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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.
See also:
The website at www.ci.malibu.ca.us shows a striking modern design, consisting of a circular format with a white outer ring fimbriated gray. At the top of this outer ring are the words 'CITY OF MALIBU' in blue block letters, while at the bottom are the words 'Incorporated March 28, 1991' in dark blue lower case letters. The central image is a stylized landscape; to the right are three cliffs in differing shades of green, each outlined in white, with a smaller fourth cliff in brown visible in the far distance. Above in a pale blue sky there is a yellow sun to the left, halfway down the horizon. Finally, at the bottom of the central image, on a dark blue field representing the Pacific Ocean at least five white lines are visible, representing stylized waves.
Ron Lahav, 25 January 2005
The website at www.ci.mammoth-lakes.ca.us shows a rather complicated municipal logo, consisting of an ellipsoid in light gray with a white internal border. The central image appears to be a color photo of a local landscape, with a very small blue ribbon containing the words 'THE TOWN OF' in minute gold block
lettering at its very top. In the upper portion of the central image the word 'MAMMOTH' appears in very large block letters, colored sienna at the top and beige at the bottom, with the initial letter 'M' and terminal letter 'H' both
enlarged. Beneath this word the second part of the town name, 'LAKES', is written in smaller block letters similarly colored. Finally, at the very bottom of the gray ellipsoid the word 'CALIFORNIA' is written in small widely spaced
black block lettering.
Ron Lahav, 25 January 2005
Although an image of the city seal is available on the home page of the municipal web site, it is in constant movement. This URL only presents the city seal in a B&W image, and as the image itself is extremely geometrical in structure I am unsure as to what the actual coloring may be The seal itself is circular in format, bordered both externally and internally by cable-laid rope. At the top of the outer circle are the words 'CITY OF MANHATTAN BEACH' in block letters. Two small five-pointed stars are at the lower right and lower left, respectively, while the word 'CALIFORNIA' is similarly written at the bottom. The central image is extremely geometrical in structure, divided as it is by a triangle which extends to the top and sides of the inner circle. At the upper left, upper right, and bottom respectively the words 'SUN', 'SAND', and 'SEA' are written in small sans-serif block letters. The triangle itself is further divided so as to create almost a pyramidal structure; the left-hand section seems to depict a sun shining in the sky, the right hand one simply
sand, and the lower portion waves lapping against a beach.
Manhattan Beach has a second seal as well. The city is twinned with the city of Santa Rosalia, Mexico, and the Sister City Committee has its own very distinctive and colorful logo, which can be seen at www.mbsistercity.org/images/The-MBSC-logo_plain-100px.jpg. The circular shape is edged in pale blue both externally and internally. The outer circle is golden with the words 'MANHATTAN BEACH' in light blue block letters at the top, two black five- pointed stars at each side, and the words 'SISTER CITY COMMITTEE' similarly written at the bottom. The central image is extremely beautiful; it is divided into a ying-yang shape, with the background color of the upper portion being white. To the right is a stylized golden sun, with
similarly stylized golden rays spreading over the entire upper half. The lower portion is blue, with a white nexus at the left and stylized white waves extending in a similar fashion throughout the blue portion. Additionally, the shape of the yin/yang creates the impression of blue waves lapping against a white shore.
Ron Lahav, 25 January 2005
At http://www.ci.manteca.ca.us the municipal seal is simple in construction although quite effective. There is a white background throughout, with a thick red external border and a thinner red
internal one. The outer ring contains the words 'CITY OF MANTECA, CALIFORNIA' in large, narrow blue block lettering at the top, and 'Incorporated May 28, 1918' in smaller blue block lettering at the bottom. There are small red five-pointed stars at the beginning and end of the words and date at the bottom. The central image consists of the word 'Manteca' in large red lower case lettering, with the letter 'M' capitalized. At the lower right is a stylized church building, while to the lower left there is a similarly stylized image of a house with trees alongside; both these images are in dark blue. Finally, beneath these two images the municipal slogan, 'the family city' appears; it is written in red lower case italics without any capitalization.
Ron Lahav, 25 January 2005
A logo appears at www.ci.marina.ca.us/depclerk1x.htm. It consists of what I believe is known as a Spanish shield, ie, horizontal at the top, vertical at the sides, and with a rounded bottom. The logo actually consists of two such shields, one inside the other; the outermost is simply a black border fimbriated red at the top and with a date in miniscule white numerals at the very bottom. The inner shield is divided into thirds; the upper third is light blue with a thick red border at the bottom. This border is formed into a circular shape at the lower left, and the circle thus formed is colored yellow. At the lower right is a white gull volant; the gull's left wing protrudes into the black outer border. The central third of the inner shield is a deeper blue, with a black sinuous line running from lower left to upper right and interrupted by the name of the city, the word 'Marina', written in black script lettering. This middle third is separated from the bottom portion of the inner shield by a red line somewhat thinner than the one separating the upper from the middle third. The bottom third of this inner shield is yellow throughout.
