PDF download Download Article
Learn about the history and origin of all 50 state flags
PDF download Download Article

State flags offer unique insight into the history and values of each American state. Often featuring significant state symbols, state flags carry meaning and significance for the state they represent… and sometimes even controversy! Use this guide to learn more about the design of all 50 state flags, complete with historical fun facts!

  1. Alabama’s state flag features the Scottish crimson cross of St. Andrew against a white background. Representing the letter “X,” the St. Andrew’s Cross is also called the “saltier” or “Crux Decussata.” Tradition holds that Andrew was crucified on this cross because he felt unworthy of dying on the same style of cross as Jesus.[1]
    • Year Adopted: 1895
    • State-Specific Salute: “Flag of Alabama I salute thee. To thee I pledge my allegiance, my service, and my life.”
  2. Advertisement
  1. Alaska’s state flag depicts the 8 stars of the Big Dipper against a blue background intended to represent the sky and the forget-me-not flower. It was adopted after a state-wide contest for children grades 7-12 to design the state flag. Benny Benson, the 7th grader who designed it said, “The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future of the state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear – symbolizing strength.”[2]
    • Year Adopted: 1927
  1. Arizona’s state flag has a star in the center and is divided into 2 halves—the top half features 13 alternating red and yellow rays, and the bottom half is solid blue. The 13 alternating rays represent America’s 13 colonies and are red and yellow in reference to the Spanish flags Coronado carried when he came to Arizona in 1540. The blue is the same blue in the U.S. flag, and the star in the middle is copper because of Arizona’s copper production.[3]
    • Year Adopted: 1917
  2. Advertisement
  1. Arkansas’ state flag consists of a large, white diamond bordered by 25 stars on a blue band and 3 blue stars in a straight line in the center of the diamond. Willie Hocker, the winner of the state-wide flag design contest, explained that the 3 blue stars represented France, Spain, and the United States, the 3 countries that Arkansas belonged to before achieving statehood. The 25 stars represent Arkansas’ status as the 25th state admitted to the union, and the diamond represents Arkansas as the first diamond-producing state.[4]
    • Year Adopted: 1913
    • State-Specific Salute: “I salute the Arkansas Flag with its diamond and stars. We pledge our loyalty to thee.”
5

California

PDF download Download Article
  1. California’s state flag depicts a grizzly bear above the words “California Republic,” against a white background with a red stripe at the bottom and a red star in the corner. The elements of the design originally appeared in 1846, during the Sonoma uprising, or “Bear Flag Revolt,” in an effort for independence before California became part of the U.S.[5]
    • Year Adopted: 1911
  2. Advertisement
  1. Colorado’s state flag consists of 2 horizontal blue stripes with a horizontal white stripe in the middle and a circular red C with a golden disk that fills the open space in the C. The blue and red are the same colors depicted on the U.S. flag. The red C stands for Colorado, which is a Spanish word that means red, but it also stands for centennial (since Colorado was admitted to the Union on America’s hundredth anniversary) and columbine, the state flower.[6]
    • Year Adopted: 1911
7

Connecticut

PDF download Download Article
  1. Connecticut’s state flag features white, armorial bearings bordered with gold and silver and a white streamer with the motto “Qui Transtulit Sustinet,” or “He Who Transplanted Still Sustains,” all set against a blue background. The flag was designed by the Anna Warner Bailey chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was passed after multiple hearings and debates.[7]
    • Year Adopted: 1897
  2. Advertisement
  1. Delaware’s state flag has the Delaware coat of arms in a buff-colored diamond, set against a colonial blue background. It has the date that Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, “December 7, 1787,” at the bottom. The colors of the flag are meant to represent those from George Washington’s uniform. The flag also pays tribute to the significance of commerce, agriculture, and revolutionary war soldiers.[8]
    • Year Adopted: 1913
  1. Georgia’s state flag features a background of 3 horizontal stripes (red-white-red) with the state coat of arms in a blue canton, encircled by 13 white stars. The Georgia state flag has gone through the most variations in design in the nation, and this design was the third in a span of 27 months. This spur of new flags came in 1998 as a response to controversy surrounding the use of the Confederate battle flag in the previously adopted flag from 1956.[10]
    • Year Adopted: 2004
    • State-Specific Salute: “I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag and to the principles for which it stands; Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.”
  1. Hawaii’s state flag has the British Union Jack in the top left corner and 8 horizontal, red, white, and blue stripes. The Union Jack acknowledges the ties between the Royal Navy and the Kingdom of Hawaii, with each of the stripes symbolizing the 8 major Hawaiian Islands. It was designed by King Kamehameha I and is the only U.S. state flag to incorporate the flag of another country.[11]
    • Year Adopted: 1816
  2. Advertisement
13

