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Charlotte, North Carolina (U.S.)

Mecklenburg County

images by António Martins-Tuválkin, 14 February 2008

Background
Charlotte: blue saltire
Charlotte: Green flag with crown

See also:

Background

Based on the web page at http://www.cmstory.org/govt/page6.asp, Charlotte has two official flags, the blue saltire flag and the green crown flag. On the web page, both are labeled as 'Mecklenburg Co. flag', but described as 'City of Charlotte' flags. Charlotte is in Mecklenburg County, but the two are not coterminous and separate governments are maintained. Some functions, however, have been merged, most notably the school system but also, from what I can tell from the web, public libraries and some other things. Both the city and county governments seem to be housed in the same building complex as well.
Joe McMillan, 28 February 2003

Since the county and city administrations are not fully joint and many separate structure remain, while Charlotte is the largest entity in the county one is tempted to assume that the green flag is the county's and the blue one is the city's.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 14 February 2008

Charlotte: Blue Saltire

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 14 February 2008

The flag is a white on blue saltire, with a the county seal in the center. The seal bears a branch in front of the radiating sun, and on it a hornets' nest and a Liberty cap. The date 1775 is inscribed at the bottom of the seal, and the words CITY OF CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG COUNTY and NORTH CAROLINA are inscribed around it.
Falko Schmidt, 21 February 2003

From http://www.cmstory.org/govt/page6.asp: The first flag was adopted by the City Council on May 6, 1929. The round emblem on the flag is the seal of the city. The tree represents growth. A hornet's nest can be seen on the left tree branch. The hornet's nest has long been a symbol for Charlotte, because in the American Revolution, her citizens fought so fiercely that a British general compared being in Charlotte to being in a hornet's nest. A Liberty cap, such as the kind worn by patriots from the area during the Revolution, hangs from the right tree branch. The hands signify friendship, and the year, 1775, is when the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed. This official flag, not flown outside, is kept in the room where the City Council meets.
Zach Harden, 26 February 2003

Charlotte: Green flag with crown

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 February 2008

The second flag is a white crown on a green field. This flag was adopted in 1985 and is the one flown outside Government Center on 4th Street. The crown symbolizes unity --all city agencies working together for the benefit of the citizens. This design using a green crown is painted on the white cars and trucks owned by the city. Official writing paper used by city agencies has a gold crown at the top.
Zach Harden, 26 February 2003

From http://www.charlottetour.org/files/Download/QUEEN.pdf:
"A representation of Queen Charlotte's coronation crown is used as a city emblem and appears on the city flag."
An image of her crown appears in the background of her portrait at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Nathaniel_Dance_Queen_Charlotte.jpg.
Ned Smith,, 15 February 2008