Ron Lahav, 6 February 2005
The site at www.cityofmaywood.com/home/default.cfm shows the municipal logo is very colorful and is somewhat unusual, being ellipsoidal in shape and edged in red. Across a blue sky the word 'MAYWOOD' is written in red block letters using an Art Deco font. Beneath the sky there is a stylized cityscape in brown, violet, cream, purple, and lilac with several trees consisting of green crowns on brown trunks; one of the trees on the far left of the ellipsoid extends slightly beyond the frame. Below the cityscape is a large cream colored ribbon folded into three parts; the word 'CALIFORNIA' is written in a similar script and color on the large center fold. Directly beneath this center fold is a dark green label, with the word 'INCORPORATED' written at the top in minute orange block letters. Directly beneath this is the word and date 'Sept. 2, 1924', written in somewhat larger orange block lettering.
Ron Lahav, 4 February 2005
The page at http://www.ci.mendota.ca.us shows one of the wildest city seals I have yet encountered. It uses a circular format edged in gold and fimbriated turquoise, with the background color of the
entire seal being white. Around the top of the interior of the seal are the words 'CITY OF MENDOTA' in tall thin black block lettering, with the word 'INCORPORATED' in smaller thin black block lettering immediately beneath. In the center of the image is a cantaloupe proper, resting on a bed of five green leaves. On the topmost leaf the date '1942' is written in black numerals. Beneath the image of the cantaloupe are the words 'Canteloupe Center of the World' in two rows of black block lettering. I really do hope that Mendota has a city flag - I don't think that a canteloupe features on any flag anywhere!
Ron Lahav, 4 February 2005
Oddly enough, the city seal is not to be found on the Home Page of the municipal web site, but rather on the web site of the local branch of the San Mateo County Library system; this branch is currently under construction. The Millbrae seal is very smart indeed, all done in black and gold with a shading effect to the left of the entire seal. The seal consists of three concentric circles, At the top of the outer circle, which is black, are the words 'SEAL OF THE CITY OF MILLBRAE' in gold block letters. There are two gold five-pointed stars (or mullets, or estoilles) at the lower right and lower left, respectively, with the word 'CALIFORNIA' similarly written at the bottom. The second circle is very narrow, and is also black; it is pierced at the four cardinal points of the compass. It contains the words and date 'INCORPORATED JANUARY 18, 1960' in small gold block lettering. The central image also has a black background color, and depicts a family group in gold consisting of a male figure in the center, a female figure to his right, and a child to his left, all standing to the lower right of the central image. Above them is the sun in full splendor in gold with golden rays, while above that is a stylized airplane in gold. Beneath the sun is a dark range of hills flecked with golden speckles (but I can't imagine what they might be!). The family is facing a California-style suburban one-family ranch house outlined in gold, with a tree immediately to its left; the trunk and crown of the tree are in gold. Just to
the left of the child's figure is the municipal motto, 'A PLACE IN THE SUN,' written in miniscule gold block letters.
Ron Lahav, 9 February 2005
The city seal is to be found at ci.milpitas.ca.gov/citygov/citycouncil rather than on the Home Page of the municipal web site. It consists of a golden yellow outer ring bordered in old gold. At the top of the outer ring are the words 'CITY OF MILPITAS' in old gold block lettering, while at the bottom is a ribbon folded into three parts; the right and left hand folds are shaded in gray and have forked ends, but the middle fold is considerably larger than the other two and has a white background color. This middle fold contains three lines of text in black block lettering of various sizes; the first one reads 'CALIFORNIA', the second 'INCORPORATED', and the bottom line has an illegible date. The central image depicts a landscape consisting of hills in various shades of green, with a blue sky above. In the foreground stands the figure of John Reed, a Dubliner, who was the first Anglo settler in the region; he is depicted proper and carrying a rifle at the ready. There is also a local business firm in the community which displays the logo of the American Disc Jockey Association.
