Zurich and San Francisco have been twinned since 2003. In 2018, the "Zurich meets San Francisco" festival took place there. As part of this, the mayor of San Francisco, London N. Breed, received the mayor of Zurich, Corine Mauch. They signed a new Memorandum of Understanding, in which they reaffirmed their willingness to work closely together in various areas.

The two cities combine many topics and challenges, they both benefit from a mutual transfer of knowledge. ICT (information and communication technology), the life sciences and the creative industries play an important role in both Zurich and San Francisco. At the same time, both cities are confronted with increasing demands on infrastructure, challenges of intercultural coexistence or a high demand for housing.

In addition to the professional cooperation, there has been an annual exchange between students of the Enge Cantonal School and three high schools in San Francisco for over ten years.