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Westchester County, New York (U.S.)

image by Jens Pattke, 7 January 2006

Description of the flag
History of the flag

1939 flag
1985 flag

Municipalities in Westchester County:

Village of Rye Brook

See also:

Description of the Flag

The flag is divided horizontally, orange over blue, with a large white triangle, whose base takes up the entire hoist. The color scheme is very likely based on the early Dutch tricolor. Westchester County is written in white near the bottom of the blue stripe. There is a small emblem in blue and black on the white triangle and stars encircling the emblem.
Ned Smith, 17 April 2005

History of the Flag

The Westchester flag was adopted on May 1,1939 by the Westchester County Committee on Budget and Appropriations. On March 27th 1939 The Westchester County Committee on Budget and Appropriations appointed a Citizens Committee to for the selection of a design for a County Flag. The Citizens Committee presented the report back to the Westchester County Committee on Budget and Appropriations on April 29th, 1939. Present, there are no records who made up the Citizens Committee and the bases for there design decisions

Perhaps they chose the colors of orange, white and blue to recognize the first settlers of Westchester County were of Dutch descent. At the time of Henry Hudson's arrival to the area the Dutch flag was Orange White and Blue. The Princevlag (the Netherlands) later changed to red, white and blue, present to this day. Maybe, they chose it because neighboring counties such as Manhattan and Bronx have the same colors. This is yet not clear. In my research of the history behind the Westchester County flag, I obtained a copy of a letter sent from a party in Albany, to the county seat in White Planes, asking about the flag. In the letter it reads, "It was adopted in May of 1939 by our local Law No.4-1939, partially as an outgrowth of the desire to provide a County flag for the County exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair."

1939 flag

image by John Scordato, 29 January 2006

Westchester County, Local Law NO. 4-1939 Monday May 1,1939:

An Act designating an official design for a flag for the county of Westchester, New York.
Be in enacted by the Board of Supervisors of the County Of Westchester as follows.
Section 1. The official flag for the County of Westchester, New York, shall be rectangular in shape, with the horizontal dimension one and one-half times the vertical dimension. The flag shall contain two equal horizontal stripes, the upper one orange and the lower one blue, with a triangle of white nest to the staff; within said triangle shall be a representation of the figure of justice as appears in the County Seal, encircled by a ring of blue stars equal in number to the number of towns and cities in the county.

1985 flag

image by John Scordato, 29 January 2006

Westchester County Local Law NO. 20-1985 Monday November 15, 1985

A Local Law to amend the Laws of Westchester County in relation to the County Flag
Be in enacted by the Board of Supervisors of the County Of Westchester as follows.
Section 1. Section 205.21 of the Laws of Westchester County are amended as follows:

The official flag for the County of Westchester, New York, shall be rectangular in shape, with the horizontal dimension one and one-half times the vertical dimension. The flag shall contain two equal horizontal stripes, the upper one orange and the lower one blue, with a triangle of white nest to the staff; within said triangle shall be a representation of the figure of justice as appears in the County Seal, encircled by a ring of blue stars equal in number to the number of towns and cities in the county

Viewing the flag with the figure of Justice in the left, the bottom of the blue triangle shall contain the worlds "Westchester County, New York", in white letters, centered in initial caps, and running ž ths of the distance of the flags bottom horizontal plane.

Research Material: Special thanks to Elaine Massena Principal Archivist at the Westchester County Archives & Records Center. With out her and her staff this research wouldn't have been possible.

John Scordato, 29 January 2006