 | |
| Proportion | 10:19 |
|---|---|
| Adopted | August 18, 1925 |
| Design | A vertical triband of red (hoist-side and fly-side) and white, with a design [lower-alpha 1] featuring a prominent red star centered on the white band. The three bands are in the proportions 4:7:4. |
| Designed by | Idyl King Sorsby |
The city flag of Birmingham was designed by Idyl King Sorsby for the occasion of the semicentennial of the city of Birmingham in 1921. [1] The flag was officially adopted as the city's flag on August 18, 1925.
The flag consists of a vertical triband of red-white-red stripes in proportion 4:7:4. Escutcheoned in the center of the flag is a red star, surrounded by a ring of 67 tiny golden stars. Radiating out of these stars are 85 golden rays, forming another circle. Within the large red star is the official seal of the city of Birmingham in gold and black. Surrounding the seal are seven golden notches. [1]
The seal of the city includes a depiction of Vulcan, the Roman god of smiths and metalworkers. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Birmingham was the center of industry and ironworking in the southern states of the US. [1]
The designer of the flag provided a number of explanations for the colours used in the flag:
The large red star was included to represent the city, whilst the golden notches reflect Birmingham being a 'hub' of commerce and industry in the region.
The 67 golden stars were included to represent the 67 counties of Alabama, whereas the 85 golden rays suggest that 'All roads lead to Birmingham'; a play on the proverb 'All roads lead to Rome.' [1]
In 2004, the North American Vexillological Association conducted a survey of 450 members and visitors to its website to identify the best- and worst-designed city flags in the United States. Birmingham's flag ranked 39th out of 150 with a mean rating of 4.97 on a scale of 0 to 10. [2]
The flag of Arizona consists of 13 rays of red and weld-yellow on the top half. The red and yellow symbolize the Spanish conquistadores that explored this part of America; this is because the flag is inspired by the current flag of Spain. The center star signifies copper production; Arizona produces more copper than any other state in the US.
The state flag of the U.S. state of Minnesota consists of a dark blue field representing the night sky and the state's shape, an eight-pointed star representing the North Star, and a bright blue field representing the state's abundant waters; the star is based on one prominently featured in the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda.
The flag ofthe state of New Mexico, also referred to as the New Mexican flag, is a State flag, consisting of a sacred red sun symbol of the Zia tribe on a field of gold (yellow). It was officially adopted in March 15, 1925 to highlight the state's Indigenous and Hispanic heritage: it combines the symbol of Puebloan people, who have ancient roots in the state, with the colors of the flag of Spain, symbolizing the Spanish empire, which had established and ruled over “Nuevo México” for over two and a half centuries.
The flag of Tennessee displays an emblem on a field of red, with a strip of blue bordered by white on the fly. The emblem in the middle consists of three stars on a blue circle also with a white border. The central emblem portion of the flag has been adopted as the state's unofficial logo, and appears in the logos of some Tennessee-based companies and sports teams. Examples include the First Horizon Bank and the Tennessee Titans.
The seal of the president of the Philippines is a symbol used to represent the history and dignity of the president of the Philippines. Its original form was designed by Captain Galo B. Ocampo, secretary of the Philippine Heraldry Committee, and patterned after the seal of the president of the United States. It was first used by President Manuel Roxas in 1947.
The flag of Indianapolis has a dark blue field with a white five-pointed star pointing upwards in the center. Around the star is a circular field in red. Surrounding the red field is a white ring, from which extend four white stripes from top to bottom and from hoist to fly, thus creating four equal quadrants in the field. The stripes are about one-seventh the width of the flag, with the white ring the same width as the stripes. The diameter of the red circle is about two-ninths the width of the flag.
The Great Seal of the State of Illinois is the official emblem of the U.S. state, and signifies the official nature of a document produced by the state of Illinois. The flag of the state of Illinois consists of the seal of Illinois on a white background, with the word "Illinois" underneath the seal. The present seal was adopted in 1869, the flag bearing the central elements of the seal was adopted in 1915, and the word Illinois was added to the flag in 1970. In a 2001 survey by the North American Vexillological Association, the flag of Illinois was ranked 49th out of 72 different flags of states and territories, mainly in the US and Canada.
The city flag of Los Angeles consists of a background of three notched stripes of green, gold and red. The flag was designed by Roy E. Silent and E.S. Jones in 1931 for the Los Angeles sesquicentennial from 1781.
The city flag of Nashville, Tennessee consists of the city's seal on a white disc surrounded by a field of blue, with a strip of gold on the fly. According to the resolution adopting the flag, the blue stands for the courage and conviction of the city's leaders throughout history, while the gold denotes the richness of city's land and resources. The flag was adopted in December 1963 when the governments of Nashville and Davidson County merged to form the Metro government. In an official ceremony, it was reigned in as the new flag on August 4, 1964, at the Metropolitan Courthouse. The flag is modeled after the Tennessee state flag.
The flag of Denver was designed by a North High School student, Margaret Overbeck, and adopted in 1926. A zigzag white stripe horizontally separates a red field below from a blue field above, in which is centered a yellow circle, together forming a stylized depiction of the Sun in a blue sky above snow-capped mountains. The color yellow symbolizes gold in the state's hills, and red the colored earth to which the word colorado refers. The circle's centered position symbolizes Denver's central location within the state. The white zigzag symbolizes Colorado's Native American heritage.
The flag of Pittsburgh is a triband flag featuring vertical bands of black and gold and Pittsburgh's seal in the center.
The seal of the vice president of the Philippines is a symbol used to represent the history and dignity of the vice president of the Philippines. Its design was prescribed by Executive Order No. 310 of 2004, and is similar in design to the seal of the president of the Philippines.
The flag of Phoenix, Arizona contains a maroon field with a white phoenix emblem in the center. Its design is the second in the city's history and has been in place since 1990, replacing a flag that was adopted in 1921.
The city flag of Mobile is a flag which represents the seal of the six flags that have flown over the state of Alabama before and since it became a state. The flag was adopted in December 1968 after one was suggested by Commissioner Lambert C. Mims. The original seal which was used in the flag was adopted in 1961.
The city flag of Tulsa, Oklahoma consists of an upper navy blue half and a lower beige half, separated by a gold horizontal line, with a gold Osage shield punctuating the left third. The shield contains a red circle, and a beige six-pointed star centered within the circle. The flag is notable for being one of the few modern flags to utilize beige in its design - a color often associated with faded dyes on flags from usage.
The current flag of San Jose, California features a triband of gold on top, white in the middle, and blue on the bottom with the city's official seal in the center. It has been the official flag since 1984.
The city flag of Austin, Texas consists of a white field with the seal of Austin without the surrounding circle of text. Below the seal of Austin is the text "CITY OF AUSTIN", written in blue and arched upwards.
The flag of Charlotte, North Carolina was adopted in 1929 and consists of a white saltire on a blue field, with the city seal in the center. A secondary flag, with a green field and a white crown in the center, was introduced in 1985 and is primarily used at city government buildings. Charlotte is one of the few places to have two official flags with equal status. The government of Mecklenburg County, while having its own flag, has made use of the 1985 flag at official events.
The current city flag of Columbus, Ohio is a yellow-white-red vertical triband with the city seal on a blue field. Officially, the flag was adopted in 1929, although it is unknown if the flag was ever flown when it was first adopted.
The current city flag of El Paso, Texas is an augmentation of the city's seal in the center of a dark blue field, which has been in place since 1962.