The flag of Portland, Oregon, designed in 1969 by R. Douglas Lynch and adopted in its revised form in 2002, features a green field with a white four-pointed star at the center, from which radiate blue bands bordered by L-shaped yellow elements.
Green represents "the forests and our green city" – Portland is surrounded by the Mount Hood National Forest and cultivates a militant ecological identity. Yellow symbolizes "the agriculture and commerce" of the Willamette Valley. Blue evokes "our rivers": the Columbia River and the Willamette River that meet at the heart of Portland.
It is the city where "young people go to retire" (according to the satirical show Portlandia). But it is also an industrial port city, a technology hub, and a laboratory of progressive urban planning.
The flag, ranked the 6th best American municipal flag in the 2004 NAVA survey, reflects this identity: bold geometry, clear symbolic colors, no bureaucratic seal. Portland does things differently, and its flag proclaims it. "Keep Portland Weird" is not just a slogan – it is a visual philosophy.