Bellingham Sister Cities Association

Agreement:1996
Population: 120,000
Mayor: Vladamiro Mimica Carcamo
Major Industries: Forestry, fishing, oil and gas.

About Punta Arenas:

Punta Arenas, also known as Magallanes, is located on the Magellan Straits across from the island of Tierra del Fuego. Punta Arenas claims to be the southernmost city in the world. Its major industries are related to natural resources: forestry, fishing, oil and gas. Punta Arenas also serves as a departure point for expeditions to Antarctica.

 Situated astride one of the world’s historic trade routes, its prosperity has risen and fallen with that trade. Punta Arenas enjoyed its first great boom during the California Gold Rush, when it served as a haven for great clipper ships. Although the port’s importance diminished after the opening of the Panama Canal, the city reached even greater prosperity early in this century as the center of Chile’s international wool trade. Today, Punta Arenas reflects a great mix of cultures, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors, and it remains an utterly fascinating testament to Chile’s rich history.

Punta Arenas reflects the importance of the Latin American community and culture in Bellingham.

The Sister City Relationship

Punta Arenas’s first ties with Bellingham date to the early 1990′s, when Bellingham’s Trillium Corporation began exploring the possibility of a joint venture forestry project on the island of Tierra del Fuego, across from Punta Arenas. By 1996 Trillium had representatives from Bellingham stationed in Punta Arenas, and the idea for a sister city relationship was proposed to the Mayor. The formal sister city document was signed the next year in 1997.

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Downtown Punta Arenas and the Straits of Magellan.	Patients at the Rehabilitamos Clinic receiving the van Donated by BSCA, the City of Bellingham, Whatcom Transportation Authority and many others.	The Van! Project partners include: the Rotary Club, the Lion’s Club and the Sister Cities Association.
Stephanie Diamant with  friends from Punta Arenas during the Squalicum HS Orchestra trip.	2010 student visitors from Miguel de Cervantes school. From left to right: Lis Bravo, Macarena Serra, and Guadalupe Lisana	Visiting teachers with the Longs, who hosted them during their stay in Bellingham (Winter, 2010).
Bellingham Mayor Mark Asmundson (right), Squalicum HS Orchestra Director Mark Schlichting (left), and the Bellingham City Council pose with the Punta Arenas City flag.	Mark Schlichting, Mayor Mark Asmundson, Cindy Brinn and Larry Ishii with the silver platter gifted to Bellingham by Punta Arenas.	Gillian Maclean, the sister city chairperson in Punta Arenas, poses with Mark and Cindy.
Early Punta Arenas architecture, the Club de la Union; this house originally belonged to Jose Norguiera’s wife, Sara Braun, one of the first and most powerful landowners of the Patagonia.	Iceberg just off King George Island, Antarctica.	Parque National Torres del Paine.

Punta Arenas Links

Punta Arenas and Chile information
Excellent Punta Arenas links about accomodations, recreation and maps
Hotel Nogueira, Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas Annual Events

Photos and content by BSCA Members