Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate and Davenport, Iowa became sister cities in 1960. The cities were twinned because of their close resemblance in terms of demographics, economics and geography. Around the turn of the 20th-century, Davenport was considered the most German city in America due to the strong immigration of Germans.

In the past there have been very active exchanges of students, fire brigades, residents, and much more.

In 2010, a delegation from Kaiserslautern visited Davenport on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the town twinning. In the same year, a small delegation from Kaiserslautern took part in the International Conference on Climate Change in Chicago.

Earlier in 2018, the Heinrich-Heine-Gymnasium in Kaiserslautern participated in the worldwide “First Tech Challenge” competition for the first time, in cooperation with a group from West High School in Davenport.