new syracuse flag

On June 20, 2023, the city of Syracuse, New York, ratified a new city flag design.

In late 2022, the non-profit Adapt CNY and the city of Syracuse, New York, collaborated to create the Syracuse Flag Initiative. The Initiative’s goal was to organize and promote a flag design contest, the winner of which would become the new city flag of Syracuse, New York.

The public had three months to submit flag designs. After which, a non-partisan committee, with public input, reviewed the proposed flag designs. From the more than 300 submitted flag designs, the committee selected four and presented them to the public for a final vote. One of the final four flags, the First Light Flag, designed by Eric Hart, won the public vote. Syracuse, New York, city officials adopted the First Light Flag as the new Syracuse city flag on June 20, 2023.

The First Light Flag replaced the previous Syracuse flag, which was designed in 1915 as part of a public design contest. The former flag comprised the city’s seal on a horizontal triband of blue and white fields. City seals, while often packed with civic imagery, fail on city flags as they lack symbolism, are overly detailed and are not meant to be viewed moving at a distance.

Learn more about flag design and how it pertains to the Cleveland flag.

First Light Flag designer Eric Hart is an eighth-generation Syracuse resident. He is a graduate of Corcoran High School and holds a BFA from Syracuse University’s Communications Design Program. Hart’s design background is apparent is his approach to flag design. Looking to create more than a flag, Hart set out to design a flexible identity system for the city.

From the First Light Flag website: “The First Light Flag isn’t only a flag. It’s an identity, a platform, and a brand. Its design is flexible and can be applied to any design opportunities.” Hart continues, “…the First Light flag is a distillation of Syracuse as a whole. It’s representative of the totality of our history. It’s symbolic of our land, our people our hopes, and dreams.” Using color and shape, Hart’s First Light Flag attempts to share the story of Syracuse’s people and the city’s personality, its geography and weather, the city’s history, future and relationship to central New York.

flag symbolism

The six-pointed star is the flag’s central motif. The city had six name’s prior to adopting Syracuse in 1820. Each of the star’s six points represent one of the city’s six early names. They include: Salt Point, Webster’s Landing, Bogardus Corners, Milan, South Salina and Cossits’ Corners. Its placement in the flag’s center is a nod to Syracuse’s location in central New York. The orange star on a white field recalls the city’s salt industry. Since the late 1700s, Syracuse used the sun to evaporate water from brine wells, which resulted in salt production. The star set between the two blue triangles represents the sunrise over the Onondaga Valley. A sunrise is often seen as a symbol of good fortune and new beginnings. The two blue triangles each represent a prominent Syracuse hill. The triangle on the flag’s left, or hoist, side is the hill to the west of Syracuse, toward Hiawatha Lake. The triangle to the right, or fly, side represents the hill to the city’s east, toward Thornden Park. The negative whitespace between the blue triangles represents the Onondaga Valley. In the Native American Onondaga language, the word ‘Onoñda’gega’ means the ‘people of the rolling hills.’ Between the blue triangles, the whitespace forms a V shape, or chevron. The V shape is stands for the Roman numeral V, or five, a reference to the five Syracuse Common Council Districts. Two fingers spread into a wide V shape with the palm facing outward is also the recognized gesture for peace. Taken together, the flag’s three triangles are symbolic of the city’s past, present and future.

flag colors

The new Syracuse flag comprises four colors, each with specific meanings. Orange is symbolic of the sun, regeneration, restoration, courage, passion and creativity. Azure blue, at the flag’s left, or hoist, side symbolizes Onondaga Lake, the Erie Canal, perseverance and intelligence. The navy blue at the flag’s right, or fly, side is indicative of the hills of Onondaga, trust, loyalty and industry. And finally, white recalls salt, snow, peace and purity.

Syracuse has adopted a bold, new symbol for its city. C’mon, Cleveland, when is it our turn? When are we going to get a new Cleveland flag?

reference links

First Light Flag
Syracuse Flag Initiative
Eric Hart
Adapt CNY (Central New York)