# State flags, the beautiful, cool and ugly ones. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 20, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779 "2003-09-20T06:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/21 "2003-09-20T16:47:25Z")
I like [Rhode Island](http://www.fotw.net/flags/us-ri.html)’s flag the best out of the state flags. [Washington](http://flagspot.net/flags/us-wa.html)’s is pretty cool though due to its Warhol-esque qualities. But [other renditions](http://www.secstate.wa.gov/flag/download/flag_seal.gif) show it with more detailed shading. It still looks all cool and Pop Art-ish though. As for Canada, at least [Nunavut](http://www.fotw.net/flags/ca-nu.html) residents can take consolation in their bitchen state seal. I mean, the thing has a NARWHAL on it! Damn, that’s cool! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/22 "2003-09-20T16:51:07Z")
I’ve always liked the [Australian Aboriginal Flag](http://www.ausflag.com.au/flags/ab.html). Simple, with striking colours. There is an explanation below the flag, noting what each colour means. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/23 "2003-09-20T20:00:13Z")
Gosh, I think the Georgia flag is just hideous. Flags should be simple but distinct. Most European flags are too simple, just a collection of stripes, mut most state and provincial flags are ridiculously complex. Good national flags I like include: Canada China Aruba Barbados Guyana South Korea Japan Israel Algeria ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/24 "2003-09-20T20:20:50Z")
No one’s mentioned Texas, so I’ll go ahead and give my opinions on both the pros and cons of it: Cons: Well… it’s kind of simplistic and not really eye catching. Pros: It’s got the feel of a national flag more than a state flag (probably because Texas was a nation once) and also its very recognizable. I’m sure if there’s any two state flags that almost everyone in the US would recognize it would be their own and Texas’. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/25 "2003-09-20T22:49:22Z")
You bunch of flag hags. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/26 "2003-09-20T23:34:25Z")
Most state flags are either boring or too gaudy. [Tennessee’s flag](http://flagspot.net/flags/us-tn.html) is interesting, it looks like an “American” flag without being the Stars and Stripes. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/27 "2003-09-21T00:13:29Z")
I wish the Massachusetts legislature hadn’t taken it upon themselves to remove the reverse side of our flag. > [@](#): > > From the 18th century, Massachusetts used a white flag with its coat of arms in the center. In 1915 this was legally established as the state flag. On the front was the blue shield with the indian holding a bow and arrow. A ribbon with the state motto was around the shield, and an arm holding a sword was used as a crest. Since flags were hand painted in 1915, the reverse was made to be more simple: a green tree was painted in the middle of the shield, no ribbon, no motto, no crest. By 1971 this had become an expensive flag to manufacture, so Whitney Smith of the Flag Research Center had his legislator introduce a law to re-define the state flag to make it same on front and back. The silver star next to the Native American was made “white” so as to avoid printing another color. The green pine tree was taken off the reverse of the flag and placed on a white field to re-create the Massachusetts maritime flag, just like the one used during the late 18th century Revolutionary War. > Nick Artimovich, 31 July 1996 The second side made it unique (I think). Now, it’s just a boring state seal. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/28 "2003-09-21T00:23:43Z")
[Oregon](http://www.flags.net/UNST4.htm) has a two sided flag. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/29 "2003-09-21T05:10:35Z")
**friedo** , I totally disagree with you, I think Nunavut’s flag is awesome. Illinois has a totally lame flag. What is up with these flags with the state seal? Michigan’s is like that too. How unoriginal or uncreative can you get? Put a little thought into it, people. I rather like the flag of my home state of California. Rawr, bear! And it has an interesting history, being the flag of a short-lived independent republic (hence the inscription “California Republic”). I like the Sri Lankan flag. It’s busy and hard to draw, as I learned when I did a report on Sri Lanka in sixth grade, but pretty cool nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/30 "2003-09-21T05:52:46Z")
Just as a matter of interest our national flag is only called The Union Jack when flown on ships, The rest of the time it is The Union Flag. Also I think that the American flag is possibly the best designed in the world and has been copied to some extent by other countries, Greece being one that springs to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/31 "2003-09-21T06:33:11Z")
I like Arizona and California’s flags, myself. Iowa and Illinois’ flags are…completely lame. (And New York’s is pretty dull) [Indiana’s](http://www.fotw.net/flags/us-in.html) is pretty cool, tho’. The [European Union](http://www.ncl.ac.uk/edetox/EU.gif), [Commonwealth of Independant States](http://www.multimediapalace.com/flags/c/cis-flag1.gif), and [United Nations](http://www.ocean98.org/img/un-flag.gif) flags are all pretty classy. Ditto for the [ASEAN](http://www.flags.net/elements/gif_flags/ASEA001.GIF) flag. I’d like to suggest [Greenland’s](http://www.world-gazetteer.com/fl/fl_gl.gif) flag, as well as the [Romani/“Gypsy” flag.](http://www.yurope.com/people/sen/The.Book.Of.Home/starogradske/e.romengo/gypsyfl.gif) [Angola’s](http://www.immigration-usa.com/flags/ao.gif) flag looks like it’d be good for a supervillain. [OPEC’s](http://www.african.gu.se/miscmaps/0flags/opec-flag.gif) looks like a bad, cheesy supervillain’s flag. Then, of course, the [Marine Corps Flag](http://www.marinestuff.com/images/item146.jpg), the [Chicago City Flag](http://www.chicagohotelsmotels.us/_borders/chicago%20flag%202%20sec.jpg), and whatever the flag of Latveria is. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/32 "2003-09-21T06:54:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by corndog man \* > \*\*The ugliest? I nominate Mozambique. It has a flag with an embem of a machine gun and a plowshare crossed together. Not a place I want to spend vacation. \*\* Here you go. It’s a corker! [Mozambique’s Flag](http://flagspot.net/flags/mz.html) ---
