High School Humanitarian Lyceum

Research: Comparison of twin cities in Russia and in the USA.

Student: Zhenya Samoilova Teacher: Nataliya Kasimova

Izhevsk 2011 TABLE OF CONTENT Introduction... 3

2.

1.

Part1. The phenomenon of twin cities..4

2.1 2.2

The meaning of expression: Twin cities......4 Examples of twin cities4 3. Part 2. Differences and similarities between St. Petersburgs

.......6 3.1 3.2 St. Petersburg in Russia.....6 St. Petersburg in Florida...11

4. Part 3. Comparison of twin cities in Russia and in the USA.........17 4.1. Description .17 4.2. Interview. ....18 4.3. Comparing table..19 5. Conclusion....20 6.. References...21 7. Appendix...22

Introduction. The topic of my research is Comparison of twin cities in the USA and Russia. The world changes every day. Cities become bigger. Modern technologies develop every minute. Our life regularly increases its rhythm. People get more and more new information. And thats why I should tell you about amazing facts, concerning with twin cities. First of all Id like to interview a lot of people in our world who cant even imagine that there is place in another part of the Earth with the same name. When someone talks about the city, which has a twin, without explanation we cant be absolutely sure which city they are talking about. And sometimes we encounter the problem of misunderstanding. And problems like this are very typical in our world. What should you do to avoid situations like these. Some people, who like traveling, can face some problems with twin cities. If you live in Africa and you want to travel to Saint Petersburg you can mistake this city and come to another part of the world if you dont know about twin cities. Id like to compare two St. Petersburgs because this autumn I was in the St. Petersburg in Russia, and I was amazed of the beauty of this city. My young sister, at the same time read the book Tom Sawyer written by Mark Twain and she told me that Tom Sawyer also lived in the St. Petersburg in Florida; I was really amazed of this fact. Purpose To compare two cities with the same name situated in different parts of the world. Scope - to consider some peculiarities of twin cities; - to invent special criterions to make a table; - to find out the information about St. Petersburg in Russia; - to learn the information about St. Petersburg in Florida; -to interview people from the St. Petersburg, Florida in the Internet.

-to interview people about their opinions about twin cities; Background Information. This topic very interesting for me because I like traveling and I think that information about twin cities is necessary for people who love traveling, to avoid misunderstanding, which might cause a lot of problems. Part1. The phenomenon of twin cities. You can confuse the term 'twin cities' and the term 'sister cities'. To avoid this confusion we give a definition of the term. Twin cities it is cities with the same name. Sister cities are one of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties. In our world we have a lot of examples of twin cities. In the beginning Id like consider four big twin cities. The most famous city which has a lot of twins it is Moscow. There are main cities with this name: Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The population was 10,563,038. Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. The population was 21,291. Moscow is a city in Stevens County, in southwest Kansas, United States. The population was 247. Moscow is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 577 Moscow is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,883. Moscow is a town in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 594 Alexandria. Alexandria is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport. The population was 4.1 million Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population of 155,433. Alexandria is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The population of the town is 13,444. Alexandria is a city in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. The population of the town is 6,260 Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,286.

Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 50,236. Alexandria is a city in Clark County, Missouri, USA. The population was 166. Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. The population of Alexandria was 12,415. Alexandria is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,329. Alexandria is a town in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 4,097

And this is only big twin cities of Alexandria. Id like tell you about settlements on Russion Federation with name Alexandrovka.

A number of settlements with the name Alexandrovka in the Russian Federation.

[ ] no one [ ] 1-2 [ ] 3-5 [ ] 6-10 [ ] 11-15 [ ] 16 and more

Tripoli Tripoli is the largest city and capital of Libya. The population was 1065405 Tripoli is a city in the central part of the Peloponnese, in Greece. The population was 15.000. Tripoli is a city in Bremer County, Lowa, United States. The population was 1310. Tripoli is a city in Lebanon. The population was 500,000.