Illinois

PDF download Download Article
  1. Illinois’ state flag features a bald eagle standing on a boulder and holding a streamer featuring the state motto, “State sovereignty, national union,” in its beak and a shield with 13 bars and stars in its claws. The boulder has 2 dates on it for the dates of Statehood and the State Seal. The 13 bars and stars represent the first 13 states in the U.S.[13]
    • Year Adopted: 1869
  2. Advertisement
  1. Indiana’s state flag features a flaming gold torch surrounded by 19 stars, set against a blue background. The torch is meant to symbolize liberty and enlightenment, with rays illustrate their far-reaching influence. Thirteen of the stars are for the original states, and the other 5 are for those that gained statehood before Indiana. Paul Hadley designed the flag for a competition sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution.[14]
    • Year Adopted: 1917
  1. Iowa’s state flag consists of 3 vertical stripes (blue, white, and red) with an eagle in the center carrying a blue streamer with the state motto, “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain,” with the word “Iowa” below. After nearly 75 years without a state flag, the Iowan flag was designed so the National Guardsmen unit could have proper representation. Dixie Cornell of the Daughters of the American Revolution designed the flag and chose the color blue for loyalty, justice, and truth, white for purity, and red for courage.[15]
    • Year Adopted: 1921
  2. Advertisement
  1. The Kansas state flag features the Kansas state seal in the center with a sunflower above it and the word “Kansas” below it, all set against a blue background. The sunflower, the state flower, represents citizens’ ability to face their challenges with courage. The state seal features 34 stars in recognition of Kansas as the 34th state to join the U.S., as well as the words “ad astra per aspera,” or “to the stars through difficulties.”[16]
    • Year Adopted: 1927
17

Kentucky

PDF download Download Article
  1. Kentucky’s state flag depicts the Commonwealth seal surrounded by the words, “Commonwealth of Kentucky,” and goldenrod flowers, set against a blue background. The seal features the state motto, “United we stand, divided we fall,” which comes from “The Liberty Song.” The goldenrod is the state flower and the colors of the flag are the same as those of the Kentucky militia. Prior to the flag’s adoption, Kentucky had used the Union Jack, the Confederate flag, and the Union flag at various points.[17]
    • Year Adopted: 1918
    • State-Specific Salute: “I pledge allegiance to the Kentucky flag, and to the sovereign state for which it stands, one commonwealth, blessed with diversity, natural wealth, beauty, and grace from on high.”
  2. Advertisement
18

Louisiana

PDF download Download Article
  1. Louisiana’s state flag shows a mother pelican feeding 3 nestlings with her own blood above the state motto, “Union Justice Confidence,” set against a blue background. The pelican, also called the “Pelican in her Piety,” is a symbol of the Catholic Church and comes from pre-Christian myths representing Christ’s sacrifice.[18]
    • Year Adopted: 1912
    • State-Specific Salute: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the state of Louisiana and the motto for which it stands: A state, under God, united in purpose and ideals, confident that justice shall prevail for all those abiding here.”
  1. Maine’s state flag is the state coat of arms underneath the North Star and the motto, “Dirigo,” or “I direct,” set against a blue background. The previous flag was a pine tree and a North Star set against a buff background, which gained popularity in recent years, leading to a legislative act to bring it back. However, the measure did not pass.[19]
    • Year Adopted: 1909
  2. Advertisement
22

Michigan

PDF download Download Article
  1. Michigan’s state flag features the state coat of arms in the center of a blue background. The coat of arms has 3 latin mottos: “E pluribus unum” (“One out of many”), “Tuebor” (“I will defend”), and “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice” (“If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you”). The blue background is the same color as the state’s military colors.[22]
    • Year Adopted: 1911
    • State-Specific Salute: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of Michigan, and to the state for which it stands, 2 beautiful peninsulas united by a bridge of steel, where equal opportunity and justice to all is our ideal.”
23

