Flag of Oregon

Oregon

Use	Civil and state flag
Proportion	3:5
Adopted	April 15, 1925
Design	Seal of Oregon in gold on an azure field. Above the seal the text "State of Oregon" is displayed in a wavy flow.
Designed by	Marjorie Kennedy and Blanche Cox.

The flag of the state of Oregon is a two-sided flag in navy blue and gold with an optional gold fringe. On the front is the escutcheon from the state seal and on the reverse is a gold figure of a beaver, the state animal. Oregon is the only U.S. state to have a two-sided flag.^[1]

History

The current flag design became official on February 26, 1925.^[2] What is believed to be the first flag of Oregon produced was made that year by Meier & Frank, sewn by Marjorie Kennedy and Blanche Cox, employees of the department store.^[3] That flag was donated to Eastern Oregon University in 1954 by the grandson of former governor Walter M. Pierce.^[3] In 2010, the flag was restored.^[3]

Description

The flags of the United States and Oregon in Portland, Oregon

The flag field is navy blue with all lettering and symbols in gold, representing the state colors of Oregon.^[4][5] On the obverse, the legend STATE OF OREGON is written above an escutcheon, which also appears in the Oregon state seal. The shield is surrounded by 33 stars, representing Oregon's admission to the Union as the 33rd state. Below the shield is written 1859, the year in which Oregon became a state.^[4]

The reverse of the flag (the hoist is to the right)

Oregon's flag is the last remaining state flag in the U.S. in which the obverse and reverse sides have different designs.^[2] Paraguay^[6] is the only country that still has a two-sided flag. Two-sided flags were previously more common, but have been reduced due to increased costs of manufacturing a flag with two different designs.^[2] On the reverse of the flag is a depiction, also in gold, of a beaver, the state animal of Oregon.^[4] Oregon has the only U.S. state flag with differing symbolism on two sides.^[7]

For dress or parade usage, the flag may feature a gold fringe. For standard usage, no fringe is required.^[4] The ratio of the flag's width to length is 3:5.^[8]

Movement to change the flag

2013 flag proposal

Flag peer rating

The current flag for the state of Oregon was rated in a survey by the North American Vexillological Association as 62nd out of the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags.^[9]

2013 Flag Proposal

In 2013, a bill was introduced to the Oregon Senate that would have made several changes to the flag design, however, the bill never made it out of committee.^[10] This bill was sponsored by state Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson, on behalf of Gresham resident Matt Norquist, who lobbied for the flags' change.^[11]

The bill describes the proposed design as follows:

See also

• Seal of Oregon
• List of Oregon state symbols
• Flags whose reverse differs from the obverse

References

External links

• Chapter 186 — State Emblems; State Boundary 2005 Oregon Revised Statutes

v t e  State of Oregon Salem (capital) Topics History Geography Climate People Governors Government Delegations Constitution Congress Ballot measures Elections Parks Fair Symbols Oregon Trail Beaches Lakes Rivers Misc. Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Gambling Politics Regions The Cascades Central Oregon Columbia Gorge Columbia Plateau Columbia River Eastern Oregon Harney Basin High Desert Inland Empire Mount Hood Corridor Oregon Coast Palouse Portland Metro Rogue Valley Southern Oregon Treasure Valley Tualatin Valley Western Oregon Willamette Valley Metros Bend-Redmond Coos Bay-North Bend Eugene-Springfield Medford-Ashland Portland Salem-Keizer Cities Albany Astoria Baker City Beaverton Brookings Coos Bay Corvallis Florence Grants Pass Gresham Hillsboro Hood River Independence Klamath Falls La Grande Lake Oswego Lakeview Madras McMinnville Milwaukie Monmouth Newberg Newport Ontario Oregon City Pendleton Prineville Roseburg Sandy The Dalles Tigard Tillamook Tualatin Umatilla West Linn Wilsonville Woodburn Counties Baker Benton Clackamas Clatsop Columbia Coos Crook Curry Deschutes Douglas Gilliam Grant Harney Hood River Jackson Jefferson Josephine Klamath Lake Lane Lincoln Linn Malheur Marion Morrow Multnomah Polk Sherman Tillamook Umatilla Union Wallowa Wasco Washington Wheeler Yamhill