Last modified: 2009-08-01 by rick wyatt
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Municipalities listed below have been researched for municipal flags, mainly by searching their websites. Commonly U.S. cities use the city seal on a plain field as the city flag, so we have included information about the city seal where no
other flag is known.
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See also:
The website at
www.calexicochamber.ca.gov shows the Calexico logo - a cartoon-like drawing
of the U.S. and Mexican Border Control posts, with the respective national flags
of each country clearly visible. In the upper left corner of the illustration is
a pale yellow sun fimbriated black, with stylized black rays in a pale blue sky
(all the colors in this logo are pale pastels). There is a white cloud also
fimbriated black; it is partially obscured by the dome of the U.S. Border Patrol
post, which is pastel yellow and green also edged in black, and this cloud
itself partially obscures the lower left portion of the sun. The roof of the
Mexican Border Post is terra cotta in color, and the main structures of both
post are white with black trim. The U.S. post has one window quartered green and
yellow, while the Mexican post has three windows, divided horizontally lilac and
white with a black Union Jack-type pattern in the lilac (upper) portion of each
window.
Ron Lahav, 23 July 2004
At
www.cityofcalimesa.net the municipal seal is circular in shape. There is a
white outer ring fimbriated black; in the upper half of this ring is the word
'CALIMESA' in black Old West style capital letters. The word 'CALIFORNIA' is
written in the bottom half, while on each side of the outer ring is the word
'DEC' and the number '1990'. The central image of the seal is a multicolored
view of a bucolic local landscape with cactus, quail, fruit tree, golf course,
in front of a sunrise behind mountains.
Ron Lahav, 23 July 2004
The website at www.calipatria.com
shows the city seal is circular with an ochre and white rope edging. The outer
concentric circle is likewise ochre, with the words 'CITY OF CALIPATRIA' in pale
green capitals and 'CALIFORNIA' at the bottom. The central image is a stylized
black and white drawing of a forest scene, with a black, white, and gray
building, presumably City Hall, in the foreground. Directly in front of this
structure is a very thin vertical black line, extending from a mounting in front
of the center of the building all the way to the top of the central image; this
represents a flagpole, and from its peak a S&S is flying.
Ron Lahav, 23 July 2004
The website at www.ci.camarillo.ca.us
shows a standard circular seal with the outer ring in black fimbriated gold. At
the top of this circle the words 'CITY OF CAMARILLO, CALIFORNIA' are written in
gold capitals. At each side of the central image are two small gold dots. The
motto of the city, also written in gold capitals, is at the bottom of the outer
circle. This motto is a Spanish phrase 'LAS PERSONAS SON LA CIUDAD'. The central
image of this seal is quite unique: it depicts a 'Californio,' one of the
original Spanish or Mexican settlers of the area. He is wearing a fawn-colored
buckskin jacket outlined in black, and in his left hand he is holding a sombrero
similarly colored. He is wearing black trousers with a fawn-colored stripe along
the outer seam, and he is seated upon an elaborate Mexican saddle with what
appear to be four gold tassels on each side. The Californio is mounted on a
white horse, which is standing on a green meadow with its upper left hoof
raised. The horse is outlined in black, and the harness is likewise indicated by
black lines. There are black shadows beneath the horse's hooves. Overhead is a
blue sky with white clouds edged black, while in the background are palm trees
and green hills.
Ron Lahav, 23 July 2004
The website at www.cityofcampbell.com
shows a municipal seal consisting of a fruit tree in full leaf in pale olive. In
the upper half of an imaginary circle surrounding the tree are the words 'CITY
OF CAMPBELL' in large pale olive capitals, with small pale olive dots between
the words 'CITY' and 'OF'. The lower half of this imaginary circle has the
phrase 'THE ORCHARD CITY' in smaller pale olive capitals, again with small pale
olive dots between the words 'THE', 'ORCHARD', and 'CITY.' Flanking the tree are
two larger olive circles with dark centers.
Ron Lahav, 23 July 2004
The website at www.ci.capitola.ca.us
shows no municipal heraldry.
Ron Lahav, 23 July 2004
The website at
www.ci.carlsbad.ca.us/logo.html shows a large image of the seal plus the
following text:
"CARLSBAD CITY SEAL"
"The Seal shows the sun, the ocean, a horn of plenty and the bird of paradise as
the official city flower. In the center are fasces, a bundle of rods and among
them an ax with a projecting blade which, in Roman times, symbolized a badge of
authority. The date of incorporation is noted at the bottom." [i.e. Incorporated
1952]
"The center part of the Seal has a white background and is bordered by a black
band on which is printed "City of Carlsbad California".
