#99 — Virginia
Richmond
1/10
A seal with an equestrian statue on white – Confederate capital, the controversial Monument Avenue.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
Read the story →NAVA design score
The worst-designed US city flags
According to the 5 principles of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), a flag should be simple, symbolic, limited in color, free of text or seals, and distinctive. These 10 flags fail on most counts.
#98 — Nebraska
Omaha
1/10
A seal on white – "Gateway to the West," Warren Buffett, Boys Town, stockyards.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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#97 — Alabama
Montgomery
1/10
Seal on white – "Cradle of the Confederacy" and birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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#96 — Mississippi
Jackson
1/10
A seal on white – "City with Soul," the water crisis, capital of the blues and of civil rights.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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#95 — West Virginia
Charleston
1/10
A seal on white – capital of West Virginia, a state born of secession.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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#94 — Delaware
Wilmington
2/10
Seal with a ship on blue – the "Corporate Capital," DuPont, credit-card capital.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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#93 — Kansas
Topeka
2/10
A quiet capital set on the prairie, Topeka flies a flag more institutional than spectacular, like a city that administers a state often reduced to its straight roads.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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#92 — Florida
Tallahassee
2/10
Among pine-covered hills, humid heat and state institutions, Tallahassee embodies a deeper, quieter Florida than its postcard image.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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#91 — Massachusetts
Springfield
2/10
Blue and gold, a colonial seal – where basketball and Dr. Seuss changed the world.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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#90 — Illinois
Springfield
2/10
Illinois's peaceful capital, Springfield carries an institutional flag evoking Lincoln, the plains, and the administration of a state dominated by Chicago.
✗ Has text or a seal✗ Too complex✗ Too many colors✗ Weak symbolism✗ Not distinctive
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