Brest. Brest is a city in the Finistre department in Brittany in north-western France. Brest is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland. So, you can see that there are a lot of examples of twin cities in our world, but I suppose that there are few people who know about it. To understand the importance of the Twin Cities, I would like in particular to consider two St. Petersburgs. Especially because this year Ive visited St. Petersburg in Russia. Part 2. Differences and similarities between St. Petersburgs

St. Petersburg in Russia

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city's other names were Petrograd and Leningrad. It is often called just Petersburg and is informally known as Piter. Founded by Tsar Peter I of Russia on May 27, 1703, it was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years. Saint Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917. It is Russia's second largest city after Moscow , and sixth in Europe after Moscow , London, Paris, Istanbul, and The Ruhr, Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural centre, and an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. History. On 1 May 1703 (Julian calendar), during the Great Northern War, Peter the Great captured the Swedish fortress of Nyenskans on the Neva river in Ingria. A few weeks later, on 27 May 1703 (16 May, Old Style),lower on the river, on Zayachy Island, three miles inland from the gulf, he laid down the Peter and Paul Fortress, which became the first brick and stone building of the new city. He named the city after his patron saint, Saint Peter, the apostle. The Russian name of the city was meant to sound Dutch due to Peter's appreciation of Dutch culture. The city was built by conscripted peasants from all over Russia; a certain part of Swedish prisoners of war were also involved in some years under the supervision of Alexander Menshikov. Later the city became the centre of Saint Petersburg Governorate. Peter moved the capital from Moscow to Saint Petersburg in 1712, 9 years before the Treaty of Nystad of 1721 ended the war. During the first few years of its existence the city grew spontaneously around Trinity Square on the right bank of the Neva, near the Peter and Paul Fortress. However, Saint Petersburg soon started to develop according to a plan. By 1716 Domenico Trezzini had

elaborated a project whereby the city centre would be located on Vasilievsky Island and shaped by a rectangular grid of canals. The project was not completed, but is still evident in the layout of the streets. In 1716 Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond was appointed chief architect of Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great. The style of Petrine Baroque, developed by Trezzini and other architects and exemplified by such buildings as the Menshikov Palace, Kunstkamera, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Twelve Collegia, became prominent in the city architecture of the early 18th century. In 1724 the Academy of Sciences, University and Academic Gymnasium were established in Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great. It developed along three radial streets, which meet at the Admiralty and are now known as Nevsky Prospekt (which is now perceived as the main street of the city), Gorokhovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospekt. The style of Baroque dominated the city architecture during the first sixty years, culminating in the Elizabethan Baroque, represented most notably by Bartolomeo Rastrelli with such buildings as the Winter Palace. In the 1760s the Baroque architecture was succeeded by the neoclassical architecture. Geography. The area of Saint Petersburg city proper is 605.8 km2. The area of the federal subject is 1,439 km2, which contains Saint Petersburg proper, nine municipal towns and twenty-one municipal settlements. Saint Petersburg is situated on the middle taiga lowlands along the shores of the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, and islands of the river delta. The largest are Vasilyevsky island, Petrogradsky, Dekabristov and Krestovsky. Climate. Saint Petersburg experiences a humid continental climate of the cool summer subtype, due to the distinct moderating influence of the Baltic Sea cyclones, with warm, humid and short summers and long, cold winters. The average daily temperature in July is 22 C, while the record temperature is about 37 C ; which occurred during the 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat wave. The winter minimum is about 35 C, while the record low temperature is 35.9 C, recorded in 1883. The average annual temperature is +5.4 C. The River Neva within the city limits usually freezes up in NovemberDecember and break-up occurs in April. From December to March there are 123 days average with snow cover, which reaches the average of 24 cm (9 in) by February. The frost-free period in the city lasts on average for about 135 days. The city has a climate slightly warmer than its suburbs. Weather conditions are quite variable all year round.

