State your colors
Why is there a bleeding animal on this state flag? Read all about it
Image: Dreajc10, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How much do you know about state flags? We see them flying at schools, post offices, and parades, but we rarely stop to think about where they come from. All of them have backstories that are worth learning about. From strange animal motifs to presidential portraits, here's a quick tour of some of the most unique state flags that you may find while touring America.
1
A 13-year-old designed Alaska’s flag
In 1927, while Alaska was still a U.S. territory, officials launched a contest inviting school kids to design territorial flags. Among the 140 entries that arrived in Juneau containing polar bears, mining scenes, or territorial seals, was the design of 13-year-old Benny Benson , an Alaskan Native Aleut.
The design featured eight gold stars against a deep blue field. Seven stars formed the Big Dipper, symbolizing strength through the Great Bear constellation, while the North Star represented Alaska’s future as the northernmost state in the Union. Benson also explained that the blue background honored both the sky and the state flower, the forget-me-not. His design was unanimously selected and officially adopted by the territorial legislature in May 1927, and Benson received a gold watch engraved with the flag and a $1,000 scholarship award.
2
Washington went green and presidential
When Washington officially adopted its state flag in 1923, the Legislature made a choice unlike any other state in the country. Instead of following the usual red, white, and blue pattern, they chose a deep green background to reflect the state’s nickname , "The Evergreen State," a reference to its dense forests and year-round greenery. At the center, they placed the state seal featuring George Washington, the first president of the U.S.
The portrait itself was based on a famous painting by Gilbert Stuart, an American artist known for some of the best images of Washington. The portrait represents patriotism and identity. To this day, Washington remains the only U.S. state flag with a green field and the only one to feature an American president’s face.
3
Ohio ditched the rectangle
Ohio may have joined the Union in 1803, but for nearly a century, the state had no official flag of its own. But it began turning heads the moment it was introduced in 1902.
Designed by architect John Eisenmann for the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, the flag broke one of the oldest traditions in vexillology. Instead of a rectangle, Eisenmann created a burgee, a swallowtail pennant shape more commonly used by naval organizations and cavalry units. Its red and white stripes represent roads and waterways, while the blue triangular field symbolizes Ohio’s hills and valleys. The white "O" stands for both Ohio and the buckeye nut, and the 17 stars honor Ohio as the seventeenth state admitted to the Union.
4
Maryland flew in from the Middle Ages
The story behind Maryland’s flag reaches back to English nobility, long before the U.S. existed. Its design comes from the coats of arms of the Calvert and Crossland families , connected to George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, whose family founded the Maryland colony in 1632 under a charter granted by King Charles I. The black and gold pattern belonged to the Calvert family, while the red and white cross belonged to the Crossland family through Calvert’s mother, Alicia Crossland.
During the Civil War, the colors gained powerful political meaning. Union supporters in Maryland often displayed the Calvert colors, while Confederate sympathizers adopted the Crossland pattern. Following the war, state leaders sought unity during Reconstruction, and by the 1880s, the two designs were combined into one banner. Maryland officially adopted the flag in 1904, turning former symbols of division into a lasting emblem of reconciliation.
5
California’s bear has a revolutionary past
California’s famous Bear Flag began during the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846, when American settlers in Sonoma rebelled against Mexican rule and declared California an independent republic. Their handmade banner featured a grizzly bear, a red star, and the words "California Republic."
The rebellion ended in less than a month after the U.S. forces took control during the American-Mexican War between 1846 and 1848, but the image remained a symbol of independence. The original flag was later destroyed in 1906 in the San Francisco earthquake, though copies had been preserved. It wasn’t until 1911 that lobbying from the historical society, Native Sons of the Golden West, made the legislature adopt the design as the official state flag.
6
Oregon’s two sides
When Oregon adopted its official state flag in 1925, it quietly created one of the rarest flags in the world. Unlike nearly every other state banner, Oregon’s flag features two completely different designs, one on each side.
The front displays the state seal in gold against a navy-blue background, surrounded by 33 stars representing Oregon’s admission as the thirty-third state in 1859. Beneath the shield appears the year of statehood, while symbols such as a covered wagon and an eagle reflect Oregon’s frontier history and connection to the United States. The reverse side tells a simpler story. There, a single gold beaver appears alone on the blue field. The beaver became Oregon’s state animal because the fur trade played a major role in the region’s early economy during the 1800s.
7
Hawaii still nods to the British
Hawaii’s state flag tells the story of a kingdom caught between powerful nations during the early 1800s. The British Union Jack placed in the corner dates back to the reign of King Kamehameha I, the ruler who united the Hawaiian Islands into a single kingdom.
Ever since the first British flag was raised in that territory in 1794, Hawaii used several variations of flags that blended British and American influences , partly to maintain good relations with both nations during the War of 1812. A combined design was created using the Union Jack alongside horizontal stripes inspired by the American flag. By 1845, the current design with eight stripes, representing the major islands, had been established. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, the historic flag remained unchanged.
8
Louisiana’s bleeding pelican
At first sight, Louisiana's choice of flag might seem a bit odd, but the meaning of its symbols carries centuries of meaning. The flag was adopted in 1912 and, at the center, stands a mother pelican feeding her chicks with drops of her own blood, an image taken from Christian traditions. According to legend, pelicans wound themselves during times of famine to keep their young alive. And even though the story is not scientifically accurate, the symbol stands for sacrifice, compassion, and protection. It also represents the bird-filled wetlands and Gulf Coast landscape that shaped the state’s identity.
Over time, different versions of the flag softened the dramatic image and even removed the drops of blood completely, but in 2010, Louisiana officially restored the traditional design and brought it back.
9
South Carolina’s flag is not standardized
South Carolina’s flag shows a white crescent shape above a palmetto tree, and its design was born during the first days of the American Revolution. In 1775, Colonel William Moultrie designed a simple blue banner with a white crescent based on the uniforms worn by local patriot soldiers defending Charleston Harbor. A year later, the fort’s walls of palmetto logs absorbed British cannon fire instead of shattering. The Unexpected victory turned the palmetto tree into a symbol of South Carolina’s resistance, and it was added to the flag.
As the years passed, different versions appeared across the state, especially during the Civil War, when many were painted by hand. South Carolina officially adopted the familiar flag in 1861, but there were never defined exact shapes or proportions. That is why even today, no two South Carolina flags look exactly alike.
10
New Mexico went bold and beautiful
New Mexico’s first flag looked much like many others of the time. Designed by historian Ralph Emerson Twitchell, it included the American flag, the state seal, and the words "New Mexico" stitched across a blue field. But in 1920, the Daughters of the American Revolution began pushing for a design that truly represented the Southwestern identity.
After winning a statewide contest, Dr. Harry Mera, a Santa Fe physician and archaeologist, and his wife, Reba Mera, presented a design that replaced crowded symbols with something simpler : a red Zia sun symbol centered on a yellow field inspired by the colors carried by Spanish explorers centuries earlier. The sacred Zia symbol represented harmony through the number four, reflected in the seasons, directions, stages of life, and times of day. Adopted in 1925, the design became one of the boldest and most admired flags in America.
