cleveland flag

Cleveland flag design 23 is bisected horizontally into two fields; white over blue. The flag features a horizontally divided circle near the flag’s left, or hoist, side and horizontally divided triangle, or pile, on the flag’s right, or fly, side.

The story of Cleveland, Ohio, is directly connected to the waters of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. It was these two bodies of water that led Moses Cleaveland to found the city in 1796. Both Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River made Cleveland a shipping and manufacturing powerhouse in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The flag depicts a gold sun rising over the blue waters of Lake Erie. To the right of the sun, the city (in black) of Cleveland, Ohio, rises from the water’s edge to the sky. The white shoreline stretches from the horizon to the foreground. This depicts Cleveland’s growth from the small 1796 settlement to the major metropolitan area it is today. The tableau recalls Cleveland’s nickname as the “best location in the nation.” The scene transpires against a field of optimistic white.

This arrangement depicts Cleveland as seen from the west side, looking east. When the flag is viewed from the opposite side, the image is reversed and the scene shows Cleveland looking from the east side looking west at a sun setting over Lake Erie. In this way, downtown Cleveland and both the city’s east and west sides are represented on the flag.

The white half circle opposite the gold sun represents the moon. The moon honors Cleveland’s rock and roll history, its place as the rock and roll capital of the world and the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The white half moon represents Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed and his late-night Moondog Rock and Roll House Party radio program. On July 11, 1951, Freed was the first disc jockey to play a rhythm and blues record on WJW 850 A.M.'s airwaves, a mainstream, high-power radio station. He also helped to popularize the term rock and roll.

When hung vertically, the flag illustrates the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse as it passes over the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The gold sun appears against a bright white sky and the white moon appears against the blue of night.

The flag represents the optimism of new day in Cleveland. The flag displays a wide horizon of possibilities for the city and its people.

White represents hope. Gold stands for innovation. Blue is for Cleveland pride. Black represents the city’s steel and manufacturing history.

The 23rd Cleveland flag design honors the city’s connection to the water. During the past few decades, Cleveland learned to be a good steward of its most valuable natural resource. Great strides have been made to clean up Cleveland’s waterways so future generations can enjoy them.

See how this new Cleveland flag design compares to other Ohio city flags.