Average annual precipitation varies across the city, averaging 600 mm (24 in) per year and reaching maximum in late summer. Soil moisture is almost always high because of lower evapotranspiration due to the cool climate. Air humidity is 78% on average, while overcast is 165 days a year on average. Demographics. Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia, after Moscow. 2002 census recorded population of the federal subject 4,661,219, or 3.21% of the total population of Russia. The city with its vicinity has an estimated population of about 6 million people. In 1897, according to the Russian Empire Census, the population of Saint Petersburg was 1,264,920, of them (by native language) 86.49% Russians, 4.01% Germans, 2.91% Poles, 1.66% Finns, 0.97% Estonians, 0.95% Jews, 0.50% Latvians, 0.41% Ukrainians, 0.39% Tatars, 0,37% Swedes, 0.30% Lithuanians, 0.26% French, 0.23% Belorussians, and a small number of others. From 1991 to 2006 the city's population decreased to current 4,6 million, while the suburban population increased due to privatisation of land and massive suburban housing construction. Birth rate has long been considerably lower than death rate. Therefore the population is aging, people 65 and older comprises more than 20%, the mean age is about 40 years. City scape. Saint Petersburg has no skyscrapers and a relatively low skyline. Current regulations forbid construction of high buildings in the city centre. Peter and Paul Cathedral is by far the highest building. In Saint Petersburg the historic architecture of the city centre, mostly consisting of Baroque and neoclassical buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, has been largely preserved; The oldest of the remaining building is a wooden house built for Peter I in 1703 on the shore of the Neva near Trinity Square. Since 1991 the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments in Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast have been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Downtown. On the territory between the Neva and Nevsky Prospekt the Church of the Savior on Blood, Mikhailovsky Palace housing the Russian Museum, Field of Mars, St. Michael's Castle, Summer Garden, Tauride Palace, Smolny Institute and Smolny Convent are located.

Many notable landmarks are situated to the west and south of the Admiralty Building, including the Trinity Cathedral, Mariinsky Palace, Hotel Astoria, famous Mariinsky Theatre, New Holland Island, Saint Isaac's Cathedral, the largest in the city, and Senate Square, also known as Decemberist's Square with the Bronze Horseman, 18th century equestrian monument to Peter the Great, which is considered among the city's most recognisable symbols. Other symbols of Saint Petersburg include the weather vane in the shape of a small ship on top of the Admiralty's golden spire and the golden angel on top of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The Palace Bridge drawnat night is yet another symbol of the city. Every night during the navigation period from April to November, 22 bridges across the Neva and main canals are drawn to let ships pass in and out of the Baltic Sea according to a schedule. It wasn't until 2004 that the first high bridge across the Neva, which doesn't need to be drawn, Big Obukhovsky Bridge, was opened. There are hundreds of smaller bridges in Saint Petersburg spanning across numerous canals and distributaries of the Neva, some of the most important of which are the Moika,Fontanka, Griboyedov Canal, Obvodny Canal, Karpovka and Smolenka. Due to the intricate web of canals, Saint Petersburg is often calledVenice of the North. The rivers and canals in the city centre are lined with granite embankments. The embankments and bridges are separated from rivers and canals by granite or cast iron parapets. Southern suburbs of the city feature former imperial residences, including Petergof, with majestic fountain cascades and parks, Tsarskoe Selo, with the baroque Catherine Palace and the neoclassical Alexander Palace, and Pavlovsk, which contains a domed palace of Emperor Paul and one of the largest English-style parks in Europe. Some other residences situated nearby and making part of the world heritage site, including a castle and park in Gatchina, actually belong to Leningrad Oblast rather than Saint Petersburg. Another notable suburb isKronstadt with its 19th century fortifications and naval monuments, occupying the Kotlin Island in the Gulf of Finland. Since around the end of the 20th century a great deal of active building and restroration works have been carried out in a number of the city's older districts. The authorities have recently been compelled to transfer the ownership of state-owned private residences in the city centre to private lessors. Many older buildings have been reconstructed to allow their use as apartments and penthouses. Some of these structures, such as the Saint Petersburg Commodity and Stock Exchange have been recognised as town-planning errors

Museums. Saint Petersburg is home to more than two hundred museums, many of them hosted in historic buildings. The largest of the museums is the Hermitage Museum, featuring interiors of the former imperial residence and a vast collection of art. TheRussian Museum is a large museum devoted to the Russian fine art specifically. The apartments of some famous Petersburgers, including Alexander Pushkin, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Feodor Chaliapin,Alexander Blok, Vladimir Nabokov, Anna Akhmatova, Mikhail Zoshchenko, Joseph Brodsky, as well as some palace and park ensembles of the southern suburbs and notable architectural monuments such as St. Isaac's Cathedral, have also been turned into public museums. The Kunstkamera, with its collection established in 1714 by Peter the Great to collect curiosities from all over the world, is sometimes considered the first museum in Russia, which has evolved into the present-day Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. The Russian Ethnography Museum, which has been split from the Russian Museum, is devoted to the cultures of the people of Russia, the former Soviet Union and Russian Empire. Other notable museums include the Central Naval Museum hosted in the building of the former stock exchange and Zoological Museum, theRailway Museum, Museum of the Siege of Leningrad, Saint Petersburg Museum of History in the Peter and Paul Fortress and Artillery Museum, which in fact includes not only artillery items, but also a huge collection of other military equipment, uniform and decorations.

