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Burlington, Vermont (U.S.)

by António Martins-Tuválkin, 1 February 2008

Description
Reverse of flag
Detail of shield
Former Flag (probably mistaken identity)

See also:

Description

Burlington's flag is not mentioned in the City Code, although the Seal is. The assistant to the mayor said it was designed for the purpose of trading copies with sister cities in other countries, he thought. He promised to get more info about its symbols. It was designed about 10 years ago by 8th graders.

Here's my take on the symbolism: the field of the flag represents Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains. Over all is a ribbon with the City name. In the center of the flag are a number of symbols as follows:

Center top, tower from City Hall.
First Quarter, dove symbolizing peace.
Second Quarter, lamp symbolizing education.
Third Quarter, green pine trees on gold, for Vermont.
Fourth Quarter, masks of Comedy and Tragedy, representing the Arts.
Center, a globe for Burlington's status as a world-class city.

The flag's reverse is a mirror image except that the name is lettered correctly. For a larger image of the shield, see this page.

Dave Martucci, 7 May 2002

Reverse of flag

by António Martins-Tuválkin, 1 February 2008

The reverse of the flag mirrors the obverse, except the name is spelled correctly.

Detail of shield

by António Martins-Tuválkin, 1 February 2008

Former flag? (probably mistaken identity)

by Dave Martucci, 7 May 2002

We had an old illustration (probably more than 20 years old) in black and white of three vertical stripes of dark-light-dark, with a seal-like emblem in the center showing a shore scene and a ship and below the inscription "BURLINGTON" and "1679". The colors are not known and no one at City Hall had ever seen the flag.
Dave Martucci, 7 May 2002

The image seems to read 1677 not 1679. Burlington, Vermont was not established until 1763; Burlington, New Jersey was first settled in 1677. Moreover the image on that flag resembles the seal of Burlington, NJ, and the city flag for Burlington NJ is a vertical triband of gold/white/gold with a seal. See http://www.burlingtonnj.us/ for image of the seal and a very small image of the flag
Ned Smith, 26 March 2005