Viking Magazine - November 2015 - 24

" It is easy to understand why so many
Norwegian immigrants chose Seattle as
their new home. With the backdrop of
hills and mountains and the closeness to
the ocean, it looks very much like parts
of Norway. All of you who have been
to Norway's second largest city will
probably agree: It makes perfect sense
that Bergen and Seattle are twin cities, "
the King said at a banquet hosted by
Norway's Ambassador to the United
States, Kåre R. Aas.
In the case of Seattle and Bergen, the
two cities regularly host each other's
high school and university students,
and send delegations of visitors back
and forth. And in a true sign of the
times, the two cities share a Facebook
page where both cities post spectacular
selfies - the moon rising over Mount
Rainier, the colorful wooden buildings
of Bergen's Bryggen - and then offer
admiring comments on each other.
Still going strong after almost 50
years, this relationship seems meant
to last.
Houston, Galveston and Stavanger
bonded over oil but continue to build
the relationship around culture
and trade
But geographical likenesses aside,
Seattle and Bergen have formed a
lasting relationship that is evidenced
in both places. Seattle's Ballard
neighborhood is home to a small park
that was dedicated by King Olav. In
Bergen, a totem pole from the people
of Seattle to commemorate Bergen's
900th anniversary stands sentinel over
Nordness Park.
The foundation of any sister city
relationship though, says Kaplan, is
in the people of both cities, just as
President Eisenhower envisioned.
" Despite the ease with which people
can now travel, learn about other
cultures, and communicate with others
abroad, truly beneficial international
relationships still rely on building
trust through people-to-people
relationships. "
24 VIKING NOVEMBER 2015
sonsofnorway.com
From the airport in Stavanger, there is
only one place in the United States that
passengers can fly to nonstop: Houston,
Texas. And the same is true from
Houston: The only nonstop service
to Scandinavia is a daily SAS flight to
Stavanger. It just so happens that the
two oil towns are sister cities as well.
Since the relationship was formed
in 1980, the Houston-Stavanger
connection has been multi-faceted
and consistently active in cultural,
municipal sectors, says Darian
Ward, press secretary for Houston
Mayor Annise Parker. Facilitated
by SCI and the non-profit HoustonGalveston-Stavanger
Sister City Society
(Galveston joined the partnership in
1988), the relationship has resulted
in Houston being selected to have
a Royal Norwegian Consulate
General, a Norwegian Trade Council,
a Norwegian Seamen's Church and
a local chapter of the NorwegianAmerican
Chamber of Commerce. In
addition, the cities host a bi-annual
exchange of students from Houston/
Galveston and Stavanger, who travel
overseas to attend " Texas Days in
Stavanger " and " Stavanger Days in
Texas. " There are typically 50 to 80
students traveling, attending cultural
events and staying with host families.
United States and
Norway Sister Cities
Anchorage, Ala. and Tromsø
Fairbanks, Ala. and Mo i Rana
Vallejo, Calif. and Trondheim
Elbow Lake, Minn. and Flekkefjord
Fergus Falls, Minn. and Nordhordland Region
Red Wing, Minn. and Kongsberg
Houston/Galveston, Texas and Stavanger
Virginia Beach, Va. and Moss
Issaquah, Wash. and Sunndal
Seattle, Wash. and Bergen
Tacoma, Wash. and Ålesund
La Crosse, Wis. and Førde
The relationship between cities
reaches all the way to the mayors'
residences. " From a municipal point of
view, Mayor Annise Parker and Mayor
Did you know?
There are 30 Sister City relationships
between Canada and the United
States, including Vancouver/Los
Angeles and Calgary/Phoenix.
Christine Helgø have both visited each
other's respective cities. Mayor Parker
visited Stavanger last year in 2014 for
the ONS conference and Mayor Helgo
visits Houston almost annually for the
Offshore Technology Conference, "
says Ward.
This kind of relationship between
people - and the cities and countries
in which they live - is precisely what
President Eisenhower had in mind
nearly 60 years ago.
PHOTO BY JO-ANNE ALBERTSEN / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - November 2015

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