Flags of the U.S.

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Some are ornate, others are historic, but all of the state flags are beauties. Do you know which of the 50 states these flags represent?

- Virginia
- Delaware
- Pennsylvania
- Maryland
Virginia

Adopted: January 31, 1861

The state seal, which appears in the middle of this flag, includes the state’s motto, Sic Semper Tyrannis, which translates from Latin as “Thus Always to Tyrants.” While the seal was designed in 1776, and the flag was first used in the 1830s, they both were not made official until 1930.
- Montana
- Alaska
- North Dakota
- Hawaii
Alaska

Adopted: July 6, 1927

Alaska’s state flag, created by Benny Benson, a 13-year-old 7th grader from an orphanage in Seward, Alaska, was selected for its simplicity, its originality, and its symbolism. It features the Big Dipper as a symbol of strength, and the North Star as a symbol of Alaska’s northern location and, as the legislation reads, “the ever constant star for the mariner, the explorer, hunter, trapper, prospector, woodsman, and the surveyor.” The blue background represents the sky, sea, lakes, and wildflowers of Alaska.
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Florida
- Delaware
Delaware

Adopted: May 10, 1913

The colonial blue and beige colors of the Delaware flag represent the colors of General George Washington’s uniform. “December 7, 1787” is the day Delaware ratified the federal Constitution—becoming the first state of the union.

In addition to the state motto, the state coat of arms in the middle contains many symbols of Delaware, including a ship (Delaware’s ship building industry); a farmer, maize, and wheat sheaf (agriculture); a militiaman (for the role of the citizen-soldier to the maintenance of American liberties); and an ox (the importance of animal husbandry to the state economy).
- Alabama
- Ohio
- Georgia
- Texas
Texas

Adopted: June 30, 1839

The Texas state flag, featuring the famous Lone Star, dates back to 1839, when it was the national flag of the Republic of Texas. The red, white, and blue colors represent bravery, purity, and loyalty.
- New Mexico
- Arizona
- Utah
- Maine
New Mexico

Adopted: September 18, 1920

The red and yellow colors used on New Mexico’s state flag represent the colors of old Spain. The design in the middle is the ancient Zia sun symbol, which represents the Zia Indians of New Mexico, who regard the Sun as sacred. The symbol also contains representations of the number four (the sacred number of the Zia) in the repeated four points radiating from the circle, each consisting of four bars.
- Connecticut
- Ohio
- New Jersey
- Rhode Island
Rhode Island

Adopted: July 27, 1640 (formally November 1, 1897)

The anchor and “Hope,” the state motto of Rhode Island, have been in use since 1663, when the Rhode Island General Assembly first adopted a seal for the colony that contained an anchor with the word “Hope” above it. The use of the word “Hope” was probably inspired by the biblical phrase “hope we have as an anchor of the soul.”
- Indiana
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- New York
Ohio

Adopted: July 10, 1902

The swallowtail pennant design of the Ohio flag is unique—it is the only state flag that is not rectangular. The triangle of blue represents Ohio’s hills and valleys, while the red and white stripes represent Ohio’s roads and waterways. The white circle with the red center not only forms the “O” for Ohio, it refers to Ohio’s nickname, “The Buckeye State.” In total, there are seventeen white stars on the flag, in honor of Ohio being the seventeenth state to enter the union; the thirteen stars surrounding the circle represent the original colonies.
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- North Carolina
- Louisiana
Maryland

Adopted: November 25, 1904

The almost medieval-looking flag of Maryland is the only state flag in the U.S. to be based on English heraldry. The black and gold fields represent the coat of arms of the Calvert family, the founders of Maryland, while the red and white fields represent the coat of arms of the Crossland family, the family of Calvert’s mother.
- Maine
- Montana
- Minnesota
- Oregon
Oregon

Adopted: April 15, 1925

Oregon is the only state in the Union that displays different images on the front and back of its flag. The beaver seen here is on the reverse side, while the front displays the state seal and the words “State of Oregon, 1859.” The beaver is Oregon’s official state animal, stemming from the early 19th century when fur hats were in style and Oregon’s streams were a major source of the animal. (This is also why Oregon is nicknamed “The Beaver State.”)
- North Carolina
- Florida
- South Carolina
- Louisiana
South Carolina

Adopted: September 28, 1861

Known as “The Palmetto State,” South Carolina’s flag features the Sabal palmetto, which is also the state tree. The flag, which is based on one of the first Revolutionary War flags, also features a crescent moon refering to a banner carried by South Carolina protesters of the Stamp Act in 1776.
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
Georgia

Adopted: February 19, 2003

This current flag of Georgia, featuring the state motto, “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation,” is fairly new, having been adopted in 2003. The previous state flag (1956–2001) prominently featured the Confederate Battle Flag, which many state residents found offensive, due to its historical use by the Confederate States of America and its current use by various white supremacy groups.
- Utah
- Nevada
- California
- Arizona
Arizona

Adopted: January 25, 1917

The 13 gold and red rays on Arizona’s flag represent the sun setting over the western desert, as well as the original 13 colonies, while the field of blue refers to the U.S. flag (it is the same “liberty blue” color). The star in the center symbolizes Arizona’s copper production (Arizona produces more copper than any other state in the country).
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- California
- Oklahoma
Colorado

Adopted: December 4, 1911

Each color on Colorado’s flag represents one of the state’s environmental features: the white stands for the snowcapped mountains; the red represents the red-colored earth; the blue represents the skies; and the gold stands for the sunshine and the gold that is mined there. Colorado has flown many flags in its history—three countries and eight Territories have laid claim to what is now the state of Colorado.
- New York
- New Hampshire
- Washington
- New Jersey
New Jersey

Adopted: January 15, 1896

The buff-colored background and the dark blue of the coat of arms of New Jersey’s flag is a nod to George Washington, who had ordered in 1779 that the uniform coats of the New Jersey Continental Line be dark blue with buff facings.

The three plows on the shield refer to the state’s agriculture (it is nicknamed “The Garden State”); the helmet is said to refer to the fact that New Jersey governs itself; and the two goddesses represent the state motto, “Liberty and Prosperity.”
- Kentucky
- West Virginia
- Tennessee
- Missouri
Tennessee

Adopted: April 17, 1905

The three stars in the middle of Tennessee’s flag represent the three main geographical divisions of the state—East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee—while the blue circle around them represents the unity of the “Grand Divisions” of the state. The blue bar, however, has no significance—it was included purely as a design element in order to, as the designer put it, “relieve the sameness of the crimson field and prevent the flag from showing too much crimson when hanging limp.”