US ‘twin' town drops Alex a line
Central Otago Mayor Tamah Alley said a letter offering friendship and describing the similarities of the town of Bridgewater, in Virginia, and Alexandra was a "really cool surprise".
Mrs Alley said the letter from the mayor of Bridgewater came out of the blue.
Receiving letters did not happen often because of emails — it was also uncommon to have positive, feel-good communication from people, she said.
Mayor of Bridgewater Ted Flory said town staff were in the process of updating the town's Wikipedia page when they noticed other localities were listing a climate twin.
In the past the town had identified itself by its location in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia.
Finding and designating a climate twin seemed like a way to provide a broader context for the small town, Mr Flory said.
Bridgewater town staff had not heard of Alexandra before their research, but the town proved to be a good match.
Other towns compared to Bridgewater included Grocka, in Serbia, and Cheongpyeong, in South Korea.
While both towns were closer climatically, they differed in size and atmosphere.
"Grocka is too metropolitan and Cheongpyeong is more of a resort than a hometown. Alexandra just felt more like Bridgewater."
There were also some other reasons why Alexandra would make a good twin.
Both towns spoke "mostly" the same language, and he believed the towns could have fun with the fact the seasons were reversed.
Mayoral ceremonial chains was something he discovered during research, and he hoped to see them adopted in the United States.
It was Bridgewater's first foray into international relations, but during the town's research they realised there was more in common between Bridgewater and Alexandra than just climate.
"Our peoples share hopes, joys, concerns, pastimes, and many other essential elements of life. Another similarity is that both towns are situated in an area of great natural beauty."
One common ground was the fact both towns had beautiful ice rinks for their citizens to enjoy.
"We thought our two towns were strikingly similar. Sending a note just seemed like a kindly thing to do."
Visiting New Zealand had been on his bucket list for many years.
"If I am fortunate enough to visit in the coming years, I will certainly visit Alexandra"
Alexandra residents were welcome to visit Bridgewater too.
Further communication between the towns would be most welcomed, Mr Flory said.
Mrs Alley said in the current climate of world politics the official declaration of friendship was a very cool move.
She would absolutely be replying to Mr Flory and the town of Bridgewater, thanking them for the letter and encouraging them to visit Alexandra.
"If any other places want to get in touch because they feel like they have a connection to us, we'd love to hear from them," she said.
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