Sister Cities International was started by President Eisenhower in 1956 (after World War II). He wanted people of the world to become friends as a peace-keeping initiative between nations.

Sister Cities focuses on good-will gestures, specifically educational and cultural exchanges.

In 1961, our first Sister City was Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania (East Coast of Africa). We became the first American city to have an African Sister City. Mansfield City Council adopted legislation in March 1989, authorizing the Sister City relationship with Mansfield, England. Tamura (formerly Funehiki), Japan, became the 3rd Sister City in October 2000.

Tentative schedule for the 2008 celebration is on the events page