Minnesota

PDF download Download Article
  1. Minnesota’s state flag consists of a simple design featuring an 8-point white star set against a background of 2 shades of blue. The star is meant to represent Minnesota as the star of the north. There were 10 bills between 2000 and 2023 to redesign the flag, which stirred controversy because it contained an image of a white settler and a departing Native American. The current design was submitted by Andrew Prekker.[23]
    • Year Adopted: 2023
  2. Advertisement
24

Mississippi

PDF download Download Article
  1. Mississippi’s state flag features a white magnolia blossom in the center of 20 white stars and a gold star at the top with the motto, “In God we trust” at the bottom. This design came after 126 years of flying a Confederate-themed flag. Mississippi was the last state retaining a Confederate-themed banner until 68% of voters approved the new design.[24]
    • Year Adopted: 2020
    • State-Specific Salute: “I salute the flag of Mississippi and the sovereign state for which it stands with pride in her history and achievements and with confidence in her future under the guidance of Almighty God.”
  1. Nevada’s state flag consists of a solid blue background with 2 sprays of sagebrush forming a wreath in the top left corner and a white star in the center of the wreath. The words, “Battle Born” are in a banner above the wreath to serve as a reminder of the Civil War. The star represents the state nickname, “The Silver State” and the sagebrush is the state flower. This design is the 4th official state flag Nevada has had.[28]
    • Year Adopted: 1991
29

New Hampshire

PDF download Download Article
  1. New Hampshire's state flag depicts the state seal of a granite boulder and the frigate Raleigh, surrounded by laurel leaves and 9 stars, all set against a blue background. The 9 stars represent New Hampshire as the 9th colony to ratify the constitution. The frigate Raleigh in the seal was one of the first 13 warships sponsored for the American navy, and the granite boulder represents New Hampshire’s status as “The Granite State.”[29]
    • Year Adopted: 1909
  2. Advertisement
31

New Mexico

PDF download Download Article
  1. New Mexico’s state flag features a simple, red illustration of a sun set against a yellow background. The red sun is an ancient symbol called a “Zia” and was seen on a late 19th century water jar from Zia Pueblo, which is believed to be one of the Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola that Vásquez Coronado sought.[31]
    • Year Adopted: 1925
    • State-Specific Salute: “I salute the flag of the state of New Mexico, the Zia symbol of perfect friendship among united cultures.”
  2. Advertisement
33

North Carolina

PDF download Download Article
  1. North Carolina’s state flag consists of a blue union with a white star and the letters NC, with the fly consisting of a red and white horizontal stripe. The union also has 2 dates, “May 20th 1775,” and “April 12th 1776” on gold scrolls. The 1775 date represents the controversial, debunked Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, which allegedly declared independence from Great Britain a year before the U.S. Declaration.[33]
    • Year Adopted: 1885
    • State-Specific Salute: “I salute the flag of North Caroline and pledge to the Old North State love, loyalty, and faith.”
  2. Advertisement
34

North Dakota

PDF download Download Article
  1. North Dakota’s state flag features a bald eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows in its claws, plus a ribbon reading “E Pluribus Unum,” or “many uniting into one” in its beak. The eagle has 13 stars above its head, representing the first 13 states. The olive branch in the eagle’s claw is a symbol of peace. The flag was copied after the one North Dakota soldiers used when they fought with Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War.[34]
    • Year Adopted: 1911
  1. Ohio’s state flag features 17 white stars grouped around a circle on a blue triangle, with a red and white striped fly. The triangle represents hills and valleys, the stripes represent roads and waterways. Thirteen of the stars are for the first 13 states, while the other 4 represent Ohio’s status as the 17th state to enter the nation. Ohio is the only state to use the pennant-shaped swallowtail burgee design for their flag.[35]
    • Year Adopted: 1902
    • State-Specific Salute: “I salute the flag of the state of Ohio and pledge to the Buckeye State respect and loyalty.”
  2. Advertisement
36