St. Petersburg in Florida

St. Petersburg (often shortened to St. Pete or The Burg) is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States long known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St. Petersburg the fourth largest city in the state of Florida and the largest city in Florida that is not a county seat. Although the city of Clearwater is the county seat of Pinellas County, all county services are available through county offices in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg is the second largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, which is composed of roughly 2.7 million residents, making it the second largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the state. The city is commonly referred to by locals as "St. Pete"; neighboring St. Pete Beach, Florida formally shortened its name in 1994 after a vote by its residents. History. The city was co-founded by John C. Williams, formerly of Detroit, Michigan, who purchased the land in 1876, and by Peter Demens, who was instrumental in bringing the terminus of a railroad there in 1888. St. Petersburg was incorporated on February 29, 1892, when it had a population of only some 300 people. It was named after Saint Petersburg,Russia, where Peter Demens had spent half of his youth. A local legend says that John C. Williams and Peter Demens flipped a coin to see who would have the honor of naming the city. Peter Demens won and named the city after his birthplace, while John C. Williams named the first hotel after his birthplace, Detroit (a hotel built by Demens). The Detroit Hotel still exists downtown, but has been

turned into a condominium. The oldest running hotels are the historic Pier Hotel, built in 1921, formally Hotel Cordova and The Heritage Hotel, built in 1926. Philadelphia publisher F. A. Davis turned on St. Petersburg's first electrical service in 1897 and its first trolley service in 1904. The city's first major industry was born in 1899 when Henry W. Hibbs, 18621942, a native of Newport, North Carolina, established his wholesale fish business at the end of the railroad pier, which extended out to the shipping channel. Within a year, Hibbs Fish Company was shipping more than a thousand pounds (454 kg) of fish each day. Dredging of a deeper shipping channel from 1906 to 1908 opened St. Petersburg to larger shipping. Further dredging improved the port facilities through the 1910s. By then the city's population had quadrupled to 4,127. In 1914, airplane service across Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg to Tampa and back was initiated, generally considered the first commercial airline. The company name was the St. PetersburgTampa Airboat Line and the pilot was Tony Jannus, flying a Benoist XIV flying boat. The Tony Jannus Award is presented annually for outstanding achievement in the airline industry. Jannus Landing, a local music/entertainment venue on Central Avenue in downtown, is also named after him. The city population continued to multiply during the 20th century. Booming in the 1940s and 50s with the advent of air-conditioning and through the 1970s as the town became a popular retirement destination for Americans from midwestern cities, reaching 238,647 in the 1980 census. By that time, however, the population had levelled off, and has grown by only 10,000 since then; this is primarily a result of the city being largely "built out". The city is located on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. It is connected to mainland Florida to the north; with the city of Tampa to the east bycauseways and bridges across Tampa Bay; and to Bradenton in the south by theSunshine Skyway Bridge (Interstate 275), which traverses the mouth of the bay. It is also served by Interstates 175 and 375, which branch off I-275 into the southern and northern areas of downtown respectively. The Gandy Bridge, conceived byGeorge Gandy and opened in 1924, was the first causeway to be built across Tampa Bay, connecting St. Petersburg and Tampa cities without a circuitous 43-mile (69 km) trip around the Bay through Oldsmar. With a purported average of some 360 days of sunshine each year, it is nicknamed "The Sunshine City. For that reason, the city has long been a popular retirementdestination, especially for those in the United States from colder Northern climates. This reputation