Ned Smith, 28 July 2004
The city clerk stated that the city does not possess a flag.
Ron Lahav, 29 July 2004
The website at www.carpinteria.ca.us
shows no civic heraldry.
Ron Lahav, 28 July 2004
The website at www.cathedralcity.gov
shows a logo in a rectangular shape with a cream colored background and gray and
black shading at its top and sides. In the center is a mountain range in brown
and gray, with an orange sun rising from between the peaks; there are several
pale striations on the solar disk, representing early morning clouds. A palm
tree in gray green, with a long vertical trunk and culminating in a bushy crown
of the same same color, is visible in the foreground; it rises from a horizontal
line also of the same color which is beneath the city name. This name is written
in black lower-case lettering, with the tail of the letter 'y' extending beneath
this horizontal line.
Ron Lahav, 28 July 2004
The website at www.ci.ceres.ca.us
shows a circular format seal with the outer ring in gray fimbriated black. At
the top, in black block letters, are the words 'CITY OF CERES', with small black
five-pointed stars at the lower right and lower left flanks of the central
image. The bottom of the outer circle contains the city's motto in smaller black
block letters: 'TOGETHER WE ACHIEVE.' The central image depicts a plowed field
in alternating shade of pale green in a strip pattern. In the background is a
gray mountain range and a blue sky overhead. In the center of the plowed field
is a golden cornucopia disgorging its bounty.
Ron Lahav, 28 July 2004
The Chico City Clerk reported that the
city seal is attached to the relevant section of the Chico Municipal
Statutes at Large and dates from the 1890s, when Chico was first incorporated as
a city. The seal features General John C. Bidwell, one of the first settlers and
developers of the area around Chico. She also informed me that the seal does not
exist in a colored form, but simply as a wafer, steel wire on a steel frame. It
is used to impress blank mirrors of itself on either blank paper or on gold
adhesive, and in fact she was kind enough to include a blind stamping of the
seal on gold.
Ron Lahav, 22 September 2004
The City Clerk of Chino, California, wrote regarding the flag of the city of
Chino. The flag is a white rectangle (exact dimensions not given) with a gold
fringe on three sides (not alongside the hoist, I presume). In the center of the
flag is the Chino Municipal Seal, an example of which is visible at the
Chino municipal web site.
Although Ms Tanner has been unable to find any info regarding
the designer of the seal, the present design featuring a cornucopia has been
used since the city was incorporated. The original design showed the cornucopia
overflowing with fruit, then in 1922 a Holstein cow was added to the design.
Apparently the present design was adopted sometime in the 1950s, but again
nobody knows who modified the designs.
The symbolism of the seal is associated with the rich
agricultural productivity of Chino and its environs, with the Holstein cow being
added to mark the introduction of dairy farming into the region.
Ron Lahav, 17 August 2004
The website at www.cityofchino.org
shows no civic heraldry.
Ron Lahav, 1 August 2004
The website at
www.ci.chowchilla.ca.us shows a seal. The seal is very unusual, being ovoid
in shape. This in turn is placed at the top of a color photo of a local street,
which is shaped like a medieval window, being rounded at the top and with a
horizontal base. At the sides of the seal itself are three palm trees to the
right and two to the left; each tree has curved black trunks and gray-green
tops. In the lower third of the ovoid and stretching across its entire width is
a golden gateway, with two small openings at each flank and a much larger one at
the centre; surmounting each of the smaller openings is a fenestration. Over the
central arch the words 'GATEWAY TO PROSPERITY' are written in black block
letters in three lines, one word per line. At the top of the ovoid are the words
'A Unique Way of Life' in orange script lettering edged in purple. At the lower
part of the ovoid is a bright blue ribbon, with two smaller folds at each side
and a larger central fold, on which the words 'CITY OF CHOWCHILLA' are written
in black block letters. Beneath the ribbon, the alphanumeric 'EST. 1923' is
likewise written in black block lettering.
Ron Lahav, 7 August 2004
The website at http://www.ci.citrus-heights.ca.us/images/people/newcouncil.jpg
(no longer available) showed a fringed flag charged with the city logo.
Dov Gutterman, 17 October 2002
This web illustration also
demonstrates Citrus Heights has a flag.
Valentin Poposki, 23 October 2005
The website at
www.ci.claremont.ca.usa shows a very unusual logo consisting of a square of
ivy colored green, in the center of which is a medieval window frame with two
vertical sections at right and left, respectively, a rounded top, and a
horizontal base. The frame has a central image of a bare brown multi-branched
tree linked both at the base and the limbs to the frame, which is also brown and
which is fimbriated brown and edged beige. In the right vertical and extending
to the dome are the words 'THE CITY OF' in small beige block letters, while in a
similar position at the left is the word 'CLAREMONT', and at the bottom the date
1897 is written on the base.
