Use Civil and state flag | Proportion 2:3 | |
 | ||
Adopted March 31, 1964; 52 years ago (1964-03-31) Design Three horizontal stripes of blue, white, and blue. On top of these stripes sits a circular red "C", filled with a golden disk. Designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson | ||
The flag of the state of Colorado consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width; the top and bottom stripes are blue, and the middle stripe white. On top of these stripes sits a circular red "C", filled with a golden disk. The blue is meant to represent the skies, the gold stands for the sunshine enjoyed by the state, the white represents the snowcapped mountains, and the red represents the ruddy colored earth.
History
The flag was designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson in 1911 and adopted by the Colorado General Assembly on June 5 of the same year. However, the legislature did not specify the size of the "C" or the exact shade of blue or red. Thus, some flags were in slightly different colors and had the "C" wholly within the center stripe. On February 28, 1929, the General Assembly added to the description of the flag that the blue and red would be the same color as the flag of the United States. On March 31, 1964, the legislature further dictated the diameter of the gold disc to be equal to the center stripe.
In a 2001 survey of 72 state, provincial, and territorial flags conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, Colorado's flag was ranked number 16.
The Colorado state flag is also incorporated into the design of Colorado's state highway markers. Colorado is the only state to incorporate its entire, unaltered flag design into its State Route Marker.