Besançon, France. Poggio a Caiano, Italy. Winneba, Ghana. These are Charlottesville's Sister Cities. Appointed by City Council, the CSSC embodies Sister Cities International’s mission: To promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation — one individual, one community at a time.

The City of Charlottesville shares a variety of things in common with its Sister Cities: Similar economic climates. University communities. An emphasis on the arts. Memorable landscapes. A connected history. And an ever-widening cross-cultural network of friends and colleagues committed to peace through people.

Establishing a Sister Cities relationship is a process that takes several years.  We choose a Sister City much the same way people choose a friend: First, we get “introduced” through citizen suggestions or requests from a city itself. Then, we look for common interests, a mutual desire to connect, ease of communication, the chance of visiting each other, and the likelihood that the bond will last a long time. In particular, we want to be sure the two cities can share in cultural, educational, medical, governmental, economic, humanitarian, or other activities.

The Sister Cities network was the brainchild of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who introduced it at his White House Conference on Citizen Diplomacy in 1956. Sister Cities International creates and strengthens relationships based on cultural, educational, information,and trade exchanges, creating lifelong friendships that provide prosperity and peace through person-to-person "citizen diplomacy."