Ron Lahav, 1 August 2004
The website at www.ci.clayton.ca.us
shows no municipal heraldry.
Ron Lahav, 1 August 2004
The website at www.clearlake.ca.us
shows a seal in a circular format, with a blue outer ring and a wide white outer
fimbriation and a narrow golden inner edging. At the bottom of the seal, and
extending beyond the outer ring, is a ribbon in three folds, the first and third
folds being white with red fimbriation and the center fold, much longer than the
other two, is red with the words '20th ANNIVERSARY' in white block letters. The
bottom of the outer ring contains the dates '1980-2000' in white block letters.
The central image depicts a stylized landscape: A golden sun extends similarly
colored rays into a blue sky as it rises between two white clouds over a dark
brown range of mountains. In the center is a blue lake, while a small white
sailing craft proceeding from right to left occupies the foreground. Three green
pine trees arranged 2:1 and edged in gold stand in the foreground on the lake
shore.
Ron Lahav, 1 August 2004
The website at www.ci.clovis.ca.us
shows a very traditional seal consisting of two outer concentric rings
surrounding a central image, with thin black fimbriation separating them as well
as the central image, with a ropelike edging encircling the lot. The background
color for the entire seal is silver-grey, with all lettering plus the central
image in black. At the top of the outermost circle the words 'CITY OF CLOVIS'
are written in large block letters, and at the top of the inner circle
'CALIFORNIA USA' is written in miniscule block letters. At the bottom of the
outer circle the alphanumeric 'INCORPORATED FEBRUARY 27, 1911' are written in
similar large block letters. The central image is that of a cowboy on a bucking
bronco; his sombrero has been sent flying.
Ron Lahav, 8 August 2004
The website at www.coachella.org shows
a circular seal with dark blue edging. A golden sun rises into a blue sky over a
snow-capped brown mountain range. Below the mountains is a gray-blue lake with
intermittent black lines suggesting stylized waves. The lake shore is also
brown; in the right foreground is a date palm with a brown trunk and green top,
with several branches of dark purple dates suspended from it. On the actual lake
shore itself, in the right foreground, is a bunch of grapes in dark purple with
a green stem, while in the left foreground are five golden grapefruit, arranged
two above and three below, in green foliage. At the top of the seal, but outside
the actual edging, the words 'CITY OF COACHELLA' are written in blue block
letters, while at the bottom the word CALIFORNIA' is similarly written; beneath
it, in smaller block letters, is the alphanumeric 'INCORPORATED 1946.'
Ron Lahav, 8 August 2004
The website at www.coalinga.com shows a
seal of a blue circle, irregularly divided at the center by a jagged white line.
The upper half of the central image depicts a mountainous landscape in blue and
old gold flanked on either side by what appear to be geometric shapes fimbriated
in blue. At the top of the upper half of the central image is a white wedge, set
off by blue lines from these geometric shapes. Within this wedge the words 'THE
CITY OF' are written in small blue block letters. The lower half of the seal is
white, and contains the word 'COALINGA' in large blue Art Deco lettering.
Beneath this are three dark blue dots, and below that is a short blue horizontal
line with the date '1906' written in a similar color below them.
Ron Lahav, 8 August 2004
The website at www.colusacity.com
showed a seal in a circular format with a wide blue outer ring, on which the
words 'CITY OF COLUSA' are written in large white block letters. The background
color of the central image is blue-gray, and this image is quartered by a thin
blue saltire. The upper quarter depicts a Native American chief wearing a War
Bonnet; the right-hand quarter shows a fruit tree with a dark blue top and
standing on a similarly colored patch of ground; the bottom quarter contains a
mountain scene with the alphanumeric 'ESTABLISHED___'in small blue block
lettering (I am unable to make out the actual year); and finally, the left-hand
quarter shows two gulls flying over an agricultural landscape.
Ron Lahav, 8 August 2004
The website at www.cityofcorcoran.com
shows a circular seal with a black outer ring fimbriated both externally and
internally in gold, with a gold five-pointed star at each flank. At the top of
this outer ring are the words 'CITY OF' in gold block letters, with the word
'CORCORAN' written in a similar manner at the bottom. The background color of
the central image is blue, and the image itself consists of a cotton boll in
white, gold, and green. Beneath the boll the date '1914' is written in black.
Ron Lahav, 11 August 2004
The website at www.corning.org shows a
logo that consists of a map of California in gold, with a bunch of black olives
attached to a green stem extending across the middle of the state. The northern
part of California shows an agricultural scene, with an orange sun surrounded by
a golden nimbus rising over a purple mountain range in the background.
