cleveland flag

Cleveland, Ohio, is a comeback city. Settled in 1796 where the winding Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie’s southern shore, Cleveland has been a major industrial and port city for more than 200 years. For most of its history, Cleveland has been a prosperous and thriving community. However, after the second World War, rust belt manufacturing steadily decreased. From about the 1960s to the 1980s, Cleveland’s economy shrank. The city lost jobs. Companies moved out of downtown. Pollution caused the river to catch fire (more than once). Residents left for the suburbs or other states altogether. In 1978, Cleveland became the first U.S. city since the Great Depression to default. It would take more than two decades for Cleveland to dig itself out and turn things around.

Today, people are moving into Cleveland. New industry, tourism and attitude make Cleveland an upcoming and exciting place to live and work. Cleveland is making its comeback. The city is set to shed its former image and flag and embrace an exciting new future—and a new Cleveland flag.

The new Cleveland flag redesign is a standard of proud blue. At the fly (right) end, a white horizontal chevron, reminiscent of the Ohio flag’s famous burgee or notched swallowtail flag, surrounds a red triangular field. To the left of the white chevron, an invisible blue chevron, the same width as the white chevron, cuts away part of a white circle to reveal a white C shape for Cleveland. This is again a design nod to the Ohio flag which has a white circle for Ohio. The invisible blue chevron represents Cleveland’s past. The city’s past no doubt affects how Cleveland is perceived. Cleveland is working hard to rise above its former reputation and forge a new identity for itself. The blue chevron occludes part of the white circle to reshape it into a C for Cleveland. There is no denying the city’s past shaped Cleveland into the city it is today. The past informs the present, but cannot be allowed to dictate the future. Cleveland’s future is its own to determine. Inside the Cleveland C shape is a white star. The star, which represents hope, is the North Star, which is used for navigation and wayfinding. It is a callback to the city’s maritime history on Lake Erie, but also a beacon to welcome everyone home to Cleveland.

The white chevron points back to the city’s past as a reminder of the city’s history, mistakes and achievements. The chevron’s wide end opens to the city’s future. White represents community. Blue represents pride and courage. The red represents strength and integrity.

The flag’s red, white and blue color scheme connects it to the Ohio flag and United States of America flag. This new Cleveland, Ohio, flag redesign is built on a 1:6 grid. See how this flag design compares to other Ohio city flags.