Sister Cities

Kotor, Montenegro, was established as a Santa Barbara Sister City on August 25, 2009.

Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its historical monuments, Kotor is located on a natural harbor.

The town of Kotar is located on the Adriatic coast in Montenegro. Kotor is a premier tourist destination due to its medieval fort, town walls (2.8 miles), 16th-century town gates and clock tower. Kotar offers various summer activities including sailing, diving, rowing, and mountaineering.

Please visit the Santa Barbara-Kotor Sister Cities group webpage for further details and contact information: SBKotorSisterCity.com

Miraflores, Lima, Peru was established as a Santa Barbara Sister City on March 14, 2023 by a vote of the Santa Barbara City Council.

Miraflores was established in 1857 as a district of the Lima Province in Peru. Located on a beautiful coast with a mild climate, Miraflores, one of the wealthiest areas in Lima, is a favorite tourist destination in Peru.  Visitors to Miraflores enjoy upscale shopping, art galleries, theaters, highly-rated restaurants and bars, and luxury hotels along with its historical buildings. It offers many day time activities and a vibrant nightlife.

Patras, Greece, was established as a Santa Barbara Sister City on April 29, 2010, by the Santa Barbara City Council.

Patras is the third largest city of Greece with a population of 180,000. Like Santa Barbara, Patras’ geographical situation, at the foot of Mount Panachaiko overlooking the Ionian Sea, combines sea and mountains; the area has a Mediterranean climate, with relatively cool yet humid summers and mild winters. An important common geophysical characteristic of the region is its great seismicity, which has been recorded since ancient times. Patras shares another cultural similarity with Santa Barbara: its long tradition of hospitality to visitors.

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico became a Sister City on June 12, 1973. It is a beachside community that is, in many ways, similar to Santa Barbara. Over the years, citizens of both cities have enjoyed active people-to-people contact. Exchanges of all types have taken place to build strong links between our two cities. Yearly activities include a well attended winter sojourn to Puerto Vallarta. In return, our friends from Mexico are hosted in Santa Barbara homes in August during the annual Fiesta celebrating Old Spanish Days.

With the help of various community groups, we have undertaken many humanitarian projects, including

• donation of a decompression chamber
• building a Rehabilitation Center and Clinic
• yearly deliveries of supplies to disadvantaged schools
• gifts of police equipment, renovated ambulances and fire trucks

We are the largest sister city program in Santa Barbara. Our membership is very involved in fostering sister city goals, and we have lots of fun.

Please visit the Santa Barbara-Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities group webpage for further details and contact information: SBPVSisterCity.org

Toba City is a beautiful coastal port city located 200 miles southwest of Tokyo. Like Santa Barbara, its economy revolves around the ocean and tourism, it is a center for nautical recreation with beaches, boating, and water sports of all kinds. Toba is the gateway to Ise-Shima National Park, a pristine woodland with deep significance to the history of Japan.

Presently, visitors enjoy such attractions as a 140-foot-tall observation tower and a large public aquarium. The observation tower provides views of a bay inlaid with gem-like islets. The aquarium houses a large variety of dolphins, whales, penguins, seals, and tropical fish in salt- and fresh-water tanks. Toba is perhaps best known as the home of Mikimoto pearls. It was here that the art of culturing pearls, and mariculture in general, was invented.

The Toba City/Santa Barbara affiliation was begun on March 8, 1966, and there have been several visits by citizens and officials of both cities. The city of Toba and the Toba Rotary Club have a Dolphin Friendship Fountain similar to the one in Santa Barbara. The fountain, as a joint effort of the two cities, symbolizes our lasting friendship.

Please visit the Santa Barbara-Toba Sister Cities group webpage for further details and contact information: SBToba.org

Weihai, in Shandong Province, China, became a Sister City to Santa Barbara on August 10, 1993.

A sparkling seaside city with a port open to foreign import and export trade, Weihai is connected to the rest of China via a modern airport and highway. A branch of Shandong University is located on the outskirts of the city. Weihai has beautiful beaches, mountains and the nearby Liugong Island, where a memorial museum commemorates the Qing Dynasty naval headquarters. Hotel accommodations are comfortable, the weather benign, the country green the year around, and the seafood delicious.

The city has been voted the cleanest in the province and only smokeless industries exist in the city proper. They produce such products as rugs, embroidery, and pottery which are decorated with artistic designs in tin. Weihai is also well known for its bountiful seafood harvest, an extensive wine industry, manufacturing of clothing, shoes, imitation fur, metal parts for many machines, medical products, and much more. Santa Barbarians who have visited Weihai have enjoyed it enormously. It is hoped that residents of Santa Barbara will include Weihai as part of their trip to China.

Please visit the Santa Barbara-Weihai Sister Cities group webpage for further details and contact information: SBWeihai.org