• Johannesburg and Pretoria, Gauteng Province

International

Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo border

• Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Zimbabwe and Zambia border

• Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Livingstone, Zambia

North America

Canada

• Halifax and Dartmouth in Nova Scotia
• Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario
• Battleford and North Battleford, Saskatchewan "The Battlefords"
• Toronto and Mississauga

United States

• Texarkana, Arkansas and Texarkana, Texas
• 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
• Champaign and Urbana, Illinois
• Bloomington and Normal, Illinois
• 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 (Winston-Salem itself was formerly a pair of twin cities, until the two merged)
• 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
• Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas

International

Examples, sharing names or similar names, across an international border include:

Canada–United States border

• Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada; Niagara Falls, New York, United States
• Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States
• North Portal, Saskatchewan, Canada; Portal, North Dakota, United States

Mexico–United States border

• Tecate, Baja California, Mexico; Tecate, California, United States
• Boquillas del Carmen, Coahuila, Mexico; Boquillas, Texas, United States
• Naco, Sonora, Mexico; Naco, Arizona, United States
• Nogales, Sonora, Mexico; Nogales, Arizona, United States
• San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico; San Luis, Arizona, United States
• Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; Laredo, Texas, United States
• Nuevo Progreso, Río Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; Progreso, Texas, United States
• Calexico, California, United States; Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico; see Calexico–Mexicali

Pairs with unrelated names:

Mexico–Guatemala border

• Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, Mexico and Ayutla, San Marcos, Guatemala

United States–Canada border

• Detroit, Michigan, United States and Windsor, Ontario, Canada; see Detroit–Windsor
• International Falls, Minnesota, United States and Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada

United States–Mexico border

• Douglas, Arizona, United States and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico
• Yuma, Arizona, United States and San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico
• San Diego, California, United States and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico; see San Diego–Tijuana
• Brownsville, Texas, United States and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico; see Brownsville–Matamoros
• Del Rio, Texas, United States and Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico
• Eagle Pass, Texas, United States and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico
• El Paso, Texas, United States and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico; see El Paso–Juárez
• Presidio, Texas, United States and Manuel Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico

Historic

• Lloydminster, Alberta/Saskatchewan, Canada
• Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
• Saginaw and East Saginaw, Michigan, United States
• Stanwood and East Stanwood, Washington, United States
• Brooklyn and New York City, New York, United States

South America

Argentina

• Carmen de Patagones and Viedma
• Paraná, Entre Ríos and Santa Fe

Brazil

• Americana, São Paulo and Santa Bárbara d'Oeste
• Juazeiro and Petrolina
• Olinda and Recife
• Vila Velha and Vitória

Chile

• Concepción and Talcahuano
• Coquimbo and La Serena
• Valparaiso and Viña del Mar

Peru

• Callao and Lima

Venezuela

• Acarigua and Araure
• Guarenas and Guatire

International

Brazil-Paraguay border

• Ponta Porã, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil ; Pedro Juan Caballero, Amambay, Paraguay

Brazil-Uruguay border

• Sant'Ana do Livramento, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil ; Rivera, Uruguay

Asia

Current

Bangladesh

• Dhaka and Narayanganj, Bangladesh

China

• Guangzhou and Foshan, China
• Xi'an and Xianyang, China
• Beijing and Langfang, China
• Wuxi and Suzhou, China
• Chaozhou and Shantou, China
• Haifeng and Lufeng, China
• Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China

