From proud pool-owners to perpetual hosts and handymen was a short step -- no more than the change from city clothes to trunks.

It hosts the city archive.

In the South of the city you can find Aachen's biggest tennis club " TC Grün Weiss ", which hosts the famous ATP Tournament once a year.

In addition to a number of other international organizations and institutions, such as the IUCN Environmental Law Center ( IUCN ELC ), the city currently hosts 18 United Nations institutions.

At present, the capital city of N ' Djamena hosts 17 embassies, including those of the United States, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Germany, the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the European Union.

The city hosts several of Scotland's galleries and organisations dedicated to contemporary visual art.

The city hosts the annual Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, attracting regional and international jazz, blues, rock, and world artists.

The city also hosts an annual track and field meet at the Flanders Sports Arena: the Indoor Flanders meeting.

Karachi hosts the largest middle class stratum of the country and is the most liberal city in Pakistan.

Malmö hosts many other different types of contests and special events in Entré, inside the city centre.

The coastal plain hosts numerous freshwater lakes in the eastern, western and northern parts of the city.

The central peninsula on the east side of the harbour, and the area immediately opposite on the west side, hosts the site of the original city from the merger of Parrtown and Carleton.

West of Lancaster, the city hosts its second largest park, and one of the largest coastal urban parks in the country.

* July & August: The city hosts a series of weekly firework displays by the sea front in Scheveningen, as part of an international fireworks festival and competition.

The city hosts, among others events, the international theatre festival, " Kontakt ", annually in May

The city hosts Ca ' Foscari University of Venice founded in 1868, Iuav University of Venice founded in 1926 and Venice International University an international research center founded in 1995 located on the island of San Servolo.

Built between 1386 and 1577, it hosts the world's largest collection of marble statues and has a widely visible golden Madonna statue on top of the spire, nicknamed by the people of Milan as Madunina ( the little Madonna ), that became one of the symbols of the city.

The city hosts a large Chinese community since the 1920s.

The city hosts some of the best electronic music clubs in Europe such as Kristal Glam Club and Studio Martin.

The Romanian Athaeneum Society hosts the George Enescu Festival at various locations throughout the city in September every two years ( odd years ).

Every year, with cooperation from the city, Lewis-Clark State College hosts the Avista NAIA World Series in May, and the Lewiston Round Up in September.

The city annually hosts the Ravenna Festival, one of Italy's prominent classical music gatherings.

Events such as the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival are held annually, while the city also hosts the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora.

The city hosts some of the most important universities of the country:

The city hosts several cathedrals belonging to the colonial times, such as the San Francisco Cathedral and the Metropolitan Cathedral, this last one located on Murillo Square, which is also home of the political and administrative power of the country.

It has experienced significant growth in commerce, and many major retailers, such as Wal-Mart have opened stores in this city.

In the mid-2000s, Pell City experienced a period of rapid residential and commercial growth ( estimated population around 16, 000, excluding the unincorporated residential areas just south of the city along the lakefront ) spurred, partly, by the opening of the Honda Plant in nearby Lincoln, Alabama, a new industrial park on its northeastern border and by a new retail area on the north side of I-20 anchored by a Wal-Mart, Home Depot, several fast food and casual dining restaurants.

In the early 21st century, Wal-Mart opened on the western edge of the city, as did a CarMax used-car superstore.

On the east end of the city off Moreno Beach Drive, a new Wal-Mart was opened in early 2006 (, huge for a traditional Wal-Mart ) next to the Moreno Valley Auto Mall.

In addition to the building of these residences are other proposed developments, including the construction of Arambel Business Park / KDN Retail Center, a Super Wal-Mart which is planned to open in late 2012 and 20 other drug stores. There have been many conflicts between Patterson residents who seek to keep Patterson a locally owned city, and other residents who desire to implement corporate influence with the introduction of companies such as Wal-Mart.

This location has benefitted the city development by providing industrial and commercial access for businesses such as Wal-Mart, which opened a Distribution Center several years ago.

A new Super Wal-Mart opened as well in the city in March 2008 on the Greenbelt Highway.

In September 1999, Wal-Mart opened a large distribution center just north of the city.

However, as large commercial retailers continue to move into the city, including big-box stores like Wal-Mart, locally owned businesses have had difficulty continuing operations.

Other major employers in the city are US Bancorp, Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center, Hy-Vee, Shopko, Runnings Farm and Fleet, Menards, Wal-Mart Supercenter, Southwest Minnesota State University, Turkey Valley Farms, and Marshall Public Schools.

The city lost a major revenue source when a Wal-Mart store located on the southern edge of the city moved.

In 1989, a large strip mall anchored by Wal-Mart and Hy-Vee opened along the bypass and effectively shifted the city's primary retail district from Dakota Avenue, in the center of town, to the western edge of the city.

Spring 2008, a Wal-Mart Super-center opened just outside the city limits in Granby.

Due to the steady growth of Streetsboro and its surrounding area within the past ten years, the city has become a retail hub for Portage County with the arrival of many national big-box retailers including Wal-Mart Supercenter, Target, Lowe's, The Home Depot and Staples.

* In June 2009, it was announced that a Wal-Mart Supercenter will be constructed, bringing at least 150 jobs to the city.

The Cascade Galleria, a more conventional mall located within the city near downtown, once home to Sears and G. C. Murphy, faced market competition in the mid-1990s when Wal-Mart opened its first supercenter in Pennsylvania in 1995 in Union Township west of the city.

Recent rapid growth has been attributed to the nearby Deseret Peak recreational center, the Miller Motorsports Park raceway and to the newly built Wal-Mart Distribution Center located just outside the city.

* The major city employers include Unilever, Missouri Delta Medical Center, the Sikeston Public Schools system, and Wal-Mart.

Commercially, the city is served by major merchants, such as Liverpool, Fábricas de Fráncia, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot.

The city houses stand-alone supermarkets from chains including Soriana, Casa Ley, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Gigante and Oxxo.