BEST US STATE FLAG

THEM DOTS WHAT HAPPEN DERE?

wtf Maryland

New Mexico's is my favorite FLAG of any country or state.

Alaska's was designed by a 12-year -old boy. Idaho's was the only flag designed by a woman. ESTO PERPETUA!

Colorado's flag looks like a Cubs pennant.

It's either Alaska or New Mexico for the win.

i love maryland's flag but AZ will always be my favorite.

ugliest = hawaii.

i always had a thing for the maryland flag but i voted for NJ, old allegiances die hard

xpost grady otm

The US's largest association of vexillologists (umm, people who study flags) has already tackled this, and their top two were in line with my opinions, picking out the two states of my childhood: New Mexico and Colorado. This isn't just southwestern pride on my part -- look at those flags! They're very clearly the best designs up there. They don't even have much competition, what with most US state flags not entirely getting the distinction between "flags" and "seals."

a new jersey flag was the only decoration in my dorm room for most of my first year at college

Hawaii's is so long because it's trying to overcompensate.

Maryland's imperial NASCAR flag/Abba-Zabba wrapper aesthetic is pretty rad, actually.

i'm leaning towards nm but i think i may be overrating it cuz of how its zesty southwestern flava stands out in the crowd

NM vs WA

i don't like the colors/design on colorado's flag unless they're on a throwback jersey

sorry abt the DC flag not having an outline.

colorado's looks like the logo of a high school hockey team

once again i think i'm going with alaska

RI and SC should get more love.

Those Free Tibet stickers totally ripped off Arizona's flag.

If there's ever any kind of ridiculous "every state for itself" civil war and people have to make flags to identify themselves, people who aren't on the side of Colorado or New Mexico are gonna feel a little dumb. (I would include Alabama, but in the wrong light/wind they might look a bit like they're surrendering.)

PS Now that Colorado has disappointed me by using neither the sun-C nor the license-plate mountain-outline on its quarter, I'm wondering if New Mexico is out, and whether or not they've had the guts to just put a big-ass zia on the back of theirs. All states should have icons like that! We should be able to address mail that way!

whatever, nabisco, i'm going with the dudes with a big fucking bear on their flag

in civil war hypothetical obv. though maryland's does have a certain "very easy to shoot" charm

it came down to california (& the bear) v. new hampshire (on some "live free or die" shit).

i chose california.

fuck you ghost rider, you'll never be allwed into the black cat again.

http://img03.picoodle.com/img/img03/8/6/4/f_flagm_3c3e8e1.jpg

South Carolina is lucky because they can stamp their flag all over everything, and they do.

ok no alabama's flag is not actually picturenotfound.gif. it can't possibly be. can it?

man i know nothing about flags.

this is as good a place as any to point out that the minnesota flag depicts a white dude kicking out an indian, right?

i voted for cali, i like their bear's style.

Washington's is so dumb.

uh, they're all really dumb except for virginia's.

SC is kinda great.

I had to turn off the music and hum the 50 States song to figure that out.

yeah, the cali bear be stylin'

dc's is pretty cool

and in our cool, calm, collected, unprecented opinion...Alaska is the best

of the

50 nifty united states, from the 13 original colonies
shout 'em, scout 'em tell all about 'em
one by one til we've given a day
to every state that's in the u.s.a.

and you know i kinda like alabama's utter failure to actually make themselves a flag. i like that, i mean i'd probably do that too. either that or i'd just use a picture of adam schefter.

i mean seriously, most of these are really awful, including VA's. DC's is okay, so is CA's and NM's but they mostly suck.

jersey all the way!

these gifs do not account for states with FRINGE around thier flag, so lease take that in to account when voting.

DID SOMEONE MODERATE MY RACISIM??? ;_;

'unprecented' in that song makes no sense i thought so in 5th grade. unless i heard/sang wrong.

jersey all the way!

i dunno ... except for new hampshire (again, because of "live free or die") i'm just not feeling any northeastern state flag. ;__;

South Carolina is lucky because they can stamp their flag all over everything, and they do.

