Best & Worst State Flags

In some previous blog posts, I've given my take on the best and worst of various sports logos - the NHL, MLB and NFL.  I'd like to keep the "best and worst" theme going but switch to something not related to sports - state flags.

First of all, this was a LOT harder than doing the sports logos.  Why? Mainly because most state flags are lame.  Seriously, roughly 1/2 of the 50 state flags are basically the exact same thing: the state seal on a blue background.  I never knew that until I did this little project.  You don't believe me?  Here's proof: 

I knew what state flags I liked, but I didn't realize how many state flags were unimaginative, boring and, well, sucky.  It's almost as if one person designed half of them and just did the same thing with a different seal on it.  Think of the old days of General Motors or Chrysler, where they made the same car for multiple brands and did little more than slap a different logo on the front grill.

Having said that, we'll start out with the best flags first, before moving on to the bad, bland and boring.

BEST STATE FLAGS

5.  Maryland (adopted 1904)

This one may surprise you a bit.  It's kind of "out there" - all kinds of patterns and clashing colors.  But at least it's different.  Also, the two sections have meaning - both the black & gold sections and

the red & white sections are taken from the coat of arms for some of the original founders of Maryland and Baltimore.  It is the only state flag that is based on English heraldry, which also makes it unique.  Finally, this flag replaced a lame flag that featured, you guessed it, the state seal on a blue background.  Congrats on being unique, Maryland, and bucking the lame flag trend!  While this is a cool flag, it looks stupid when the Maryland football team wears it as a part of their uniform, as shown below. Boo to you, Under Armour!

 

 

4. Arizona (adopted 1917)

 

I like this one because it has bright colors - lots of them - while still keeping a relatively simple concept.  It contains symbolism representing the state - the red and yellow also symbolize Arizona's

picturesque sunsets (while also paying homage to the colors of the flag of Spain); the copper star represents the copper mining industry in Arizona; the rest of the flag is colored blue, representing the Colorado River - while not going overboard or getting too busy.  That can be a difficult line to walk, but Arizona's flag does it well.  It's nice to see that the searing desert heat didn't dampen the creative spirits of the folks who designed this flag.


3. Texas (adopted 1839; readopted 1933)

This is arguably the most recognizable - and most historic - state flag.  After all, this flag was first introduced by and flown over the Republic of Texas, when Texas was an independent country from 1836-1845.  How many states can brag that they used to be country?  (And we all know how Texans

like to brag! Hey, I spent 4 years there, so I can say that.) It's a simple, sharp design, which is what you want from a state flag.  Most people don't recognize state flags when they see them, but Texas is one of the few they probably do.  Texas's flag is so good, another state basically tried to replicate it, though they botched it big time.  We'll talk about that one in a few minutes, when we get to the worst flags section.


2. South Carolina (adopted 1861, though it has existed in various forms dating back to 1775)

I love this flag.  It's unique and, for me at least, it evokes warm summer nights on vacation, what with the palmetto tree under a crescent moon.  I've traveled to South Carolina numerous times on family

vacations (5 times to Hilton Head and twice to Myrtle Beach), so I have a soft spot for the state and the flag.  The palmetto tree - which is the state tree of South Carolina - has also been a symbol of the state dating back to the American Revolution, so there's a lot of history there.  The only gripe I have about this flag - and the only thing keeping it from the top spot on my list - is that it is blue like so many other state flags.  If it had the same design with virtually any different color background (palm leaf green would be perfect), this would be #1.  However, since they went with the too common blue, it comes in at #2.

1. New Mexico (adopted 1925)

I'm giving the top spot to New Mexico.  The best flags are simple yet unique and New Mexico hits the mark on both accounts.  First - the colors.  Bright yellow with the symbol in red.  It's drastically
different than any other state flags, so it definitely stands out in a crowd.  Also, similar to Arizona, those are the colors of the Spanish flag, so it reflects the history of that part of the country.  Finally, the Zia sun symbol is unique.  It reflects that Pueblo and Native American roots of the state.  So, it's symbolic yet simple, unique without trying too hard.  Muy bien, Nuevo Mexico!


Okay, now that we've gone through the good flags, it's time to talk about the bad and the ugly.


WORST STATE FLAGS

5. North Carolina (adopted 1885)

Whether North Carolinians will admit it or not, this flag is a blatant rip-off of the aforementioned Texas state flag.  Blue section on the left with a star with half red and half white on the right.  The fact that they flipped the red and white from the Texas flag isn't fooling me.  But whereas the Texas

flag is great because of its simplicity, North Carolina muddies the water by surrounding the star with an "N" and a "C" and two dates.  The worst part?  Neither of those dates is the date that North Carolina became a state!  They represent two other dates that probably only history teachers in North Carolina can identify.  Dates on flags suck in the first place, but multiple dates that no one understands are even worse.  North Carolina has some beautiful scenery and wonderful people, but their flag stinks.

