Niagara twin cities: ‘Living Apart Together’ on the Canada-US border

As their shared names suggest, the cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara Falls, New York, USA, resemble a single conurbation divided by, among other things, a river and a spectacular set of waterfalls which is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. However, the Niagara River, separating above the falls and rejoining below, is also an international boundary between the two countries. This border provides an unusually clear and simple setting wherein to assess the impact of an international boundary on the political life of what otherwise might be considered one metropolitan area. Drawing on interviews with senior political and administrative figures in each city, this chapter explores the tension between cooperation and competition among twin cities that, in the absence of the border, would seem to have much in common.