Neighbors Abroad was founded early in 1963 after the Palo Alto City Council initiated a Sister City organization in concert with President Eisenhower's Town Affiliation Program. Neighbors Abroad has received thirteen awards from Sister Cities International, and Neighbors Abroad projects have received recognition from the United Nations and the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce.

LINKÖPING, SWEDEN - 1987
Linköping received its city privileges in 1287, but its history goes back to the time of the Vikings. In the Middle Ages it developed as an important church center and economic power, with markets in agricultural products.

Capital of the province of Östergötland, this city of over 135,000 is located between agricultural plains and forested lakes, 120 miles southwest of Stockholm. Linköping has become a center for high-technology industries, including computers, electronics, and aviation. Saab, the only airplane manufacturer in Scandinavia, produces both civilian and military aircraft in Linköping. Linköping University is known internationally for its schools of engineering and medicine. The prestigious Swedish business magazine, Veckans Affärer, identified Linköping as "the best" in all of Sweden's 286 cities in 1993.

Visits between our cities by groups and individuals enrich the relationship. In 1991, our city enabled Palo Altan Greg Brown to create one of his unique murals on an outside wall of Linköping's Folkets Hus (concert hall). A summer high school student exchange was initiated in 1991. Our Linköping Day in Palo Alto and their Palo Alto Day in Linköping, as well as the Crayfish Fest and Santa Lucia celebration in Palo Alto, are important annual events.

ALBI, FRANCE - 1994
A city of 50,000, Albi is situated in southern France, on the Tarn River 50 miles from Toulouse. Dating from Roman times, the city was restored in the 13th century after barbarian invasions. The great Cathedral of St. Cecile was completed in the 14th century. The Berbie Palace holds 600 paintings by native son Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Albi, a "City of the Arts", has concerts and festivals throughout the year. The Friends of the Arts in Albi have established a painting academy and paint "Montmartre style" in the streets and nearby towns.

The city is known for its gourmet food industry and Gaillac wine. In October 1994, a delegation of twelve from Albi visited Palo Alto for official ceremonies to formalize our Sister City relationship. A 23-member French cancan dance troupe (Compagnie Evelyne Remazeilhes) came to Palo Alto in April, 1995 accompanied by Albi artists. In the summer of 1995 the first high school student exchange with Albi took place; thirteen Neighbor Abroad members enjoyed French hospitality on the first official Neighbors Abroad trip to Albi; and the second Bastille Day Celebration in Palo Alto was held on July 14th.

On July 29, 1995, at its 38th annual conference, Sister Cities International presented a Best First Year Affiliation Award to Palo Alto and Albi. The Albi Committee has initiated exchanges of hikers, cyclists, painters, choruses, and visits of orchestras, jazz bands, chefs, and official delegations. Warm friendships have been formed during the educational, cultural and recreational exchanges that have taken place between our two cities.

ENSCHEDE, THE NETHERLANDS - 1980
Enschede, a city of 150,000 is in the province of Overijssel in the eastern part of The Netherlands, a short distance from Germany. Enschede is the home of the University of Twente, an internationally-oriented institute of scientific education and research with close ties to Stanford. The university is an entrepreneurial research university that has a focus on the technical and social sciences since its founding in 1961. Palo Alto and Enschede have shared in the pleasure of the high school student exchanges begun in 1984. Neighbors Abroad has welcomed and provided homestays for applied physics students from the University of Twente during their study tours, most recently in 2002. The focal point for the students were their visits to Stanford and various Silicon Valley corporations.

Since 800 A.D., Enschede served as a market, and later as a textile center. It is now a modern city with three major museums, a philharmonic orchestra, and a modern performing arts center. English is taught in the schools and most of the people in Enschede have a working knowledge of English. The Palo Alto HIgh School jazz band played in Enschede twice. Visits continue and friendships are renewed and enriched by the student and adult exchanges between Palo Alto and Enschede.

PALO, LEYTE, PHILIPPINES - 1963
Palo, an English speaking community of about 38,000 is located on the northeastern coast of the Island of Leyete. Its beginning as a city trace back to 1768, and it encompasses 33 small divisions called barangays.

Palo's economic base is primarily agricultural, with 98 percent of the people depending on their farms for their livelihood. Principal products include rice, corn, copra, sugar cane, and tobacco; fishing also flourishes.

Nearby Red Beach is the site of the 1944 landing of General Douglas MacArthur and the Allied Forces to launch the liberation of the Philippines. During our years as sister cities, individuals and small groups from each city have visited the other. Scholarship and books have long been important in this two-city relationship. Palo's Children's Library and the computer center are major projects that succeeded through the cooperation of both cities.

To enhance understanding of Palo and to cooperate with our sister city an interactive exhibit "Bayanihan--A Window to the Philippines" was held for nine months in the Children's Museum and Zoo in Palo Alto and subsequently traveled to Ottawa, Canada, St. Louis, Chicago and now has found a permanent home in Spokane. Funds received from rental enabled N.A. to send two librarians to Palo. They have been supplanted by two full-time and one part-time Filipina librarians. N.A. sponsors yearly concerts by Filipino artists and was responsible for Interplast's introduction to Palo-Tacloban.

OAXACA, MEXICO - 1964
The fertile mile-high valley of Oaxaca was populated from about 1500 B.C. by a series of indigenous peoples, including Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Olmecs, and Aztecs. In A.D. 1532, Charles V claimed the area for Spain and established the city of Oaxaca. Blessed with a pleasant climate, the city, now with over 500,000 inhabitants, is located more than 350 miles southeast of Mexico City, and is the capital of the large and mountainous state of Oaxaca.

Some of Mexico's finest pre-Columbian archeological sites are nearby. Oaxaca's market is noted for its outstanding array of native handicrafts, and the area's black pottery is unique. Palo Alto and Oaxaca have had an annual high school student exchange since 1965; numerous other exchange opportunities occur frequently. Award-winning projects accomplished by our two cities include an Observatory and Planetarium. Currently our cities work together to support the Albergue Infantil Josefino, an outstanding home for orphaned, abandoned and abused children, and the Programa Nino-a-Nino, an extremely successful Health Education Program for rural children.

Board of Directors
President - Joni Reid 650-322-1378

Immediate Past President - Hank Heubach hgheubach@aol.com
 
Co-VP's, Albi, France - Michel Campmas 650-856-2214
and Pat McGuire 650-328-8907

Membership/Directory - Barbara Evans 650-856-0618
 
Co-VP's, Enschede, The Netherlands - Joni Reid 650-322-1378
and Ginger van der Linden

Publicity - Betty Gerard 650-856-0616 
 
Recording Secretary - Mary Ashley 650-494-1829
 
VP, Oaxaca, Mexico - Marion Mandell 650-493-3798

Treasurer - Chris Torres 650-856-3403

VP, Palo, The Philippines - Ruth Carleton 650-326-8885 

City of Palo Alto Staff Liaison - Linda Craighead