earned the city the derisive nickname of "God's waiting room". However, in recent years the population has shifted in a more youthful direction. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 133.1 square miles (344.7 km) 59.6 square miles (154.4 km) of it is land and 73.4 square miles (190.2 km) of it (55.19%) is water. Climate. St. Petersburg has a humid subtropical climate, with a definite rainy season from June through September. St Petersburg, like the rest of the Tampa Bay Area, is occasionally affected by tropical storms and hurricanes. However, the last time a hurricane directly struck the city was in 1921. Many portions of St. Petersburg, especially along the bay and in south St. Petersburg, have tropical microclimates. Royal palms and coconut palms, as well as other tropicals, grow to maturity and fruit. Climate is hot during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 80's and mild during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 60's. The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 90.20 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 54.00 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 13 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 15 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation at St. Petersburg is 49.58 Inches. Summer months tend to be wetter than winter months. The wettest month of the year is August with an average rainfall of 8.26 Inches. Demographics. As of the censusof 2000, there were 248,232 people, 109,663 households, and 61,630 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,163.1 persons per square mile (1,607.3/km). There were 124,618 housing units at an average density of 2,090.0 per square mile (806.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 71.36% White, 22.36% African American, 0.31% Native American, 2.67% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.07% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.23% of the population The median age was 39.24 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. City scape.

The St. Petersburg Pier is a popular tourist attraction. It contains a small aquarium open to the public, retail shopping, adventure activities, and both casual and fine dining restaurants. Various sightseeing boat rides are also offered. The Bounty II, a replica of HMS Bounty that was used in the 1962 MGM movie starring Marlon Brando was permanently docked near the Pier for many years until the ship was sold to Ted Turner in 1986. The Bounty II, however, still makes St. Petersburg its winter home. In 2010, the St. Petersburg City Council voted to demolish and rebuilt the pier within two years. Downtown. Downtown is the location of the BayWalk shopping complex which contains an IMAX Muvico 20 screen movie theater, as well as many chain restaurants and retail shops, catering to more of a middle and upper class audience. Baywalk is also a nightlife destination although it is less well attended than the block surrounding Jannus Landing, just south of BayWalk. Central Avenue, from the Yacht Club east to 8th Street, is also both more vibrant and "organic" than BayWalk with the exception of a couple underdeveloped blocks. Restaurants serving ethnic and domestic culinary specialties can be found throughout the downtown area. Every Saturday morning, from October to May, the downtown area hosts a farmers market in the parking area of Al Lang Field (aka Progress Energy Park). Local vendors sell the fruits of their labors (whether edible or decorative) alongside artists of all kinds including live music. As of 2010, Baywalk is virtually deserted, with only Muvico remaining to anchor the complex. Due west of downtown on Central is a district called Grand Central which is contained within Historic Kenwood. It is known for its artistic community, LGBT presence and hosting of the annual St. Pete Pride parade. Like its name implies, Old Northeast is adjacent to downtown from the northeast. It is known for its historic status and eclectic architecture. Roser Park is another historic district, located just south of downtown. It is known for its stately architecture and somewhat dubiously for its proximity to the "South Side." Together, these areas comprise the urban core of St. Petersburg. North of downtown is Great Explorations, The Children's Museum, an interactive museum featuring a Children's Village with giant pretend stores, Fire House and Pet Vet Clinic, and preschool, science, music, art, and water exhibits. The museum is located next to Sunken Gardens. 4th Street as a whole, from Downtown up to Gandy Boulevard, is home to many restaurants and bars running the gamut from fast food to haute cuisine. This area is called the "Garden District", although as of 2010 this name is not widely in use.

