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Twin cities

Many UK cities have inspired the naming of cities around the world – from London, Canada to Newcastle, Australia. So, how does life compare in these twin cities?


A centre of the industrial revolution, Birmingham (UK) is known as much for its industrial landmarks as it is for its winding canals. Much like its twin, Birmingham (USA), which is not only the biggest city in Alabama but also known as a huge industrial centre.


Idyllic Cambridge (UK), so named for its place beside the river Cam, inspired cities in both the USA and Canada. Cambridge, Ontario (Canada) welcomes many folk and rock music festivals and Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA) is home to one of the USA’s most famous universities, Harvard.


The Irish capital isn’t the only Dublin in the world, Dublin, Ohio (USA) embraces it’s Irish heritage by using the shamrock as its city symbol and holding huge St. Patrick’s Day parades and an annual Irish music and culture festival.


Lancaster (UK) is a historic city, known for its castle and museums. There are at least two Lancasters in the USA, which couldn’t be more different; Lancaster, California is in northern Los Angeles and has the town motto of ‘It’s Positively Clear’! Whereas Lancaster, Pennsylvania holds onto the heritage of its English namesake being knows as ‘The Red Rose City’.


As the UK’s capital city, London has long been an important hub of trade, politics and history which is why it’s no surprise that there are now many cities around the world named after it. London, Ontario (Canada) even has its own river Thames!


Another major industrial city in the UK, Manchester is equally known for its cultural output, birthing bands such as Oasis and the Bee Gees. On the other side of the pond, Manchester, New Hampshire (USA) is the biggest city in New England and is more known for its beautiful autumn scenery.


Bright sandy beaches and surfers on every wave, Newcastle (Australia) couldn’t be more different from its British namesake. Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK) is more known for its strong sporting tradition and even stronger accent which takes many dialect cues from Scandinavian languages.

Northampton (UK) has archaeological ties back to the Bronze Age and has often played a key role throughout British history. In modern history, Northampton, MA (USA) is playing a big role in the equal rights movement and is known as a community hub for LGBT+ people.


An important port city, Plymouth (UK) is now known as a lively holiday location where you may be lucky enough to spot marine wildlife. As a port, many explorers set sail from Plymouth and named cities they founded in its honour such as those in Michigan (USA) and Taranaki (New Zealand).


Another major UK naval base, Portsmouth (UK) has also inspired cities on the other side of the world. Portsmouth, New Hampshire (USA) was settled in 1623, it is also a historic seaport and now a popular summer tourist destination. Portsmouth UK and USA are officially ‘Friendship Cities’ as a part of the Sister Cities International scheme.


Salisbury’s (UK) most famous attraction may actually be outside of the city as it lies 9 miles south of the iconic Stonehenge. On the very eastern coast of America, Salisbury, Maryland is a commercial and agricultural hub that holds the city motto of being on ‘The Comfortable Side of Coastal.’


The town of Windsor (UK) is known the world over as the wedding location of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – a.k.a Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – and the home of the historic Windsor Castle. Closer to Ms. Markle’s native USA, Windsor, Ontario (Canada) sits right on the border between Canada and Michigan, USA, separated by only the Detroit River.


Pennsylvania (USA) is not only home to a Lancaster but also a York, with the latter also being affectionately nicknamed after its British namesake as ‘The White Rose City’. In modern times the original York (UK) has become the UK’s first Human Rights city with an aim to push for human rights to be considered in decision-making policies.

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Sources and Methodology





Data for cost of living was gathered from crowd sourced platforms Numbeo and My Life Elsewhere and separately verified, cities with lower populations naturally have lower contributors to these sites so accuracy may be reduced on these cities. Information for entertainment purposes only.
