Marian and Vivian Brown (born 25 January 1927) are American identical twins and icons of San Francisco, known for the appearance in media with their signature identical bright snappy outfits with hats atop their meticulously coiffed hair. They were voted second as San Francisco's "Best Local Character" in 2000.

Biography

Vivian and Marian were born in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Kalamazoo, Michigan

The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...

, just eight minutes apart. Vivian is the elder. They grew up in Mattawan, Michigan

Mattawan, Michigan

Mattawan is a village suburb of Kalamazoo, in Antwerp Township, Van Buren County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,536.-History:...

, where they attended Mattawan High School

Mattawan High School

Mattawan High School is the name of the high school that serves the village of Mattawan, Michigan. The approximate total enrollment for Mattawan High School is 1,200 students....

 and graduated as co-valedictorian

Valedictorian

Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

s. They went on to earn matching degrees in business education from Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....

 at Kalamazoo. With the intent of escaping hot summers and the long cold winter months, the Browns left Michigan for San Francisco in 1970, and found work as secretaries

Secretary

A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...

at separate downtown businesses.