A definitive ranking of the 10 best state flags (and why South Carolina isn’t No. 1) | Opinion
South Carolinians know the state’s flag is indisputably among the best in the nation.
Everyone from graphic designers and Reddit users to the North American Vexillological Association, a group of vexillologists as flag enthusiasts and scholars call themselves, routinely ranks the South Carolina flag above those in most if not all other states.
But it needs one thing to end the debate. It needs design consistency, which it hasn’t had in more than eight decades.
I took a close look at all 50 state flags in the United States this week, and I ranked South Carolina’s flag second-best, as you’ll see below, while doing research for a new column on why the Legislature should finally lock down the specific design elements of the flag in state law.
All my research made me think what better way to prod politicians to act than by polling readers in South Carolina’s capital city and others around the nation on which flag they think is the best. This is your chance to weigh in on which and why.
To kick off the conversation, here is my definitive (for now) ranking of the 10 best state flags. I’ve included 11 because voters in Maine are being asked to approve a new state flag in November, and a yes vote would instantly vault it into the top five as you’ll again see below.
Full disclosure: I’m not a vexillologist. But I do like design, and I do love starting discussions and debates in my role as McClatchy’s South Carolina opinion editor.
Which state flag do you think is the best, and why? Let me know, whether it’s South Carolina’s or some other state’s, one on my list or one of the other 40. Just send me a letter to the editor of 250 words or less via email at mhall@thestate.com. If we get enough, we’ll publish them on one or more of our platforms.
Without further ado, here’s my top 10, in reverse order.
10. California
This classic flag dating to 1911 is one of several state flags to feature an animal, in this case a grizzly bear, and one of many with at least a single star. Legend says it’s modeled after the last California grizzly bear in captivity, captured in 1889 at the request of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst and named “Monarch.” Legislation passed in 1953 defined the shades of its five colors and the dimensions of it. Like many state flags, it’s everywhere — and it deserves to be.
9. Mississippi
The 20th state in the Union was the last to remove the Confederate battle flag from its state flag, where it occupied the canton or top left from 1894 to 2020. Roughly three in four voters shown the exact image replaced a symbol of slavery with a magnolia blossom encircled by 20 white stars and topped by a gold 21st composed of an Indigenous symbol of five diamonds, above the words “In God We Trust.” It’s a beautiful replacement even if it was overdue. In humanity, we can trust, too.
8. Minnesota
The nation’s newest flag has flown since May. Ted Kaye, the secretary for the North American Vexillological Association, has said the group’s next poll would likely find it in the top 10, so I’m beating them to it. Its striking simplicity showcases a night-colored shape suggestive of the Land of 10,000 Lakes’ geography, a lighter shape signifying the water for which the state is known, and a star. As NAVA says is true of the best flags, it’s so simple and striking that a child could draw it from memory.
7. Arizona
Fun facts about this memorable flag adopted in 1917: Its 13 red and yellow rays represent the nation’s first 13 colonies and are meant to suggest the flag of Spain because Spanish explorers once roamed the lands of Arizona. The central star is copper-colored to highlight the state’s top copper production. In a great tie-in, state law spells out that its red and blue colors are to be the same as the red and blue colors of the U.S. flag. The more you learn about this flag, the more you love it.
6. Oklahoma
This is the flag with the best lessons for South Carolina. The story goes that a Boy Scout leader looking for the exact Native American imagery to replicate the Oklahoma state flag, which dates back to 1925, noticed multiple designs being displayed all over the state. He figured out which design should be used officially, contacted his state representative and set in motion the events that led to a new law that set out specific parameters for the flag in 2006. It can be done!
5. Texas
The iconic Texas flag is immediately recognizable and inseparable from the state whose residents proudly display it everywhere. This flag does Arizona’s one better: All three colors are specified by state law to be the same shades of red, white and blue in the flag of the United States of America. The state’s law specifically outlines the dimensions of the star and the three rectangles in it. The flag predates Texas becoming a state in 1845 by six years. Now it’s part of the state’s fabric.
> Maine
If voters approve a new flag for the Pine Tree State on Nov. 5, I’d slot it fifth on my list, pushing Texas out of the Top 5 and California out of the Top 10. It’s fantastic by itself, but it also gets points for resembling Maine’s flag from the early 1900s and because it would replace one of 20 forgettable state flags with boring seals on blue backgrounds. It sweats the details — the pine’s 16 branches represent Maine’s 16 counties — and, yes, calls to mind our flag, which does not (yet) sweat the details.
4. Rhode Island
The smallest state’s forebears knew what they were doing. They adopted this iconic imagery way back in 1897 and it has stood the test of time. Its colors are white and gold with a touch of blue highlighting a single word that South Carolinians know well: Hope. The 13 stars represent Rhode Island being the 13th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, the anchor grounds the image and gives it weight and meaning in the Ocean State, and the look of it all is, say it with me here, is specified by state law.
3. New Mexico
Its dimensions set by statute in 1925, this state honors its Indigenous and Hispanic ancestors with the use of the sacred sun symbol of the Zia people and the colors of red and yellow found in the Spanish flag. The Zia people have long complained of cultural appropriation and commercialization but they cannot copyright the Zia sun. It’s become too emblematic of and everpresent in the Land of Enchantment. A rare state flag with neither white nor blue, its design is unique and unforgettable.
2. South Carolina
Our state’s beloved, beautiful flag has simple yet striking imagery, an eminently sleek and cool design and the heavy weight of the sacrifices and patriotism of those who came before us. We all know the story of a 1776 battle won in a fort protected by palmetto logs waged by soldiers whose caps were adorned by a crescent. Wouldn’t it be great if we all saw the exact same image when we looked upon it? Its place on my list could only be higher if legislators finally codified it for consistency.
1. Alaska
Until South Carolina standardizes our flag, this one will top it. Everything about it and its origin is beautiful. It was designed by a seventh grader whose mother died of pneumonia and whose father sent him to an orphanage. He lifted himself up and won a student contest to design the flag, saying its blue background suggests the state’s forget-me-not flower and wide sky; the Big Dipper, the strength of its namesake Great Bear; and the North Star, the future of the northenmost state. It’s poetry in motion. It first flew in 1927 and, yes, its design is specified by state law.
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