India

• Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, India
• Allahabad and Naini, India
• Aurangabad and Jalna, India
• Bangalore and Hosur, India
• Bishangarh and Jalore, India
• Chümoukedima and Dimapur, India
• Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, India
• Durg and Bhilai, India
• Hubli and Dharwad, India
• Mysore and Srirangapatna, Karnataka, India
• Kankroli and Rajsamand, India
• Kochi and Ernakulam, India
• Coimbatore and Tiruppur
• Kolkata and Howrah, India
• Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Mumbai and Thane, Maharashtra, India
• Munger and Jamalpur, India
• Noida and Greater Noida, India
• Pondicherry and Cuddalore, India
• Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra, India
• Ranchi and Hatia, India
• Sangli and Miraj, Maharashtra, India
• Surat and Navsari, India
• Sumerpur and Sheoganj, India
• Thrissur and Guruvayur, India
• Vijayawada and Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
• Bangarpet and Kolar Gold Fields, Karnataka, India
• Harihar and Davangere, Karnataka, India
• Shivamoga and Bhadravati, Karnataka, India
• Arcot and Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, India
• Attur and Narasingapuram, Tamil Nadu, India
• Bhavani and Komarapalayam, Tamil Nadu, India
• Dharmapuri and Nallampalli, Tamil Nadu, India
• Erode and Pallipalayam, Tamil Nadu, India
• Namakkal and Karur, Tamil Nadu, India
• Tiruchirappalli and Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India
• Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu, India
• Hyderabad and Secunderabad, Telangana state, India
• Asansol and Durgapur, West Bengal, India
• Barrackpore and Barasat, West Bengal, India
• Coochbehar and Alipurduar, West Bengal, India
• Jalpaiguri and Mainaguri, West Bengal, India
• Siliguri and Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India
• Vellore,Tamil Nadu,India and Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
• Chennai and Tambaram, Tamil Nadu, India

Iraq

• Erbil and Mosul, Iraq
• Seleucia and Ctesiphon, Iraq

Israel

• Ramla and Lod, Israel
• Tel Aviv and Jaffa, Israel

Japan

• Aomori and Hakodate, Japan
• Kamisu and Kashima, Japan
• Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki, Japan
• Kyoto and Otsu, Japan
• Maebashi and Takasaki, Japan
• Nasushiobara and Otawara, Japan
• Okayama and Kurashiki, Japan
• Osaka and Sakai, Japan
• Sanjo and Tsubame, Japan
• Toyohashi and Toyokawa, Japan
• Tsukuba and Tsuchiura, Japan
• Yokkaichi and Suzuka, Japan

Lebanon

• Beirut and Jounieh, Lebanon

Nepal

• Bharatpur and Gaindakot, Nepal
• Butwal and Tilottama, Nepal
• Nepalgunj and Kohalpur, Nepal

North Korea

• Rason and Chongjin

Pakistan

• Jhelum and Sarai Alamgir, Pakistan
• Peshawar and Mardan, Pakistan
• Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan

Palestine

• Ramallah and al-Bireh, Palestine

Philippines

• Baguio and La Trinidad, Philippines
• Bantay and Vigan, Philippines
• Bayombong and Solano, Philippines
• Dagupan and Lingayen, Philippines
• Daraga and Legazpi, Philippines
• Dipolog and Dapitan, Philippines
• Laoag and San Nicolas, Philippines
• Lemery and Taal, Philippines
• Palo and Tacloban, Philippines
• Santo Tomas and Batangas, Philippines

Saudi Arabia

• Dammam and Khobar, Saudi Arabia

South Korea

• Seoul and Incheon, South Korea
• Busan and Ulsan, South Korea
• Sejong City and Daejeon, South Korea
• Yangyang and Sokcho, South Korea

Taiwan

• Taipei and New Taipei, Taiwan

Thailand

• Bangkok and Nonthaburi, Thailand
• Chiang Mai and Lamphun, Thailand
• Songkhla and Hatyai, Thailand

Vietnam

• Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong, Vietnam
• Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm, Vietnam

International

Azerbaijan-Iran Border

• Astara, Azerbaijan and Astara, Iran

China-North Korea Border

• Dandong, China and Sinuiju, North Korea

China-Russia Border

• Manzhouli, China and Zabaykalsk, Russia
• Heihe, China and Blagoveshchensk, Russia

China-Vietnam Border

• Dongxing, China and Mong Cai, Vietnam
• Hekou, China and Lao Cai, Vietnam

Malaysia-Singapore Border

• Johor Bahru, Malaysia and Singapore

Laos-Thailand Border

• Vientiane, Laos and Nong Khai, Thailand Laos-Vietnam Border
• Dansavan, Laos and Lao Bao, Vietnam

United Arab Emirates-Oman Border

• Al Ain, United Arab Emirates and Al Buraimi, Oman

Historic

• Victoria and Kowloon, colonial Hong Kong—although, 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
• Chirala-Perala, India
• Fukuoka (merger of east side of Naka river, Hakata, and the west side, Fukuoka)
• Ise, Japan (merger of Uji, Yamada)
• Joetsu, Japan (merger of Takada, Naoetsu)
• Naha and Shuri, Okinawa, Japan, once separate cities, Shuri became integrated as a district of Naha
• Wuhan, China (merger of Wuchang, Hankou, Hanyang)
• Saigon and Cholon, Vietnam, merged into Saigon-Cholon, now Ho Chi Minh City.

