Twin cities
The term "twin city" (or "twin town") refers to a city or town that is very close to another city or town that together form one urban area but are still different to each other.
In Australia, the term is used to refer to cities or towns that are close to each other but are on other sides of a state border or a river. Some examples include the Gold Coast-Tweed Heads area (the Gold Coast is in Queensland while Tweed Heads is in New South Wales) and the Albury-Wodonga area (Albury is in New South Wales while Wodonga is in Victoria; these cities are also separated by the Murray River).
In The United States of America, the "Twin Cities" refers to Minneapolis-Saint Paul in Minnesota.
Twin Cities Media
High-rise buildings in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, with the Downtown Saint Paul skyline visible in the background ten miles away. Minneapolis' city limits border those of Saint Paul, the capital of Minnesota. This gave birth to the nickname of the region, the "Twin Cities" metropolitan area.
Cross-border example of twin cities: Plaza Internacional of the Frontera de la Paz. On the left, Santana do Livramento (Brazil); on the right, Rivera (Uruguay).
Related pages
- Border town
- Satellite city
- Twin town, called a "sister city" in Australia