ohio city flags
local flags
Ohio has many city flags. The following flags represent Ohio’s most populous cities, not including Cleveland. The history of Cleveland’s flag and the reasons why Cleveland should have a new flag are presented elsewhere.
Most of Ohio’s city flags do not follow good flag design guidelines. Many include overly detailed city seals, which are not ideal for flags.
In 2021, Dayton, Ohio, adopted a new flag design. Columbus and Toledo both currently have campaigns to champion a people’s flag—an accepted and consistently reproduced flag design that is yet to be officially adopted by a governing body. Perhaps the most widely recognized people’s flag campaign is that of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
columbus flag
The Columbus flag is a tricolor with an irregular size ratio. Unlike, the Cleveland and Toledo flags, which are equal thirds, the Columbus flag's design proportions are an even division of fourths. This gives the Columbus seal more real estate than the equal thirds Cleveland and Toledo flags, allowing it to be bigger. The first fourth on the hoist side is yellow, the middle two fourths are white and the last fourth on the fly side is red.
The yellow, white and red fields are a tribute to Spain's flag. Spain funded Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage to the New World. Ohio’s capital city is named for the explorer.
The seal of the city of Columbus is displayed in the flag’s center. It shows one of Columbus's ships flying Spain's flag. The seal depicts American imagery, including an eagle; a red, white and blue shield; and the American flag. The seal also bears the city's name, Columbus, Ohio, in yellow under a ring of sixteen stars and buckeye leaves. The buckeye is the state tree. The seventeenth star, between the eagle's feet denotes Ohio as the seventeenth state to join the Union. Above the eagle is the dome of Columbus's state capital building.
Because Christopher Columbus was a pleasant and well-mannered traveler, there have been several requests to change state capital's flag. Learn more about the people’s flag of Columbus below.
people’s flag
Ohio State University design professor Paul Nini created the people’s flag of Columbus.
From the People's Flag of Columbus website: "The centered horizontal and vertical axes represent Broad and High Streets, the central intersection of downtown. The star indicates that Columbus is the state capital. The light blue semi-circle and the dark blue and green fields represent the Scioto River and Franklinton peninsula. The red and white stripes reference the Ohio and US flags."
upper arlington flag
On January 27, 2020, the city of Upper Arlington, Ohio, a northwest suburb of Columbus unveiled its new flag. The new flag design features a golden bear, the symbol of the city's heritage. The flag features two stars, which stand for Upper Arlington's cherished past and golden future. The stars also pay tribute to Upper Arlington’s popular Fourth of July celebration. Two grey stripes signify the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers which border Upper Arlington to the west and east, respectively.
Upper Arlington, Ohio, got a new flag. Cleveland deserves a new flag, too.
dayton flag
Dayton revealed its new flag on December, 15, 2021. The white lines are said to be a view of the Wright brother's original flyer, honoring Dayton's historical connection to flight. The central Ohio city is know as the Gem City, a title echoed in the flag's vibrant colors. The flyer's white wings separate the landscape into green land, dark blue rivers and a light blue sky. The five angled stripes represent the region's five waterways.
Dayton, Ohio, got a new flag. Maybe it's time Cleveland got one, too.
toledo flag
The Toledo, Ohio, flag is an equal thirds tricolor flag with the city's seal in the center. The seal depicts Fort Industry at sunrise. The fort is on a grassy bluff overlooking the Maumee River, which runs through Toledo. Fort Industry was the first permanent structure built in what would later become the city of Toledo. The sun symbolizes the state of Ohio. The seal also features the date Toledo was founded; January 7, 1837; and the city’s Latin motto “Laborare est Orare,” which translates to “To work is to pray.” The Toledo flag’s blue fields represent constancy; the white, purity.
people’s flag
Toledo resident and graphic designer Jacob Parr designed the people’s flag of Toledo. The blue field represents the Maumee River, which flows diagonally from the southwest to the northeast through Toledo. The white field represents the city’s ambition and opportunities. The yellow star is called the Spark of Industry. The color represents the glow of hot glass, as Toledo, Ohio, is the glass capital of the world. The star is in the upper left corner of the flag, a reference to Toledo’s northwest location in the state. Each of the star’s eight points represent an industry that shaped the city. The industries represented include: healthcare, the arts, energy, education, automotive, agriculture, the port and glass.
cincinnati flag
The Cincinnati flag is a white field with three wavy blue lines occupying the middle horizontal third. The lines represent the Ohio river, which separates Ohio from Kentucky and forms the city's southern border. The red C in the middle is for Cincinnati. Atop the C is a crown of Buckeye leaves symbolizing Ohio. The city's seal sits inside the letter C. The winged rod represents commerce. The serpents represent wisdom. The sword represents authority and the scales represent justice.
Cincinnati's motto "Juncta Juvant" translates to either "United They Assist," or "Growth through Unity."
All in all, this is good flag. The motto should be removed as should the seal and symbols simplified. If this flag were a red C over three blue lines on white field, it might be a new classic. As it stands, however, it is one of the best Ohio city flags.
Cincinnati’s many neighborhoods also have well-designed flags that are proudly flown. It would be great if one day not only Cleveland had a new flag, but so did its neighborhoods.
canton flag
The Canton, Ohio, flag is another tri-color flag, comprising blue on the hoist side, followed by white and red. The big difference between Canton's flag and the other tri-color Ohio flags is the sinister bend, or diagonal line.
The flag bears 17 stars because Ohio was the 17th state admitted to the union. It also depicts the McKinley Memorial, where President William McKinley is buried; 1805, the year Canton was founded; and a C and O stylized to look like chain links.
While the Canton, Ohio, flag looks more modern than those of other Ohio cities, it still has letters and numbers on it. The strange McKinley Memorial illustration is an odd embellishment for a flag, although it is probably better than a city seal.
akron flag
The Akron, Ohio, flag is a white field with the city’s seal in the center. The seal includes a shield based on that of the All-American City award program. Ten white, five-pointed stars represent the city’s ten wards. The flag was designed by the city’s mayor and chief of staff in 1996 and looks as if it was.
