Annapolis is one of the prettiest capitals in the United States: a port city where sailboats sway gently, where brick streets converge toward a circular statehouse unique in the country, and where colonial history mingles with maritime life.
Annapolis's flag takes up this identity: on a white field, a royal crown above a Scottish thistle and a Tudor rose, over a golden scroll bearing the motto "VIXI LIBER ET MORIAR", I lived free and I shall die free. It is a flag laden with heritage, almost royal in its symbolism, and deeply rooted in local tradition.
On the docks, you hear the rigging of the boats, the sound of the water, the passing of students, tourists, residents who live between sea and history.
The flag flies in a bright, elegant city, almost European in its proportions. It tells of a Maryland that looks as much toward the bay as toward history, a territory that has kept its strong colors and its maritime character intact.