Boyd Hill Nature Park located on Lake Maggiore is a 245-acre (0.99 km2) preserve where you can see many of the endangered plants and rare wildlife of Tampa Bay. There is a bird exhibit which houses bald eagles, owls, hawks, and other species. St. Petersburg is well regarded for its beaches. In 2005, Fort Desoto was rated the number one beach in America by the annual Dr. Beach rankings. TripAdvisor also has the beach ranked number one in the nation for 2008. Also noted for its arts community, St. Petersburg regularly places top 25 in the nation among arts destinations Recently, St. Petersburg has become known and regarded as one of America's most livable cities. The city has a children's museum (Great Explorations), Museum of Fine Arts, a History Museum (which has a full-size replica of the Benoist seaplane and is located near the approximate spot by the St. Petersburg Pier where the first flight took place), a Holocaust Museum, and the Salvador Dal Museum, which houses the largest collection of Dal's outside of Europe, including a number of famous and large-scale paintings such as The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. There are also various other smaller art galleries and entertainment venues, especially in the downtown area, which has seen a boom in development since the mid 1990s; these include: TheMahaffey Theater complex, American Stage (an equity regional theater), The Coliseum, and Palladium Theatre, and The Midtown Royal Theater, The Arts Center, and the Florida Craftsmen Gallery. Downtown St. Petersburg is the Central Business District, containing high rises for office use, most notably the Bank of America Tower. The St. Petersburg Times newspaper is headquartered in the downtown area. The Poynter Institute. Museums The Mahaffey Theater complex, the Morean Arts Center, dozens of other art galleries, Haslam's used book store, The Coliseum, Palladium Theatre, and Jannus Landing are among the galleries and cultural venues featured downtown. Several prominent museums are located in the perimeter. Four of them have received notable accolades: Chihuly Collection presented by the Morean Arts Center, Museum of Fine Arts, Salvador Dal Museum, the Florida International Museum, and theHolocaust Museum. The city also plays host to many festivals throughout the year. Downtown contains the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, and a downtown branch of St. Petersburg College. The downtown perimeter also houses several parks, most of which are waterfront or lakefront. Straub Park is nearly a half mile long, boasts a waterfront location, and is home of the Museum of Fine Arts. The Vinoy Hotel has a waterfront location, a spot on the National Historic Register, and aAAA Four-Diamond

rating. This area also contains Vinoy Park, which is known to hold music festivals, including the Vans Warped Tour. Nearby is the historic Tramor Cafeteria building, now part of the St. Petersburg Times. Most of the dining downtown can be found on Central Avenue. Central also contains most of the nightlife; Jannus Landing and the State Theatre. Both Jannus Landing and the State Theatre hold concerts. However, Baywalk is an exception. All of these landmarks are connected via the Looper Trolley. In addition, a recent demographic change has brought more nightlife options to the downtown corridor. In 2010, the city council voted to extend bar hours until 3 A.M., identical to cross-bay "rival" Tampa. Tropicana Field, home of MLB's Tampa Bay Rays is located in the western part of downtown. Until 2008, the team played its spring training games at Progress Energy Park, right down the road. This setup was unique, making St. Petersburg the first city that played host to its baseball team during spring training as well as the regular season since the 1919 Philadelphia Athletics. At the end of 2007, there was a debate over a new stadium to be built on the downtown waterfront at the current Progress Energy Park site. This new ballpark would have an overhead sail to cool game-time temperatures and catch rain. Tropicana Field would be demolished and replaced with prime residential and retail space. Completion of the stadium was planned for 2012; however, the proposal has been tabled indefinitely while a community-based organization investigates all alternatives for new stadium construction. Jutting a half mile into the Bay is the St. Petersburg Pier, a major tourist attraction with various activities. Due to its livability and myriad amenities, St. Petersburg's downtown has been rated among the best in the South. The area's beaches are a 10-mile (16 km) drive from downtown. The Wikimedia Foundation had been located in downtown St. Petersburg since its founding by Jimmy Wales. On September 25, 2007, the Foundation announced its move in late 2007 from St. Petersburg to the San Francisco Bay Area. St. Petersburg boasts the third largest dedicated public waterfront park system in North America, with a waterfront park system that stretches seven miles and is used year round for public events, festivals and other activities. In the early 1900s, citizens and city leaders engaged in a long and boisterous debate over the future of the young city's waterfront space with one side advocating for commercial, port and industrial development and the other side advocating for a long-term commitment to parks and public access to the waterfront. The public access and park contingent won the debate when, on Christmas Eve 1909, the city announced the acquisition of the waterfront land that is encompassed by the waterfront park system.

The city is also becoming one of the largest destinations in Florida for kiteboarding, a relatively new water-sport, with locations such as Ft. Desoto Park, Pass-a-Grille, and Ten-Cent. St. Petersburg locals such as Billy Parker and Alex Fox have gained a reputation for being some of the best kiteboarders in the world. The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club was established in 1924 and gained attention as the "World's Largest Shuffleboard Club" with 110 courts and over 5,000 members in the 1950s and 1960s.

