Flag of Portland, Oregon
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox flag
|Name = City of Portland
|Article =
|Image = Flag of Portland, Oregon.svg
|Image2 =
|Nickname =
|Use = 110000
|Symbol = {{FIAV|110000}}{{FIAV|normal}}{{FIAV|Mirror}}
|Proportion = 3:5
|Adoption = {{Start date and age|2002|09|04}}
|Design = Nordic-style Brigid's cross design with Blue stripes/arms double-fimbriated by gold on white esquarres, in the center a white astroid hypocycloid, on a green background.
|Designer = Douglas Lynch
}}
The city flag of Portland, Oregon, consists of a green field on which is placed a white four-pointed star (a truncated hypocycloid) from which radiate blue stripes, each bordered by L-shaped yellow elements (esquarres). Narrow white fimbriations separate the blue and yellow elements from each other and from the green background. The official ordinance specifies a height of {{convert|3|ft|cm|-1}} and a length of {{convert|5|ft|cm|-1}} for the flag.
Design and history
File:Portland Flags + Smoke.jpg (Major League Soccer) Game.]]
City ordinance 176874, adopted September 4, 2002, designates the design and its symbolism. Green represents "the forests and our green City"; yellow represents "agriculture and commerce"; and blue represents "our rivers".{{cite web|title=Chapter 1.06 Official Flag|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/citycode/28155|publisher=The City of Portland, Oregon|access-date=2018-07-11}} Portland straddles the Willamette River near its confluence with the Columbia River. City Ordinance 186794, adopted September 3, 2014, updated the proportions and the Pantone color specifications: White, PMS 279 (Blue); PMS 349 (Green); and PMS 1235 (Yellow).File:Flag-of-portland-flying.jpgThe flag was designed in 1969 by R. Douglas Lynch, a longtime Portland resident and noted graphic designer (1913–2009) who was chairman of the Portland Art Commission. The original version of the flag was adopted on December 17, 1969, and included a dark blue canton featuring the city seal in yellow and white.{{cite news |last=Stern |first=Henry |date=August 26, 2002 |title=Portland seal removal from flag gets enthusiasts' seal of approval |page=B7 |work=The Oregonian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregonian-portland-seal-removal-from/158203489/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=October 31, 2024}} The design was criticized for not including a rose (a traditional symbol of the city) or a depiction of Mount Hood; its abstract design was compared to "flags of Socialist countries" and a "fallen cross symbolizing the anti-Christ" by the organization Mothers for Children.{{cite news |last=Ostergren |first=Jack |date=December 18, 1969 |title=City Approves Basic Flag Design Over Heated Protests |page=4 |work=The Oregon Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregon-daily-journal-city-approves-b/158203923/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=October 31, 2024}} Attempts were made to revise the flag to include a new rose shortly after the adoption.{{cite news |last=Rocchia |first=Andy |date=September 4, 1970 |title=City Flag Question Returns |page=6 |work=The Oregon Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregon-daily-journal-city-flag-quest/158204510/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=October 31, 2024}} The official flag was first displayed on January 30, 1974, after funds to produce the first batch of 100 flags were approved by the city government at the behest of new Art Commission chairperson Libby Solomon.{{cite news |date=January 31, 1974 |title=City's new flag, ex-mayor saluted |at=sec. 1, p. 1 |work=The Oregonian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregonian-citys-new-flag-ex-mayor/158204420/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=October 31, 2024}}
In 2002, members of the Portland Flag Association successfully lobbied the Portland City Council to simplify the design, aligning it more closely with Lynch's original vision. The revised design—without the city seal—was adopted on September 4, 2002.{{cite news |last=Stern |first=Henry |date=September 5, 2002 |title=City Council Watch |page=D2 |work=The Oregonian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregonian-city-council-watch/158203461/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=October 31, 2024}}
The flag's design ranked seventh among the flags of 150 US cities in the North American Vexillological Association's "American City Flag Survey of 2004".{{cite web|title=2004 American City Flags Survey |url=http://nava.org/digital-library/design/surveys/2004-American-City%20Flags-Survey.pdf|publisher=North American Vexillological Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704042002/http://nava.org/digital-library/design/surveys/2004-American-City%20Flags-Survey.pdf |archive-date=4 July 2019}}
Gallery
File:Flag of Portland, Oregon (1950).gif|{{FIAV|historical}} (1950)
File:Flag of Portland, Oregon (1958–1970).png|{{FIAV|historical}} (1958–1970)
File:Flag of Portland, Oregon (1970–2002).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} (1970–2002)
File:Flag of Portland, Oregon.svg|{{FIAV|normal}} (2002–present)
See also
{{Portal|Oregon}}
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite book
| last1 = Purcell
| first1 = John M.
| author2 = James A. Croft
| author3 = Rich Monahan
| year = 2003
| title = American City Flags (Part 1: United States)
| publisher = North American Vexillological Association
| location = Trenton, NJ
| isbn = 0-9747728-0-1
| chapter = Portland, Oregon [by Mason Kaye]
| pages = 274–279
}}
External links
- [http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?a=284493&c=51811 City Flag general description] and [http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?&c=28155 legal specification] (from City Auditor's website)
- {{FOTW|id=us-orpor|title=Portland, Oregon (U.S.)}}
- 99% Invisible podcast, [http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/vexillonaire/ Episode 140: Vexillonaire] – Tells the story of the 1969 & 2002 Portland flags
- [http://portlandflag.org/ website of the Portland Flag Association]
{{Portland, Oregon}}
{{Flags of cities in the United States}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portland, Oregon, Flag of}}
Category:Flags of cities in Oregon
Category:Flags introduced in 1969