4. Oregon (adopted 1925)

As you'll soon see, the rest of the list is made up of the aforementioned "state seal on blue background" group.  Honestly, I could have made a list of about 20 of these lousy flags, but I had to draw the line somewhere.  Oregon's flag is unique among U.S. state flags in that it has different

images on the two sides.  The front side is the obligatory state seal on a blue background.  While that would be bad enough, but it's made worse by the fact that they added not just the state name (Oregon) but the words "State of" in front of it.  I realize that it was the "Oregon Territory" before it was a state but so were LOTS of states and you don't see them adding the superfluous "state of" on their flags.  So, that's negative points there.  On top of the whole "State of Oregon" garbage, they also added the year to it.  Dumb, but at least they put the year they became a state, rather than other less important dates like the goofballs in North Carolina did.  Finally, we have the seal itself.  Like most state seals, it's got a lot going on.  You have a covered wagon, some elk, a sunset, some boats and a whole mess of farming tools at the bottom.  But because it's all yellow, it

kind of just looks like a big yellow blob from a distance.  The flip side of the flag is better - it's just a beaver.  And, because Oregon is known as "The Beaver State," that makes sense.  However, both the beaver and the wood he's standing on are yellow, so it is hard to make out what it is.  What they should have done is just gone with the beaver and used colors besides the too frequently used blue and yellow.  Or if you're going to do the two different sides thing, how about the beaver on one side and a Nike swoosh on the other side?

3. Wisconsin (adopted 1981)

You can probably tell what my complaints are just by looking at this one for a few seconds.  Blue background - bad.  Indiscernible, too busy state seal - bad.  State name - bad.  Year - bad.  What makes it worse is that they adopted this in the 1980s!  And do you know what the previous state flag

was?  It was just the state seal on a blue background.  So, when they decided to redo the flag in 1981, they missed the opportunity to distinguish their flag from the boatload of other "state seal on a blue background flags."  Clearly, they felt like it looked too much those other flags and they needed to fix that.  But instead of doing something awesome (like a badger, beer and a piece of cheese), they just slapped the state name and year on it?  C'mon, Wisconsin! Your state capital city is cool and the campus is great and this is what you came up with for your flag?  Methinks the people in charge spent a little too much time drinking free samples at the brewery in Milwaukee before making this decision. 

2. Nebraska (adopted 1925, made official 1963)

Another yellow state seal on blue background flag.  The logo is predictably too busy and detailed, so it just looks blah, which is kind of fitting considering that we're talking about Nebraska.  How bad is this flag?  Earlier this year, a Nebraska state senator proposed a task force to consider redesigning the state flag  after it had hung upside down outside the state capitol building for 10 days without any noticing!  You know you have a crappy flag when it can be hung upside down and no one can even tell.  If they redesign it, I just hope they are a little more creative than the Cheeseheads.  How about an ear of corn, a football and Tom Osborne's disembodied head?  What else do they have going on in Nebraska?
 
1. South Dakota (adopted 1992)

There are so many reasons that I list this flag as the worst of all.  Blue background? Check. State seal? Check. State name? Check. But guess what?  They list the state name not once but TWICE - once on the background of the flag and again on the state seal.  Worse yet? It says that they are "The Mount Rushmore State" but Mount Rushmore IS NOWHERE ON THE SEAL OR THE FLAG!  Of

the people that visit South Dakota, roughly 111% of them go primarily to visit Mount Rushmore.  The most unforgivable part is that they redesigned the flag just 25 years ago!  And all they changed was making the blue background a slightly lighter shade of blue and changing the verbiage below the seal to "The Mount Rushmore State" from "The Sunshine State."  That's right.  They used to call themselves "The Sunshine State," in spite of the fact that precisely zero people outside of South Dakota ever called it that.  If you polled 1,000 people on the street and asked them "What state is known as 'The Sunshine State,' 999 of them would say 'Florida.'"  The other guy is the drunk guy from Wisconsin who came up with their flag's redesign after imbibing a few too much of Milwaukee's best, so he clearly doesn't give a $h!t.  South Dakota needs to redesign this terrible flag pronto.  Drop the state name, slogan and seal and replace it with renderings of Mount Rushmore, the Corn Palace and Wall Drug.  And for crying out loud, make the background any color besides blue!

There you have it - my list of the best and worst state flags.  I hope you found it educational as well as entertaining.

Thanks for reading!