Ron Lahav, 9 February 2005
At http://www. ci.mission-viejo.ca.us are two differently colored versions of the municipal seal available, both on official web sites. The design of both versions is identical. On the version to be found on the Home Page of the municipal web site, the seal is circular and bordered in ultramarine. At each flank this ultramarine border forms a circle, with what appears to be a Native American symbol on the left and a tree with a dark blue trunk and a vermillion crown on the right. The upper and lower portions of the seal each contain a curved label; the uppermost one bearing the name 'MISSION VIEJO' and the lower one the word 'CALIFORNIA', both in dark blue Art Deco Block lettering. In this version the central image is likewise fimbriated in ultramarine, and depicts a snow-capped mountain range in black beneath a white sky, with a green field to the left and a slender gray tree rising vertically into the sky. The second version of the seal can be found on the Municipal Information web site. It has an olive outer border and similarly colored fimbriation; the labels containing
the names of the city and the state are also bordered in olive. This is also the case with regard to the two circles at each flank of the image, but the symbols within are dark blue in color. Within the central image the mountain range and
grassy field are both in blue, while the tree is in olive.
Ron Lahav, 9 February 2005
Not only does this city have a proper municipal seal, it also has several municipal logos as well. I have not included them, even though they can be found on the Home Page of the city, because they adorn several different types of merchandise produced by a private firm and I am not assure what their official status, if any, might be, even though they are sold at the City Hall. The city seal consists of a simple circle bordered in dark blue. At the top is a pale blue sky, along with a stylized green mountain range. The middle section of the seal depicts yet another mountain range, this time in reddish brown, with a sprig of green leaves superimposed on it. The lower part of the seal consists simply of a terra-cotta background. Around the top of the seal are the words 'CITY OF' in black block sans-serif letters, the word 'MONROVIA' similarly written horizontally underneath the brown hills, and the date ;1887' written along the bottom arc of the circle. A B&W version of this seal is also available at www.urly.com/Monrovia/City%20Seal.GIF.
Ron Lahav, 9 February 2005
From http://ci.montclair.ca.us, the logo consists of two mountains, one gray and the other brown, overlapping each other to form a stylized capital letter 'M'. Underneath the mountains the name of the city is spelled in white block letters; a version also exists in which the city name is written in thin black block lettering in an Art Deco font.
Ron Lahav, 18 February 2005
The city web page at www.cityofmontebello.com shows a circular seal with a thick golden outer border extending 3/4 of the distance around the outer ring, a thick blue fimbriation, and finally a thin gold one. The outer ring contains the words 'CITY OF MONTEBELLO' in black sans-serif block lettering at the top, two small
five-pointed black stars at the lower right and lower left respectively, and the word 'CALIFORNIA' similarly written at the bottom. The central image is separated from the outer ring by a thin black border, and is divided into two halves by a central corridor which contains the words 'INCORPORATED OCT.18, 1920' are written in small gray block letters. The upper half of the central image depicts a pale blue sky with a white cumulus cloud surmounting three oil wells in black, with structures at their base in B&W. To the left of these structures is a green tree, the whole resting on a sand colored base with similarly colored mountains in the background. The lower half of the central image shows a pale blue sky at the top, with a grove of green trees to the right foreground and what I take to be a vertical black telegraph pole to the left of these trees, the whole resting on a flat horizontal sand colored base.
Ron Lahav, 18 February 2005
The website at www.ci.monterey-park.ca.us shows a standard circular format, with the words 'CITY OF MONTEREY PARK' written at the top of the outer concentric circle in Spanish style black block lettering. At the lower right and lower left respectively are two minute and indecipherable black symbols, while the word 'CALIFORNIA' is similarly written at the bottom of the outer circle. The central image is not all that clear, even when examined in greater detail on Google Images. A deep blue sky containing several cumulus clouds surmounts what appears
to be a dark colored edifice in the far background, with some sort of black object in the center foreground. This edifice rests on a green meadow, while beneath it in gray are what appear to be two crudely drawn representations of the California Golden Bear Flag and the S&S in the form of a shield.
Ron Lahav, 18 February 2005
The website at http://ci.moraga.ca.us shows the logo of the town. On a white square with black bordering there is a circular device depicting a sunrise over a mountainous landscape. The sun itself
is a golden circle outlined in black, with stylized black rays. The overall color scheme is gold, red, blue, brown, and violet. Above this heraldic device the words 'Town of Moraga' in black Iberian uncial script. The web site is currently being updated, and no further information is currently available about the town or its civic heraldry.
Ron Lahav, 18 February 2005
At http://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/ is a logo consisting of a stylized image of Morgan Hill, the geographical feature which gives the city its name. It is white on a gray-green background,
with a series odd striations in the latter color, the whole surmounted by a white arch, thicker at the lower left and narrowing to a tapered point at the upper right. Underneath the image is the name of the city in white block lettering.
Ron Lahav, 24 February 2005
The municipal logo, which appears at the lower right of each page of the entire city web site, consists of a stylized representation of a fold of hills in dark blue, with the name of the city written in dark blue block lettering beneath.