Oklahoma

PDF download Download Article
  1. Oklahoma’s state flag features an Osage war shield with 6 painted crosses and 7 pendant eagle feathers, overlaid by a calumet and olive branch, all set against a blue background. This design came from a competition sponsored by the Oklahoma Daughters of the American Revolution. The original flag was a large white star with the number 46 in it, set against a red background.[36]
    • Year Adopted: 1925
    • State-Specific Salute: “I salute the flag of the State of Oklahoma. Its symbols of peace unite all people.”
39

Rhode Island

PDF download Download Article
  1. Rhode Island’s state flag depicts a gold anchor surrounded by a circle of 13 gold stars with the motto, “Hope,” on a blue banner, all set against a white background. The anchor and motto are from the state seal, with the motto of “Hope” likely coming from the biblical phrase, “Hope we have as an anchor of the soul.”[39]
    • Year Adopted: 1877
    • State-Specific Salute: “I pledge allegiance to our state flag, and to the republic of which Rhode Island forms a part; one Union inseparable, with honor and reverence for both State and Nation.”
  2. Advertisement
40

South Carolina

PDF download Download Article
  1. South Carolina’s state flag has a solid dark blue background with a white palmetto tree in the center and a crescent moon in the top left corner. Colonel William Moultrie chose blue to match the South Carolina military uniforms and the crescent to match the silver emblem on the front of their caps. The palmetto symbolizes Colonel Moultrie’s defense of the palmetto-log fort.[40]
    • Year Adopted: 1861
    • State-Specific Salute: “I salute the flag of South Carolina and pledge to the Palmetto State love, loyalty, and faith.”
41

South Dakota

PDF download Download Article
  1. South Dakota’s state flag features a gold sun in the center of a blue background with the words “South Dakota / The Mount Rushmore State” surrounding it and the state seal inside it. The flag underwent multiple revisions, with the original design featuring the sun on one side and the state seal on the other, a design created by legislative reference librarian Ida McNeil.[41]
    • Year Adopted: 1909
    • State-Specific Salute: “I pledge loyalty and support to the flag and state of South Dakota, land of sunshine, land of infinite variety.”
  2. Advertisement
42

Tennessee

PDF download Download Article
  1. Tennessee’s state flag features 3 white stars in the center of a blue circle, set against a red background with a blue bar on the far right side. LeRoy Reeves of the Third Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry designed the flag. He said the 3 stars represent the grand divisions of the state, bound in a circle to represent “an indissoluble trinity.”[42]
    • Year Adopted: 1905
    • State-Specific Salute: “Three white stars on a field of blue / God keep them strong and ever true / It is with pride and love that we / Salute the flag of Tennessee.”
  1. The Texas state flag features a white star inside a blue vertical stripe on the left with a horizontal red and white stripe as the fly. Referred to as “The Lone Star Flag,” each point of the single star is said to represent fortitude, loyalty, righteousness, prudence, and broad-mindedness (the characteristics of a good citizen).[43]
    • Year Adopted: 1839
    • State-Specific Salute: “Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.”
  2. Advertisement
46

Virginia

PDF download Download Article
  1. Virginia’s state flag has a blue background with the state seal in the center. The seal features a woman dressed as an Amazon warrior standing over a fallen king, with the words, “Sic semper tyrannis,” or “Thus always to tyrants.” The woman represents virtue. The seal was used on military flags leading up to its official adoption for the state flag.[46]
    • Year Adopted: 1861
    • State-Specific Salute: “I salute the flag of Virginia, with reverence and patriotic devotion to the ‘Mother of States and statesmen,’ which it represents—the ‘Old Dominion,’ where liberty and independence were born.”
49

Wisconsin

PDF download Download Article
  1. Wisconsin’s state flag has a blue background with the state coat of arms in the center with a sailor and a miner standing on either side. The sailor and miner symbolize the work people did in 1863 when the flag was designed. The flag also features a badger, the state animal. The flag was first designed for Civil War regiments who wanted a flag to fly on the battlefield.[49]
    • Year Adopted: 1913
  2. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement

Tips

Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

You Might Also Like

United States QuizUnited States Geography Quiz
Hispanic Flags21 Hispanic Flags & Their Meanings
Blue and Yellow FlagWhich Flags Are Blue and Yellow? (Plus Their Historical Meanings)
Red White Blue Flag32 Countries with Blue, White, & Red Flags
Blue and White FlagWhat Flag Is Blue and White? 15 Possibilities to Discover
Green Blue White Flag15 Green Blue & White Country, State, City & Pride Flags
Red White Red Stripe Flag21 Flags with Red & White Stripes (And Their Meanings)
Flags with Animals36 Country Flags Featuring Animals & Mythical Creatures
Red Yellow Flag17 Red & Yellow Flags (& Their Meanings)
Coolest FlagsThe Coolest Flags from All Over the World
Red White Black Flag20 Black, White, & Red Flags: From History & the Present Day
American Flag EmojiUS Flag Emoji 🇺🇸: When to Use It + Why There Are 2 of Them
Red Yellow Blue Flag10 Countries with Red, Yellow, and Blue Flags
Draw the Flag of the United StatesDraw the Flag of the United States
Advertisement
  1. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/state-flags-of-georgia/
  2. https://ltgov.hawaii.gov/virtual-tour-history-of-the-hawaiʻi-flag/
  3. https://idaho.gov/about-idaho/facts-symbols/#gsc.tab=0
  4. https://washingtonco.illinois.gov/illinois-symbols/
  5. https://www.in.gov/governorhistory/ericjholcomb/info-for-kids/state-symbols/what-is-the-meaning-behind-the-indiana-state-flag/
  6. https://iassar.org/2008/01/01/state-flag/
  7. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/kansas-state-flag.html
  8. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/kentucky-state-flag.html
  9. https://64parishes.org/entry/louisiana-state-flag
  10. https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Maine
  11. https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/symbols/flag.html
  12. https://www.prd.uscourts.gov/massachusetts-state-flag
  13. https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Michigan
  14. https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/thing/minnesota-state-flag
  15. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mississippi-will-replace-its-confederate-themed-state-flag-180976209/#:~:text=The+Mississippi+flag+was+redesigned+to+replace,and+thin+gold+stripes+on+either+side https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mississippi-will-replace-its-confederate-themed-state-flag
  16. https://www.sos.mo.gov/kids/history/flag.asp
  17. https://sosmt.gov/state-flag/
  18. https://history.nebraska.gov/publications_section/state-flag/
  19. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/assembly/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Nevada-Fun-with-Flags-2.pdf
  20. https://www.prd.uscourts.gov/new-hampshire-state-flag
  21. https://www.njstatehousetours.org/159/State-Seal-and-Flag
  22. https://www.sos.nm.gov/about-new-mexico/state-flag/
  23. https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/reference/emblems
  24. https://www.ncpedia.org/symbols/flag
  25. https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr4/citizenship/part-5-symbols/section-6-north-dakota-flag
  26. https://ohiomemory.ohiohistory.org/archives/6169
  27. https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=ST066
  28. https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_state_flag/
  29. https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Pennsylvania
  30. https://www.ri.gov/facts/factsfigures.php
  31. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/studentpage/coolstuff/seal.shtml
  32. https://www.sdhsf.org/news_events/history_articles.html/title/june-2013-south-dakota-s-state-flag
  33. https://sos.tn.gov/civics/pages/tennessee-state-symbols
  34. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/flagdes
  35. https://flag.utah.gov/symbolism/
  36. https://vermonthistoryexplorer.org/vermont-state-flag-and-coat-of-arms
  37. https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Virginia
  38. https://www.sos.wa.gov/washington-state-flag
  39. https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Educational/Kids_Page/symbols.cfm
  40. https://www.eekwi.org/explore/state-facts/wisconsin-state-flag
  41. https://www.wyo.gov/about-wyoming/wyoming-facts-and-symbols

About This Article

Samantha Fulton, BA
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Samantha Fulton, BA. Samantha graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2025. As an undergraduate, she wrote and edited for the Daily Beacon and the Undergraduate Journal of Digital Humanities and interned for the University of Tennessee Press. She has been published in UT’s student literary magazine, the Phoenix, and won the Michael Dennis Award for Best Undergraduate Essay. As a staff writer for wikiHow, Samantha’s goal is to use her writing to educate and connect with readers who share her love of falling down internet rabbit holes and picking up a new niche interest every other week. She is particularly well-versed in literature and existentialist philosophy.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 4
Updated: March 30, 2026
Views: 247
Categories: Flags
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 247 times.

Did this article help you?

Advertisement