While our relationship with Nîmes is new, the connection between this city in southern France and the United States can be traced back to the 18th century, when Nîmes’ then-thriving textile industry produced denim – the fabric of the quintessentially American blue jeans. Located between the Mediterranean and the Cévennes mountains, Nîmes is often referred to as the French Rome, due to its rich history dating back to the Roman Empire (it’s located on a Roman road constructed in 118 B.C. to connect Italy and Spain) and its Romanesque monuments, such as the Arènes de Nîmes and Maison Carrée. Nîmes is a leading region for the development of renewable energies and energy transition. Major sectors include wine, cereal derivatives, fruits and vegetables, milk processing, meat processing, fish processing and marine aquaculture. It has a dense network of educational institutions as well as research and innovation organizations.
Experience Nîmes
The city is strategically located in the heart of Southern Europe, providing a springboard to major Mediterranean areas. Two times per year, Nîmes hosts one of the main French bullfighting events, Feria de Nîmes, which attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators. Our burgeoning relationship with Nîmes promises to produce a variety of interesting and rewarding exchanges, such as:
- Annual youth exchanges, inbound and outbound
- Culinary exchanges for students and adults
- Adult cultural exchanges
- University exchanges
- Service club projects with Rotary, Zonta International and Lions Clubs International
- Economic relations