History

Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International was established in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He envisioned that U.S. cities could create formal partnerships with foreign cities to build positive relationships. Municipality to municipality, cities could exchange information and ideas in order to build friendships and understand cultural differences.

Originally part of the National League of Cities (NLC), Sister Cities International (SCI) became a separate, non-profit corporation in 1967. SCI is the nation’s foremost citizen diplomacy movement with thousands of communities around the world participating.

Oklahoma-Kyoto’s Sister State Relationship
The State of Oklahoma and Kyoto Prefecture signed a sister state agreement in 1985 through the auspices of the governor’s office. Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, requested a sister city in Oklahoma that was about one hour from the capital, agriculturally based, and home to a university. Stillwater, of course, was a perfect match.

Stillwater Sister Cities Program
In 1985, the first delegation from Kameoka, Kyoto, Japan, visited Stillwater, and in November of that same year a Stillwater delegation went to Kameoka. There, Mayors Calvin J. Anthony and Yoshihisa Taniguchi signed the Sister City Affiliation Agreement that officially established the sister cities relationship the two cities. View agreement.

Stillwater Middle School-Taisei Junior High School
Since 1989, the Stillwater Middle School and Taisei Junior High School in Kameoka have participated in a sister school relationship, which features an active teacher-student exchange program. Read more...

Key Events