Ron Lahav, 11 August 2004
The website at www.ci.corona.ca.us
shows the "Circle City' municipal seal. It reflects this in its shape, with a
blue outer circle containing text "To Cherish Our Past [dot] To Plan Our
Future[.]" in white lettering. The background color of the central image is
white, and contains an orange attached to a green stem and leaves in the upper
part. This orange covers the lower right-hand corner of a golden coronet, which
in turn extends to the edge of the outer circle. The word 'CORONA' in large blue
italic block letters is written in the middle of the central image, across both
the face of the orange and the background, The city motto written in smaller
blue block lettering and set off by quotation marks is written beneath 'CORONA',
while at the very bottom of the central image are the words in lower-case script
'Incorporated July 13, 1896.'
Ron Lahav, 11 August 2004
The City Administration inform me that City of Corona, California, has no
flag.
Valentin Poposki, 17 March 2009
The website at www.ci.cotati.ca.us
shows the municipal logo consisting of a full color profile head of a Native
American Chief in full regalia facing [heraldic] right. The head is in a blue
circle shading to very pale blue at the bottom. Around this central image is a
darker blue circle fimbriated black, while at the top and bottom are two sprigs
of green leaves, each containing six leaves.
Ron Lahav, 17 August 2004
The website at www.covina.com shows a
city seal following the standard circular format with two concentric circles
fimbriated black around a central image. At the top of the outer circle the
words 'CITY OF COVINA' are written in black block letters, with the word
'CALIFORNIA' written in a similar fashion at the bottom. At each side, in black
lower case letters, 'are respectively the abbreviation 'Inc.' and the date
'1901'. The central image consists of an illustration of an orange in natural
color, attached to a twig with green leaves and white blossoms.
Ron Lahav, 7 September 2004
The website at www.crescentcity.org
shows a circular format seal. The outer concentric circle is gold with black
fimbriation. At top are the words 'CITY OF CRESCENT CITY' in blue block letters,
with 'CALIFORNIA' in similar fashion at bottom. At lower right and left flanks
respectively are two blue five-pointed stars. Background color of the central
image is pale yellow. To the right is a large gold crescent whose points face
left and the topmost of which reaches to the top of a very tall stylized redwood
divided vertically blue/gold. Behind the tree is a stylized range of dark blue
mountains, at the foot of which are three blue wavy lines. At the bottom of the
central image# is the date '1854' in small blue numerals.
Ron Lahav, 17 August 2004
The
Culver City web page reports "On November 12, 1940, Mayor Randall and
Members of the City Council adopted ordinance No. 528, which called for the
adoption of the official City Flag. The ordinance described the flag as follows:
"On a background of white shall appear a blue facsimile of the official seal of
the City, and at the upper left-hand corner a red five-point star. Below said
seal, in large letters shall appear the name Culver City."
Dov Gutterman, 31 December 2002
The website at
www.ci.culver-city.ca.us shows the seal in a circular format, with an outer
ring in red fimbriated black, and with 'CITY OF CULVER CITY' in black block
letters at top; 'INCORPORATED 1917' similar at bottom. Central image has blue
background color with a square shield with a point at the bottom. This shield is
quartered, but I am unable to distinguish the contents of each quarter. Across
the middle of this shield is a green ribbon containing the city motto, 'The Home
of Screenland.'
Ron Lahav, 17 August 2004
The website at www.cupertino.org shows
the municipal logo, the casque or helmet of a Conquistador in silver and gray,
superimposed upon a dark blue vertical rectangle or oblong. However, the image
of this item shown on subsequent pages of the web site shows what appears to be
a photograph of such a casque, with is richly engraved and etched.
Ron Lahav, 17 August 2004, 9 September 2004
The morion [helmet] is symbolic of the group of Spanish explorers that came
through this area, led by Juan Bautista de Anza. I understand they were not
wearing such conquistador helmets at the time, but rather soft caps! Cupertino
got its name from one of the men in the exploring party, who was reminded of his
home town of Copertino, Italy. A link to the web page that has more detail about
the De Anza party can be found
here.
Cupertino was incorporated in 1955. I'm not sure when the morion (in some form
or other) was incorporated into the city seal and/or logo. Problems with the
reproduction of the letterhead (people thought the morion looked like a snail or
a seashell) plus a desire to modernise led to the most recent revision, which is
more streamlined and contemporary.
Kimberly Smith, through Ron Lahav, 11 September 2004
The website at
www.ci.cypress.ca.us/home_page.htm does not display a complete version of
the city seal. However, half of the seal appears on some of the other pages.
Ron Lahav, 10 September 2004
Continued: California Municipal Symbols, D, E
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