Ron Lahav, 24 February 2005
A very unusual emblem is found at www.ci.national-city.ca.us . On an octagonal base gray sectioned black and bordered blue fimbriated black there is a standard circular city seal consisting of two circles. The outer circle is deep blue bordered old gold both externally and internally fimbriated black. This outer circle contains the words 'CITY OF NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA' in large white block lettering at the top, and in much smaller white block lettering the word and date 'INCORPORATED A. D. 1887' at the bottom. The central image, which is in old gold , black, and brown, shows the topographical layout of the city within its rugged mountainous environment; this is surmounted by a blue sky dotted with white cumulus clouds.
Ron Lahav, 24 February 2005
On http://www.cityofneedles.com the city seal is shown in a very small B&W line drawing format. Within the circular structure there are two concentric rings; at the top of the outer ring
the words 'CITY OF' are written in sans serif block lettering, with the word 'NEEDLES' similarly written at the bottom. The central image is divided 2/3 down by a horizontal bar on which the word 'CALIFORNIA' is written in thin block lettering. The upper portion of the central image shows a cityscape with a sun in the sky in the upper foreground. I am unable to identify the elements in the lower portion of this central image.
Ron Lahav, 24 February 2005
The website at www.cityofnewman.com shows a city seal that is quite unusual, as it is positioned in the mouth of a cornucopia, which is old gold with black striations. The bell of the cornucopia forms the outer ring of a circular seal, with the words 'CITY OF NEWMAN' in large blue sans-serif block lettering at the top, and 'INCORPORATED 1908' in much smaller blue block lettering at the bottom. The central image is dominated by a map of California positioned vertically in pale green. At the top is a blue sky, divided into two halves by the map. There is a range of purple hills, likewise divided by the map, horizontally across the center of the image. The lower left portion of the central image contains an outline of an early motor vehicle in blue and black.
Ron Lahav, 5 March 2005
A municipal seal appears on the Home page of the city, but the it is too small to describe beyond saying it has blue lettering and imagery.
Ron Lahav, 5 March 2005
The website at www.ci.novato.ca.us shows the municipal logo consists of a B&W line drawing of the City Hall. Beneath the drawing are three lines of text in black block lettering. The upper line reads 'THE CITY OF', the middle line, which is considerably larger than the others, reads 'NOVATO', and the bottom line reads 'CALIFORNIA'.
Ron Lahav, 5 March 2005
The municipal logo from www.ci.oakdale.ca.us consists of the name of the city written in dark violet large upper and lower case lettering. The initial letter 'O' is much enlarged, and contains within it the image of a green tree. Beneath the remainder of the word 'Oakdale' and written in much smaller upper and lower case
letters and also in dark violet are the words 'California, USA'.
Ron Lahav, 5 March 2005
From http://www.ci.oakley.ca.us, the municipal logo is a simple oak leaf proper with white venation, canted at an angle of about 350 degrees. Subtending the leaf at about the 4 o'clock position is the word 'OAKLEY', written in large black sans-serif block lettering. Above this word are two additional lines of text, neither of which obtrudes on the leaf. The top line is in smaller black SS block lettering, and consists of the word 'CITY'. Beneath this line, and written in small black lower case italics, is the simple preposition 'of'.
Ron Lahav, 12 March 2005
The city seal does not appear on the Home Page of the city, but instead can be found on the tourist information web site. It is in the customary circular format, with a thick external border in olive gray. The outer ring is white, with the words 'CITY OF OJAI' in thin black block lettering at the top and 'CALIFORNIA' similarly written at the bottom of this outer ring, which in turn is separated from the central image by a thin black internal border. Two small black dots can be found at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, respectively. The central image itself depicts a blue sky over snow covered mountain peaks, with a mission church in gold with a red roof to the right foreground. The immediate foreground is dominated by what appears to be a modern suspension bridge in various tones of blue, gray, and black, spanning a body of water in blue.
Ron Lahav, 12 March 2005
On http://www.ci.ontario.ca.us the municipal seal is circular with an outer ring bordered externally and internally as well as being fimbriated green. The outer ring is white, with the words 'CITY
OF' and 'CALIF.' written in small red block letters, separated by the name of the city, 'ONTARIO', in large red block letters. The bottom of the outer circle contains the word and date 'INCORPORATED 1891', also in small red block lettering. The central image depicts an avenue through an orange grove; the avenue is bright green, while the trees in the grove are in natural coloring. Alongside the trees to the right is an irrigation canal in blue, while a blue sky is visible above the avenue and the trees. Stretched across the lower third of the central image and extending into the bottom of the lower ring at both the left and right is what appears to be a cityscape, beneath which is the municipal motto or slogan in miniscule illegible black lettering.