Europe

Current

Denmark

• Nørresundby and Aalborg, Denmark

Finland

• Kotka and Hamina, Finland

France

• Frejus and Saint-Raphaël, France
• Lyon and Villeurbanne, France

Germany

• Frankfurt and Offenbach, Germany
• Ludwigshafen and Mannheim, Germany
• Mainz and Wiesbaden, Germany
• Mönchengladbach and Rheydt, Germany
• Nuremberg and Fuerth, Germany
• Sindelfingen and Böblingen, Germany
• Ulm and Neu-Ulm, Germany
• Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany

Ireland

• Ballybofey and Stranorlar, in County Donegal, Ireland are often called the Twin Towns and form the built up area of Ballybofey and Stranorlar

Norway

• Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg, Norway
• Porsgrunn and Skien, Norway
• Sandnes and Stavanger, Norway

Poland

• Bydgoszcz and Toruń, Poland
• Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland

Portugal

• Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
• Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde, Portugal

Serbia

• Novi Sad and Petrovaradin, Serbia
• Temerin and Bački Jarak, Serbia
• Zemun and New Belgrade, Serbia

Spain

• Alcobendas and San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain
• Aldaia and Alaquàs, Spain
• Coslada and San Fernando de Henares, Spain
• Elda and Petrer, Spain
• Llombai and Catadau, Spain
• Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain

Sweden

• Jönköping and Huskvarna, Sweden

Ukraine

• Donetsk and Makiivka, Ukraine

United Kingdom

• Bournemouth and Poole, United Kingdom
• Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
• Chatham and Rochester, United Kingdom
• Chester, England and Saltney, Wales
• Leeds and Bradford, United Kingdom
• Manchester and Salford, United Kingdom
• Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England
• Liverpool and Birkenhead, England
• Kingston upon Hull and Grimsby, England
• Warwick and Leamington Spa, England

International

Austria–Slovakia border

• Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia. This is an example of capital cities of neighboring nations being twin cities of one another.

Austria–Slovenia border

• Bad Radkersburg, Austria and Gornja Radgona, Slovenia

Belgium–France border

• Comines, Belgium and Comines, France
• Mouscron, Belgium and Tourcoing, France
• Wervik, Belgium and Wervicq-Sud, France

Croatia–Bosnia and Herzegovina border

• Slavonski Brod, Croatia and Bosanski Brod, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Czech Republic–Poland border

• Český Těšín, Czech Republic and Cieszyn, Poland

Denmark–Sweden border

• Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden

Estonia–Latvia border

• Valga, Estonia and Valka, Latvia

Estonia–Russia border

• Narva, Estonia and Ivangorod, Russia

Finland–Russia border

• Imatra, Finland and Svetogorsk, Russia

Finland–Sweden border

• Tornio, Finland and Haparanda, Sweden

France–Germany border

• Strasbourg, France and Kehl, Germany

France–Spain border

• Hendaye, France and Irun, Spain

Germany–Poland border

• Frankfurt (Oder), Germany and Słubice, Poland
• Görlitz, Germany and Zgorzelec, Poland
• Guben, Germany and Gubin, Poland
• Heringsdorf, Germany and Świnoujście, Poland

Germany–Switzerland border

• Konstanz, Germany and Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
• Laufenburg (Baden), Germany and Laufenburg, Aargau, Switzerland, separated between the Rhine River (used to be one city until 1801/1802).

Hungary–Slovakia border

• Esztergom, Hungary and Štúrovo, Slovakia
• Komárno, Slovakia and Komárom, Hungary

Ireland–United Kingdom border

• Strabane, Northern Ireland and Lifford, Ireland

Italy–Slovenia border

• Gorizia, Italy and Nova Gorica, Slovenia

Italy-Vatican City border

• Rome, Italy and Vatican City, Holy See. Vatican City is the only sovereign state surrounded entirely by a single city, Rome. The Vatican was an area in Rome and part of Italy until 1929, when Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty.

