Sacramento's flag, adopted on August 15, 1989, layers two blues separated by a broad white curve. A green quarter-disc sits in the upper left corner, a yellow shape pushes in from the right edge. Along the bottom, the city's name, "CITY OF SACRAMENTO", in white Century Gothic capitals.
The two blues represent the two rivers that define Sacramento: the Sacramento River and the American River, whose confluence lies at the heart of the city. It was this strategic riverside position that made Sacramento a commercial hub during the Gold Rush.
Yellow evokes the gold seekers who flooded the region in 1849 after gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill, 30 miles to the northeast.
Sacramento has been California's capital since 1854, but it remains in the shadow of San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego. It is a paradoxically discreet capital for the most populous and economically powerful state in the United States. The flag captures this humble identity: no grandiose seals, no aggressive symbolism. Just rivers, fields, gold. Sacramento works while other cities shine.