St. Etienne, France

Declaration:

• In commemoration of our twinning relationship between the city of Saint-Etienne in the Loire Department and the Rhone-Alpes region, France and the City of Windsor in the County of Essex in the Province of Ontario, Canada signed in Saint-Etienne on June 11, 1963, we hereby renew our commitment as twin cities in recognition of friendship and understand our social, cultural, economic and educational bonds.

Saint-Etienne is located in the French department of Loire; it is the second largest city in the Rhône-Alpes region in the East of France and has a population of about 180,000; this number increases to 400,000 when the population of the surrounding areas is included. Saint-Etienne was once known as a mining city, but with a decline in traditional industries, it has reinvented itself as a centre for manufacturing and high-tech industries. It is most prominently known for its heritage and culture, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized the city as a "Town of Art and History" in 2000 and a "City of Design" in 2010. There are more than a dozen museums, known for housing the largest modern and contemporary art collections in France, most notably the Cite du Design, Museum of Art and Industry, Le Corbusier Site, and Firminy.