The Netherlands–Germany border

• Kerkrade, The Netherlands and Herzogenrath, Germany

Spain–Gibraltar border

• La Línea de la Concepción, Spain and Gibraltar

Switzerland–Germany-France border

• Basel, Switzerland and Weil am Rhein, Germany and Saint Louis, France

Historic

• Knokke and Heist-aan-Zee. United into Knokke-Heist, Belgium.
• Gradec and Kaptol. United into Zagreb, Croatia.
• Frýdek and Místek. United into Frýdek-Místek, Czech Republic.
• Barmen and Elberfeld, Germany. United into Wuppertal.
• Kouvola and Kuusankoski. United into Kouvola, Finland.
• West Berlin, West Germany and East Berlin, East Germany. United into Berlin, Germany.
• Buda and Pest. United into Budapest, Hungary.
• Bielsko and Biała, Poland. United into Bielsko-Biała.
• City of London and City of Westminster, England. Absorbed into London, United Kingdom.
• Berwick-upon-Tweed and Tweedmouth, until the former was taken by England from Scotland.
• Äänekoski and Suolahti. United into Äänekoski, Finland.

Oceania

• Albury and Wodonga, Australia
• Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia
• Darwin and Palmerston, Australia
• Forster and Tuncurry, Australia
• Gold Coast and Tweed Heads, Australia
• Harden and Murrumburrah, Australia
• Kalgoorlie and Boulder, Australia
• Napier and Hastings, New Zealand
• Perth and Fremantle, Australia
• Townsville and Thuringowa, Australia

Tri-cities

Australia

• Brisbane; Gold Coast; and Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia — see South East Queensland
• Sydney; Wollongong; and Newcastle, Australia in the geological region known as the Sydney Basin

Canada

• The Tri-cities of British Columbia consist of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody
• The Tri-citites of Kitchener; Waterloo; and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the K-W Tri-City Area
• Tri-Town, Ontario, Canada - Cobalt, Haileybury and New Liskeard

China

• Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Fujian

Germany

• Wuppertal, Remscheid, Solingen, Rhineland, originally a quad-city until 1929, when Elberfeld and Barmen merged to form Wuppertal

India

• Chandigarh; Mohali; and Panchkula, India
• Vijayawada; Amaravati; and Guntur, India
• Chennai,Avadi and Tambaram
• Warangal; Hanamkonda; Kazipet in India — see Warangal Tri-City

Japan

• Kyoto; Osaka; Kobe - see Keihanshin

Malaysia

• Parit Buntar, Perak; Nibong Tebal, Penang; and Bandar Baharu, Kedah

Mexico

• Guadalajara; Tlaquepaque; Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico

Nepal

• Bhaktapur; Kathmandu; and Patan, Nepal
• Tricity, Nepal, consisting of the cities of Baglung, Beni and Kushma

Philippines

• Bacolod; Silay; Talisay, Philippines
• Cebu City; Mandaue; and Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
• Angeles City; Mabalacat; and San Fernando, Philippines

Poland

• Gdańsk; Gdynia; and Sopot, Poland — see Tricity, Poland
• Wejherowo; Rumia; and Reda, Poland — see Kashubian Tricity

Saudi Arabia

• The Dammam metropolitan area, consisting of Dammam; Dhahran; and Khobar, Saudi Arabia

South Africa

• The metropolitan municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane (Pretoria) and Ekurhuleni (East Rand), Gauteng Province
• 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

Sudan

• Khartoum; North Khartoum; and Omdurman, Sudan

Sweden

• Stockholm; Solna; and Sundbyberg, Sweden
• Trollhättan; Uddevalla; and Vänersborg, Sweden

United Arab Emirates

• The Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area, consisting of Dubai; Sharjah; and Ajman, United Arab Emirates

