Just who are our five sister cities? For some, they’ve been lost to time and trending news cycles, but to us they’re forever family.

Shinagawa, Japan, became our sister in 1984. “While you were watching Ghostbusters, we sent you two beautiful cherry trees to plant in front of City Hall, more in 2016. What have you done for us lately? We’re still waiting for our next lobster shipment.”

We sistered Archangel in 1988, during glasnost, while there was still a USSR. Some of us lost track of her during COVID. And she’s changed, by the way. She woke up one day and said, “Stop calling me Archangel. My real name is Arkhangelsk.” Sisters. She hangs out in northwestern medieval Russia on the banks of the Dvina River as it flows into the White Sea. She’s a bit moody, ever since St. Petersburg took her place as Russia’s hippest city.

Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, called: “Why did you ever honor the Royall family and their notorious holdings in Antigua by naming a river for them?” Our sister since 2000 dares to think independently, separated by mountains from Port-au-Prince. She renounced her old name Cap-Français because “That’s who someone else wanted me to be.” Let’s get to know her better.

Our sister from Greece is Mytilene of Lesvos. Since bonding with her in 2003, Portland has sent a number of delegations to the Greek island. Talk about gorgeous classical architecture.

The newest member of the family is Garissa Township, Kenya, who joined in 2023. She’s wild and wonderful, the darling of the banks of the Tana River, northeast of Nairobi. The area is home to many endangered species like the Rothschild (aka Northern) giraffe and the lesser kudu, “Though it would be a mistake to dismiss them as lesser.”

We’re searching Maine to discover if anyone has been adventuresome and curious enough to have visited all five of our sisters in person. Contact: staff@portlandmonthly.com. Don’t worry, we promise not to call our story the five-sister grand slam.