Madison's flag, adopted in its current form in 2018, features a sky-blue field with a white diagonal band representing the isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. A black cross at the center symbolizes the four lakes surrounding the city and the cross shape of the Wisconsin State Capitol. A golden disc represents the Capitol's iconic golden dome.
This lake geography defines Madison. The city is literally built on a narrow strip of land between two lakes, with the Capitol atop the hill at the center. It is an unusual state capital: academic, progressive, surrounded by nature.
It is a world-class public research university, the historic cradle of the "Wisconsin Idea": the notion that the university should improve the lives of all the state's citizens, not just its students.
The 2018 flag replaced a previous design that used the Zia sun symbol, deemed inappropriate because it is sacred to the Zia people of New Mexico. The new flag keeps the same abstract geometry but replaces the symbol with a simple golden disc. Madison is a city that listens, adjusts, respects. The flag reflects this sensitivity.