San Jose Sister Cities

EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA
San Jose established its sister city affiliation with Ekaterinburg, Russia in 1992.

Located east of the Ural Mountains, Ekaterinburg lies 30 kilometers west of the Europe-Asia continental divide.  Russia’s fourth largest city with a population of 1.3 million people, Ekaterinburg is a key industrial center and transportation hub.  Ekaterinburg is the capital of the Ural Federal District and the Sverdlovsk Oblast (equivalent to a U.S. state).  Ekaterinburg is a key trading center and transportation hub for Europe, central Asia and Siberia.

Founded in 1723, Ekaterinburg is named for Peter the Greats wife, Catherine.  The city was known as Sverdlovsk from 1924 to 1991, in honor of the leader of the Bolshevist Party.

Ekaterinburg is home to the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and its 18 institutes and research facilities.  Several of Russia’s leading universities are located in Ekaterinburg and the Urals region.

Ekaterinburg is a leading center for the performing arts.  Its opera, theatre and symphony have produced some of Russia’s leading artists.

Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s first President was from Ekaterinburg, and served in government in the Urals prior to his appointment in Moscow.

There were several exchanges of San Jose and Ekaterinburg delegations in the 1990s and programs to facilitate collaboration in education, sports, music, dance, journalism, and economic development.  San Jose State University organizes 2-4 week academic programs in San Jose for Russian business professionals.

To join San Jose-Ekaterinburg Sister City Program

Sister Cities

City of San Jose Sister City Guidelines

Overview of San Jose Sister City Program

Sister Cities International

Dublin, Ireland

Ekaterinburg, Russia

Okayama, Japan

Pune, India

San Jose, Costa Rica

Tainan, Taiwan

Vera Cruz, Mexico

Contact Us

City of Ekaterinburg

U.S. Consulate General- Ekaterinburg

U.S. Embassy-Russia

State Department Background Notes