U.S. state · WV
Flag of West Virginia
The West Virginia flag is a white field with a blue border and the state coat of arms in the center. A wreath of rhododendron surrounds it, with a red ribbon above reading "State of West Virginia".
What the West Virginia flag looks like
The state flag of West Virginia is white with a wide blue border. In the center is the coat of arms of the state. A wreath of rhododendron, the state flower, surrounds it, and a red ribbon above the wreath carries the words State of West Virginia.
The arms show a farmer on one side and a miner on the other, standing on either side of an ivy-draped boulder carved with the date June 20, 1863. In front of the boulder lie two crossed hunting rifles and a Phrygian (liberty) cap. The Latin motto Montani Semper Liberi is written on a ribbon. The flag is quite long, around 1.9 times as wide as it is tall.
West Virginia flag meaning and symbolism
The farmer and the miner stand for agriculture and mining, the two chief occupations of the state. The crossed rifles and the liberty cap illustrate the importance of the state's fight for liberty, and the date is the day West Virginia joined the Union. The motto means "Mountaineers are always free".
The rhododendron wreath represents the state flower. The white field stands for purity and the blue border for the Union. For the national flag, see the flag of the United States. For a broader comparison, see our U.S. state flags.
History of the West Virginia flag
West Virginia separated from Virginia during the Civil War and became the 35th state on June 20, 1863. The state seal, designed by Joseph H. Diss Debar, was adopted in 1863, but the state did not have an official flag until 1905. That first flag had a rhododendron sprig on a white field with a blue border; it was changed in 1907 to put the coat of arms on the front and the rhododendron on the back.
The current design was adopted by the legislature on March 7, 1929. The two-sided 1907 flag was costly to make, so the 1929 flag combined the coat of arms and the rhododendron wreath in a single design stamped on both sides, which was cheaper to produce for schools. The design has not changed since. It is flown over the State Capitol in Charleston, and the neighboring Virginia flag uses a very different style.
West Virginia flag colors
#FFFFFFRGB
255, 255, 255CMYK
0, 0, 0, 0#00205BRGB
0, 32, 91CMYK
100, 65, 0, 64#BE0D3ERGB
190, 13, 62CMYK
0, 93, 67, 25#076D4DRGB
7, 109, 77CMYK
94, 0, 29, 57West Virginia flag facts
| Adopted | March 7, 1929 |
|---|---|
| Proportions | 10:19 |
| State capital | Charleston |
| State motto | Montani semper liberi |
| Population | 1,793,716 |
West Virginia state flag FAQ
What does the West Virginia state flag symbolize?
It symbolizes the state's identity: a farmer and a miner for agriculture and industry, crossed rifles and a liberty cap for the fight for liberty, and a rhododendron wreath for the state flower. The white field stands for purity and the blue border for the Union.
What does the West Virginia flag say?
The flag has the words State of West Virginia on a red ribbon, and the Latin motto Montani Semper Liberi, meaning Mountaineers are always free.
What is the date on the West Virginia flag?
The stone in the coat of arms is marked June 20, 1863, which is the date West Virginia became a state.
Did West Virginia change its flag?
The first official flag was adopted in 1905 and was changed in 1907. The current flag was adopted on 7 March 1929 and has stayed the same since.
What is West Virginia's state flower?
The rhododendron is the state flower. It makes up the wreath around the coat of arms on the flag.
Who designed the West Virginia state flag?
The coat of arms comes from the state seal designed by Joseph H. Diss Debar in 1863. The first flag, a rhododendron sprig on white, came from a commission for the 1904 St. Louis exposition, and the legislature adopted it in 1905. The present flag, which combines the arms and the rhododendron wreath, was adopted on March 7, 1929.
Is the West Virginia flag two-sided?
Not today. The 1907 flag had the coat of arms on the front and a rhododendron sprig on the back, but it was costly to make. The 1929 flag put the arms and rhododendron wreath together on both sides. Oregon's is the only U.S. state flag with different designs on each side.
