Raleigh to Produce Feasibility Report on Adopting New Flag

Proposed flag of Raleigh, North Carolina featuring an acorn

OCTOBER 15, 2024 — On Tuesday morning, supporters of a new proposed city flag for Raleigh met with council members to promote their design, reported CBS17.

The proposed flag features elements from Sir Walter Raleigh’s coat of arms—a red shield with five silver diamonds—merged with the city’s iconic acorn emblem, which reflects Raleigh’s identity as the “City of Oaks.”

According to The News & Observer, the current Raleigh city flag has a historical background dating back to 1899. Originally commissioned as a decorative gift for the USS Raleigh, a warship returning from the Spanish-American War, the flag was not finished in time for the ceremony and remained unused until its rediscovery and formal adoption in 1960.

Advocates for the new flag argue that the current design does not meet modern standards of effective flag design. They criticize it for being overly complex, using too many colors, and containing text and numbers that are difficult to read.

Danny Rosin, one of the supporters present in the meeting, emphasized that the new design would better represent the city. “It represents the city, evokes Sir Walter Raleigh’s coat of arms, and of course, a powerful red that Raleigh is well known for,” he said. Rosin hoped that the city will adopt the flag as a second official city flag.

Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin noted that “a lot of” technical challenges would need to be addressed before moving forward with the proposal, but has requested the city manager to prepare a feasibility report on introducing a new flag.

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