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| Mito, Japan |
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In December 1974, Mr. Jim Fukushima, who was from Mito and lived in Anaheim, invited his former teacher to visit Anaheim. Mr. Fukushima’s brother was a Mito City Council member and a relationship between the two cities was explored.
On July 7, 1975 the Ibaraki International Cultural Exchange Association was established with Mr. Yuichi Hataya as chairman. By end of the year, the first Anaheim delegation, a group of interested citizens headed by Mayor Bill Thom, visited Mito (Nov. 5 – 8, 1976). The first Official Mito Delegation, led by Mayor Yunosuke Wada, visited Anaheim (Dec. 19-26, 1976). The first sister city pact was signed on December 21, 1976.
Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, lies 75 miles north of Tokyo. Mito City was founded in 1889 and has a population of approximately 270,000.
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| Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain |
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In 1998, due largely to the efforts of an Anaheim resident Santiago Echevarria and Anaheim Sister Cities Association president, John Poole, Anaheim acquired a second Sister City, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
Located in the picturesque Basque region of northern Spain, adjacent to France and 218 miles from Madrid, Vitoria-Gasteiz was founded in 1181 as a defensive fortress by King Sancho III. The City is the capital of Alava, one of three historic Basque provinces, and in 1980 became the capitol of all of the Basque Country.
Vitoria-Gasteiz is a city where the old and new meet. This is the city where Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated at the hands of Wellington in 1813. History abounds in the heart of the Old Quarter, still well preserved around its 14th century gothic cathedral with narrow streets and ancient houses whose long-standing nobility is evident. Inside the cathedral are paintings by Rubens, Caravaggio and Van Dyck. Vitoria-Gasteiz has been awarded several international awards for work done on its restoration projects. Vitoria-Gasteiz is also recognized as the administrative center of part of the famous wine growing region of La Rioja, where miles and miles of rolling hills are developed with vineyards producing some of the world's most prestigious wines.
In April, 1999, an official Anaheim delegation visited Vitoria-Gasteiz and was welcomed like royalty into a new relationship. The delegates noted that the good hotels and restaurants ensured a pleasant stay in this beautiful city. They also observed that Vitoria-Gasteiz has a carefully planned appearance, with many parks and gardens distributed throughout the City, as well as sections ideal for pedestrians to enjoy. The lack of traffic congestion and pollution and the clearly high standard of living for its residents made for a most pleasant and memorable visit. The history was magnificent and the surrounding countryside extending all the way to Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Pamplona and into France was breathtaking.
Today with a population of over 220,000, Vitoria-Gasteiz is carefully preserving its past and is investing in its future by its planned industry that strategically rings the old city.
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