Ron Lahav, 12 March 2005
The city seal does not appear on the home page of the city, but on the site of a local property/real estate company, Eichler Homes of Southern California www.eichlersocal.com/images/OrangeSeal.gif . The seal is again a circle, with a very thick external border in orange and a very thin internal border between the outer ring and the central image, also in orange. At the top of the outer ring are the words 'CITY OF ORANGE' in large black block lettering,
with a small black five-pointed star at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions respectively of the ring. The bottom of the outer ring contains the words 'ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA' in smaller black block letters. The background color of the central image is also white, and the image itself consists of an orange, fruited, leaved, and twigged proper. Above the orange, in small black block lettering in the form of an arc rather than being displayed horizontally, is the word 'INCORPORATED', while beneath the fruit is an illegible date similarly written.
Ron Lahav, 12 March 2005
According to http://www.ci.orinda.ca.us the municipal logo is a square with rounded corners. The top of the image is white, representing the sky, and beneath this is a range of hills in various
shades of gray green, light green, and olive green. The lower half of the square is dark olive green and contains the name of the city written in white rounded block lettering. There is a thin white border around the lower portion of the square, which extends halfway up the right side of the upper portion.
Ron Lahav, 20 March 2005
There is a very indistinct image of the city's seal on their online business license application at www.orland-ca.com/City_Government/BizLic.pdf . It looks like it might show railroad tracks extending to meet a rising sun on the horizon- but I warn that's 90% guesswork on my part.
Ned Smith, 20 March 2005
The Orland City Seal exists in a B&W format, although further contact may well reveal a colored version. The outer circle contains the words 'THE GREAT SEAL OF THE CITY OF ORLAND' in block lettering; please note the unusual wording - I have not hitherto encountered any municipal seal anywhere which uses the terminology 'The Great Seal'. At the lower right and lower left respectively are six small five-pointed stars, three at each side, with the date 1875 between them. The very busy central image depicts a single track railway line running from the foreground into the middle distance, toward a valley between two hills. A rayed rising sun is visible between the hills, while two electric pylons flank the sun on either side. Beneath the track at the bottom and above the sun at the top are what appear to be decorative curlicues. In the right foreground are three fruit trees, while behind them are three cattle. Similarly, to the left foreground is a railway station, and behind that is a pond with three ducks swimming on it. Beneath the railway tracks at the very front of the central image are two stalks of grain, crossed saltire-wise at the stem.
Ron Lahav, 20 March 2005
The webpage at www.cityoforoville.org shows a circular format with an outer ring in old gold, with a thin blue external border and a white internal one fimbriated yellow gold. Running across the entire top of the outer ring in blue block lettering are the words 'CITY OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA', with the word
'INCORPORATED' and an illegible date in much smaller blue block lettering at the bottom. The central image depicts a deep blue sky dotted with white cumulus clouds over a landscape in dark brown and cold, with a blue river running from the middle foreground down to the lower left.
Ron Lahav, 20 March 2005
According to the city's fact sheet at www.cityoforoville.org/Administration/facts.html it was incorporated January 3, 1906. (I cannot be sure, but the indistinct image of the seal does not seem to me to have enough space for the full date, and may only show the year.)
Ned Smith, 20 March 2005
A version of the municipal seal can be found at http://ci.oxnard.ca.us , while a municipal logo can be found on the web site of a private company
http://www.marktheobald/com/CityofOxnard.jpg . In all cases the municipal seal actually consists of two seals, but the basic design and central imagery differ extensively. The version given at the the first URL consists of two overlapping circular seals, outlined externally at the top in bright yellow and old gold at the bottom; this pattern is repeated with regard to the internal border of the left hand seal only. The outer rings of both seals are blue, and the top of the left hand seal has the words 'CITY OF' in gold block lettering at the 10 o'clock position. while at the bottom of the outer ring of the right hand circle and running along the lower right is the word 'CALIFORNIA' similarly written. In the first version of the municipal emblem the central image of the left hand seal is blank, while the central image of the right hand circle
depicts a pale blue sky with a golden palm tree on a golden shore lapped by blue waves. Running diagonally from lower left to upper right across both central images is the word 'Oxnard' in golden upper and lower case script lettering underlined blue.
Ron Lahav, 20 March 2005
Oxnard has a flag created for the 1976 bicentennial: ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt887008v2/
Valentin Poposki, 11 November 2005
The City of Oxnard has informed it has no flag.
Valentin Poposki,
30 May 2009
Continued: California Municipal Symbols P
