Despite the distance, a larger group of students spent unforgettable days with families in Walnut Creek, and the Siófok Children's Choir also traveled as guests to Walnut Creek. Since 2013, the student exchange program between the two cities has become active. Every year, in spring, eleven upper-grade students with excellent academic performance travel to Walnut Creek to stay with their partner students, organized and supported by the local elementary school and the Office. In the fall, their American counterparts, the children from Walnut Creek, come to Siófok. During the one and a half weeks spent in the sister city, they get to know the culture, traditions, and educational methods of the region. Numerous excursions, conversations, and fun activities strengthen the bond between the children.
Walnut Creek is a city located in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Thanks to its location, the city serves as a hub for the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the 2020 census data, Walnut Creek has a population of approximately seventy thousand residents. The name of the city originates from a 19th-century Mexican land grant named Arroyo de las Nueces (English: Walnut Creek) due to the main watercourse in the area. When American settlers arrived, they named the region Nuts Creek, which was slightly modified by Milo Hough of Lafayette, who opened the Walnut Creek House hotel in 1855. In 1862, the city officially adopted the name Walnut Creek. Siófok and Walnut Creek established their sister city relationship in February 1993, including a student exchange program.
The Bedford Gallery, located within the Lesher Center for the Arts, hosts four to five art exhibitions annually. The gallery is considered one of the finest places in Contra Costa County to appreciate contemporary art. It showcases works from both historical and modern artists. The Diablo Mountain State Park offers numerous hiking opportunities, whether it's a leisurely walk or a challenging climb to the summit of Mount Diablo. From the highest peak in Contra Costa County, the view is breathtaking, allowing visibility for up to 200 miles on a clear day. The Shadelands Ranch Historical Museum, opened to the public in 1972, was originally the house of Hiram Penniman. Penniman arrived in the region in 1852 and established the Shadelands Ranch, a 370-acre fruit farm. The museum, housed in the original family home, features various original furnishings and artifacts, providing insights into Walnut Creek at the turn of the 20th century.
Famous personalities associated with Walnut Creek include Earl Caddock, a world champion wrestler from 1917 to 1920, Charles H. Carstensen (Carl Hermann), a world-renowned violinist in the early 1900s, Lars Ulrich, the drummer of Metallica, and Ruth Bancroft, a horticulturist, landscape architect, and creator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden.
