Flag of Oregon

Flag of Oregon

Use	Civil and state flag
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	April 15, 1925
Design	Seal of Oregon in gold on an azure field. Above the seal the text "State of Oregon" is displayed in a wavy flow.

The flag of the state of Oregon is a two-sided flag in navy blue and gold with an optional gold fringe. On the front is the escutcheon from the state seal and on the reverse is a gold figure of a beaver, the state animal. Oregon is the only U.S. state to have a two-sided flag.

History

The reverse of the flag (the hoist is to the right)

The current flag design became official on February 26, 1925.^[1] What is believed to be the first flag of Oregon produced was made that year by Meier & Frank, sewn by Marjorie Kennedy and Blanche Cox, employees of the department store.^[2] That flag was donated to Eastern Oregon University in 1954 by the grandson of former governor Walter M. Pierce.^[2]

Oregon’s flag is the last remaining state flag in the U.S. in which the obverse and reverse sides have different designs.^[1] Paraguay^[3] and Moldova^[4] are the only countries that still have a two-sided flag. Two-sided flags were previously more common, but have been reduced due to increased costs of manufacturing a flag with two different designs.^[1] In 2010, the original flag was restored.^[2]

Description

The flags of the United States and Oregon in Portland, Oregon

The flag field is navy blue with all lettering and symbols in gold, representing the state colors of Oregon.^[5][6] On the obverse, the legend STATE OF OREGON is written above an escutcheon, which also appears in the Oregon state seal. The shield is surrounded by 33 stars, representing Oregon's admission to the Union as the 33rd state. Below the shield is written 1859, the year in which Oregon became a state.^[5]

On the reverse of the flag is a depiction, also in gold, of a beaver, the state animal of Oregon.^[5] Oregon has the only U.S. state flag with differing symbolism on two sides.^[7]

For dress or parade usage, the flag may feature a gold fringe. For standard usage, no fringe is required.^[5] The ratio of the flag's width to length is 3:5.^[8]

New Flag Contest

The Oregonian Flag Contest Winner

The current flag for the state of Oregon was rated in a survey by the North American Vexillological Association as 62nd out of the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags.^[9]

For the 150 year anniversity of Oregon's admittance to the United States, the newspaper The Oregonian created a state-wide contest to redesign the state flag. ^[10] The newspaper collected and published the entries with the public voting on the winning design. The winning design was created Randall Gray, a map maker for Clackamas County. In his design, Gray emphasized the beaver found on the current flag's reverse. The star represents Oregon's place in the Union while the green represents the natural wilderness and forests of Oregon.^[10]

See also

Oregon portal

• State of Oregon
• Symbols of the state of Oregon
• Seal of the state of Oregon
• Flags whose reverse differs from the obverse

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Geography". Merriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/nytmaps.pl?oregon. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Oregon's first flag will be moved to a public display at Eastern Oregon University". The Oregonian. The Associated Press. September 6, 2010. http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2010/09/oregons_first_flag_will_be_moved_to_a_public_display_at_eastern_oregon_university.html. Retrieved 8 September 2010. 
3. ^ Oregon, flag of. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on May 6, 2008.
4. ^ Pagina Oficială a Preşedintelui Republicii Moldova
5. ^ ^{a b c d} "Oregon Almanac:Flag, State". Oregon Blue Book. http://www.bluebook.state.or.us/facts/almanac/almanac02.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
6. ^ Shearer, B.F; Shearer, B.S (2002). State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide (Third Edition ed.). Greenwood Press. p. 67. ISBN 0313315345. 
7. ^ "Vexillology - Flags with different backsides". Flags of the World. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-twos.html#two. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
8. ^ "Oregon Flag". Flags of the World. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-or.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
9. ^ NAVA 2001 Flag Survey
10. ^ ^{a b} "Redesign the Oregon flag". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon/index.ssf/2008/12/redesign_the_oregon_flag.html. Retrieved 2010-06-16. 

External links

• Chapter 186 — State Emblems; State Boundary 2005 Oregon Revised Statutes