United States

• Burbank; Glendale; and Pasadena, in Los Angeles County, California, United States
• Fremont; Newark; and Union City, in Alameda County, California, United States
• Oceanside; Vista; and Carlsbad, in San Diego County, California, United States
• Riverside; San Bernardino; and Ontario, California, United States, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Inland Empire
• San Jose; San Francisco; and Oakland, California, United States
• College Park; East Point; and Hapeville, Georgia, United States, all of which are near Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
• Geneva; Batavia; and St. Charles, in Kane County, Illinois, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Illinois
• Bay City; Saginaw; and Midland, Michigan, United States, 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, United States
• Iron River, Caspian, and Gaastra, Michigan, United States
• Ironwood; Bessemer; and Wakefield, Michigan, United States
• Grand Island; Kearney; and Hastings, in south-central Nebraska, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Nebraska
• Rochester; Dover; and Somersworth, New Hampshire, United States
• Farmington; Bloomfield; and Aztec, New Mexico, United States
• Albany, Troy, and Schenectady, New York, United States, in the region known as the Capital District
• Binghamton; Endicott; and Johnson City, New York, United States, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Triple Cities
• New York, New York; Newark; and Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
• Greensboro; Winston-Salem; and High Point, North Carolina, United States, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Piedmont Triad
• Raleigh; Durham; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, the cities' collective metropolitan area is often called the Research Triangle
• Tuttle; Newcastle; and Blanchard, Oklahoma, United States, also known as the Tri-City Area
• Johnson City; Kingsport; and Bristol, Tennessee/Bristol, Virginia, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Tennessee
• Beaumont; Port Arthur; and Orange, Texas, United States, also known as the Golden Triangle (Texas)
• Dallas; Fort Worth; and Arlington, Texas, United States
• Petersburg; Colonial Heights; and Hopewell, Virginia, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Virginia
• Pasco; Richland; and Kennewick, Washington, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Washington
• Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and Arlington County, Virginia, United States

Quad cities

China

• Xinhui, Taishan, Kaiping, and Enping together formed Siyi area in Jiangmen, Guangdong

Finland

• Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa in Uusimaa, Finland; together form the largest metropolis in the country and its actual capital area.

Thailand

• Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area consists of the City of Pattaya, Town of Chonburi, Portal town of Laem Chabang and Town of Sattahip on the west coast of Chonburi Province, Thailand

United Kingdom

• The West Yorkshire Built-up Area consists of the cities of Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, and the large town of Huddersfield, United Kingdom.

United States

• The Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Area in Alabama, United States, 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.
• Quad Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline, Illinois, United States. It also includes a fifth member, East Moline, Illinois.
• Allentown/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Easton, Pennsylvania/Phillipsburg, New Jersey, United States; the collective area is often called the Lehigh Valley
• The Quad Cities of Minnesota, United States, consist of Virginia, Eveleth, Gilbert, and Mountain Iron.
• The cities of Pullman, Washington, Moscow, Idaho, Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington, United States, have marketed themselves as "Quad Cities."

More than four cities

Denmark

• The Triangle Region (Denmark), consisting of Billund, Fredericia, Haderslev, Kolding, Middelfart, Vejen and Vejle, Denmark.

Germany

• The Ruhr district (Germany): consisting of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum, Oberhausen, Mülheim, Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen and Herne in its core.

India

• In India: the cities of New Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad have formed a huge metropolitan area known as National Capital Region (India).

Malaysia

• In Malaysia: 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.

Kazakhstan

• In Kazakhstan: 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).

United States

• In the US states of 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.
• In the US states of Michigan and Wisconsin sit the 6 cities of Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Quinnesec, Norway (in Michigan), Aurora, and Niagara (in Wisconsin). The area is collectively known as the Iron Mountain Area.
• In the US state of 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, India: 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, India, 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), Vietnam.

Europe

Germany

• Berlin (Berlin and Cölln), in Germany
• Duisburg (Duisburg and Hamborn, 1929–1935 called Duisburg-Hamborn), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• Wuppertal (Barmen and Elberfeld), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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, Spain, 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, England, 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, England in the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester (formerly in Lancashire).
• Stoke-on-Trent, England 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 Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
• Helium, from the Barsoom series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, consists of the twin cities Greater Helium and Lesser Helium.

See also

• List of divided cities
• Cross-border town naming
• Megacity
• List of metropolitan areas that overlap multiple countries
• Ecumenopolis
• Metropolis
• Megalopolis
• Sister city

Notes

References