**Author:** ![NFlanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@NFlanders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NFlanders)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/33 "2003-09-21T07:52:45Z")
No one has mentioned [Virginia’s state flag](http://www.50states.com/flag/vaflag.htm), which is the only one to feature nudity. And violence. If it was a movie, it would definitely be rated R (or does one nipple just get a PG-13 these days?). ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/34 "2003-09-21T16:09:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CaptBushido \* > \*\*No one’s mentioned Texas, so I’ll go ahead and give my opinions… > > …It’s got the feel of a national flag more than a state flag (probably because Texas was a nation once) and also its very recognizable…\*\* That’s because it _is_ a national flag. Chile’s\* to be exact. **Chile** : [http://www.ciw.edu/images/chile-flag.gif](http://www.ciw.edu/images/chile-flag.gif) **Texas** ’: [http://www.flash.net/~nmundo/texas.gif](http://www.flash.net/~nmundo/texas.gif) \*Yeah, I know they aren’t exactly the same but they’re so close that to someone not really familiar with one would easily confuse it with the other. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/35 "2003-09-21T16:37:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spogga \* > \*\*Just as a matter of interest our national flag is only called The Union Jack when flown on ships, The rest of the time it is The Union Flag. \*\* [Not necessarily.](http://flagspot.net/flags/gb.html) > [@](#): > > It is often stated that the Union Flag should only be described as the Union Jack when flown in the bows of a warship, but this is a relatively recent idea. From early in its life the Admiralty itself frequently referred to the flag as the Union Jack, whatever its use, and in 1902 an Admiralty Circular announced that Their Lordships had decided that either name could be used officially. Such use was given parliamentary approval in 1908 when it was stated that “the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag”. ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/36 "2003-09-21T17:06:15Z")
Aesiron - I did a google search to find out which came first, Chile’s or Texas’s flag, and I found this amusing website: [http://www.psycho-ward.org/ag/texchile.shtml](http://www.psycho-ward.org/ag/texchile.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/37 "2003-09-21T17:32:43Z")
Here’s the North American Vexillological Association’s [2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey Results](http://www.nava.org/surveyresults.htm) (In which yours truly was one of those surveyed). It includes a brief report on the criteria for the evaluation, pics of the top and bottom 10, and the full ranking at the end. The survey includes states, provinces, territories, and “associate states” (Marshall Islands, Palau, Micronesia – since these are technically independent I suppose they could have been skipped? That would put Hawaii in the Top 10) I would have switched Hawaii’s and Alaska’s, myself. The states with seal-on-blue-field flags really took it in the shorts in the survey. None in the top half if I’m not mistaken. Regardless of its honourable origin in the regimental standards of the Union infantry, the “blue bedsheet” has the disadvantage of being unrecognizable at any distance beyond where you can actually see what’s on the seal. Add to that how some of those seals are just too damn “busy” and/or prosaic to figure out to whom they refer unless you get even closer to actually read the inscription (Nice of Wisconsin, Kansas and Montana to write in big bold block letters on the flag itself their names. But doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose?) . The “new” Georgia flag (the “placemat” flag) took extra heat since the controversy was still fresh, as an example of design-by-political-committee. Specially annoying was the little gallery-o’flags along the bottom. I still say they should have just gone to the pre-1950s flag (red stripes instead of the CBF on the fly half) Maryland is something of a special case since though it’s damn hard to describe verbally, it’s probably the most immediately recognizable and distinct state flag. **Aesiron** : to top it off, one of two early alternates for the Cuban Flag (c.1868) was a reverse-colored (star on red) Chilean flag. jrd ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/38 "2003-09-21T18:05:51Z")
**GMRyujin** , the FOTW servers seem to be uncoordinated and either don’t show the “New-new” flag or in its stead show the “old-new” flag for 2001-03. So for reference: The 1920-56 flag: vertical band of blue at hoist, with Georgia seal in white; 3 stripes red/white/red on the fly The 1956-2001 flag: same blue band with seal, Confederate battle Flag on the fly The 2001-03 “new” flag: “Blue Bedsheet”, GA seal in _gold_ surrounded by 13 stars resting on short gold ribbon on bottom with phrase “Georgia History” and thumbnails of 5 historic flags. Phrase “In God we Trust” at bottom of everything. 2003 “new-new” flag: blue square canton on upper hoist, with main part of seal (not whole) in gold and 13 stars; 3 stripes red/white/red with bottom stripe running all the length. Of course, one of the issues with “New-new” flag is that this one evokes even more closely than the 1920-56 the stars-and-bars of the original _official_ Confederate flag. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/39 "2003-09-22T13:34:11Z")
Pennsylvania’s flag is pretty boring, and pretty indistinguishable at first from the other “state seal on blue” flags, such as New York’s. Probably the only that stands out are the horses. Replacement idea–how about a cheesesteak flag? On the left would be the Primanti Bros. cheesesteak for western PA, and on the right would be a Pat’s Philly cheesesteak for the eastern part. And I know it’s not a state flag, but my all-time favorite is the “Don’t Tread On Me” snake flag. That one should replace the stars and stripes. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779/40 "2003-09-22T14:31:12Z")
I’m a Hoosier, and I say that Indiana _could_ have had a great flag, but some morons decided to horribly mar a very good design by putting the word “Indiana” on it. That’s just stupid. There is no need to put entire words on a flag–that’s not what they’re for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-flags-the-beautiful-cool-and-ugly-ones/202779.md?page=3)