Description. Our research involves looking at difference of two cities with the same name; ask people who lives in those cities. And I need to know whether people know about the existence of twin cities I interviewed people from St. Petersburg in Russia and people from St. Petersburg in Florida; I used Internet forums and social networks. I interviewed 20 people in St. Petersburg in Florida and I interviewed 40 people in St. Petersburg, Russia. I have studied a lot of different aspects, such as history, geography, climate, demographics, cityscape, downtown, museums of St. Petersburgs. And I decide to make a special table to compare these cities with the following criteria:

Location

Area Foundation Blazon Population Attractions Possible natural disaster Average temperatures Founder Nickname

Interview. I interviewed people from two St. Petersburgs, which are in different part of our world. The purpose of my interview is to know how well people are informed about twin cities. I used Internet forums and social networks. I interviewed 20 people in St. Petersburg in Florida and I interviewed 40 people in St. Petersburg, Russia. Questions were as follows: 1. Have you heard about the existence of cities with the same name? 2. Do you know about the existence of another St. Petersburg on this planet? 3. Do you know about the climate and culture of another St. Petersburg? 4. Do you think it is important to know the existence of other cities with the same name?

Answers are provided below, in percentage terms. Questions Have you heard about the existence of cities with the same name? Do you know about the existence of another St. Petersburg on this planet? Do you know about the climate and culture of another St. Petersburg? Do you think it is important to know the existence of other cities with the same name? St. Petersburg, Russia St. Petersburg, Florida yes no yes no 70% 30% 100% 50% 30% 90% 50% 70% 10% 100% 40% 100%
-

60% -

The results of my survey showed, that people have small knowledge about the city with the same name, but they think it is very important to know about cities with the same name, so as not to be trapped.

Comparing table.

St. Petersburg, Russia North-West Russia 540 square. miles 1703 Anchors and scepter on red background
4.660.600

Location Area Founded a Blazon Population

St. Petersburg, Florida The western part of central Florida 58 square meters. miles, located on many islands, the coastline of 40 miles 1903 Pelican, palm tree and sun
248.232

The second city in Russia

largest

The fourth largest city in Florida Salvador Dali weather in winter Hurricanes July: 83 degrees , January: 61degrees Builder of railways by Peter Dementiev (Peter Demens) Spring session in schools City of the Sun In 1521 Ponce de Leon arrived in search fountain of youth Museum, The

Cabinet of Curiosities, The Attractions Winter Palace Floods July: 63 degrees; January: 1 4 degrees Tsar Peter the Great Possible natural disaste r Average temperatures Who called

Drifting ice on the Neva That ends in mid-April River North Venice Immortalized by Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky Nickname Fact of history

of the

Conclusion. So, are twin cities necessary for us? Should people know about twin cities? I think yes!

Firstly, some people, who like traveling, can face some problems with twin cities, if they dont know about twin cities. Secondly, people should know about cities with the same name, because this information can give us a lot of useful and interesting facts about our lives. Thirdly, people should know about twin cities, because twin cities strive to build global cooperation at the municipal level, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development. Twin cities like St. Petersburgs show us all importance of the knowledge cities with the same name. These two cities are separated by thousands of miles in both culturally and climatically and geographically. The average winter temperature is one of the city equal to the average summer temperature of the other. But they share a name and a common desire to learn more about each other.

References. Korzhevskya Elena, (2009) Saint Petersburg: Bird's-Eye Views. 1. Culture of St.Petersburgs http://ricolor.org/rz/amerika/ar/lvr/2/ 2. Facts of St.Petersburgs http://www.300.years.spb.ru/ 3. St.Petersburg, Florida http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Petersburg,_Florida 4. St.Petersburg , Russia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg 5. The official site of the city of St.Petersburg, Florida: http://www.stpete.org/

Appendix 1. Have you heard about the existence of cities with the same name? Yes No

2. Do you know about the existence of another St. Petersburg on this planet? Yes No

3. Do you know about the climate and culture of another St. Petersburg? 4. Yes No

4. Do you think it is important to know the existence of other cities with the same name? Yes No