Even at that, the palmetto moon is still only the second-most popular flag in that state.

Alabama must have a long history of broken image links.

<i>colorado's looks like the logo of a high school hockey team</i>

http://www.distantreplays.com/distant/assets/product_images/PAAAIAHOOIJMKFAF.jpg

I'm voting Colorado, but the Rhode Island one with the anchor is underrated.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1090/527152195_9c7a2bc133.jpg
^^ this should be somebody's flag

ok, i was wrong -- NH's flag does NOT have "live free or die" on it. that's just the state's logo, and it's on their license plates.

that said, it still looks much more cool than any other NE state's flag.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_New_Hampshire.svg

I voted Texas, for sentimental reasons.

::sniff::

ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_New_Hampshire.svg

i dont th ink my post took before.

i have to rep for ohio just because they eschew the typical boring flag shape.

[img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_New_Hampshire.svg";]

The flag of Hawaii flew over the kingdom of Hawaii from 1816 on and was chosen by Kamehameha I. It's the symbol of native Hawaiian rights and an expression of a lot of political and cultural feelings. It may be ugly to your eyes, but it means A LOT to a lot of people.

ahh, Mississippi... embarrassing itself into the new millenium.

I love the Maryland flag out of a dutiful sense of nostalgia. I've thought about getting a Maryland-themed tattoo, but would probably get a can of Old Bay instead of the flag. That stuff tastes good on anything.

I chose South Carolina because it's a pretty shade of blue and the crescent and palm tree give it a middle-eastern tinge, which I think is funny.

State flags I like:
Virginia's is pretty hardcore
Arkansas' looks good as a belt buckle or tattoo.
Louisiana for the sheer wtf-ness
California's bear is pretty cool.

and I suppose Texas should get some credit for having the most immediately recognizable flag. (without having to have it's name plastered across it)

as ambivalent as i am about my state, i gotta admit SC's flag is pretty good. it's recognizable, simple and not too tacky.

No kidding with the ambivalence! I voted for it too, but it broke my heart

The flag of Hawaii flew over the kingdom of Hawaii from 1816 on and was chosen by Kamehameha I. It's the symbol of native Hawaiian rights and an expression of a lot of political and cultural feelings. It may be ugly to your eyes, but it means A LOT to a lot of people.

-- Super Cub, Monday, June 4, 2007 4:38 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

dont you think its funny that you see just as many inverted hawaiian flags as regualar ones here?

Missouri's is nice and subtle. Unfortunately, it's right next to a confederate flag.

dont you think its funny that you see just as many inverted hawaiian flags as regualar ones here?

My understanding is that an upside down flag is used as a distress signal. Thus, upside down Hawaiian flag means "nation in distress."

I guess an upside down flag is also just a common symbol of dissent and protest.

which state has gone through the most flags?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_state_flag

yeah I like how Georgia waited until the 50's to incorporate the Stars and Bars. nice.

OTOH, at least they've updated. So, go GA.

A note that OHIO has the only flag that isn't a rectangle. Weird.

in fact, i kind of like ohio's flag.

Ohio's flag is definitely the best.

Washington's flag is shitty clip art.

it's green, bitches!

http://www.multimediapalace.com/fl/us-flags-02/us-nat-flags/natus-navajo-nation.gif

Iowa's one looks alarmingly French.

Is having the write the name of your state on the flag the vexillogical equivalent of having to write things like "Bush" and "American Public" on figures in political cartoons?

I remember looking at these in an encyclopedia in elementary school. I was in Alaska, but even then that New Mexico flag had a icon-icity that could overcome any partisanship for my own state.

i was gonna vote Cali but there's something quite charming about the Montana one, and I like that they spelled it out for people. + would look good as a t-shirt.

on closer inspection it looks like the Cali bear has marked it's territory with an impressive array of turds.

Is having the write the name of your state on the flag the vexillogical equivalent of having to write things like "Bush" and "American Public" on figures in political cartoons?

"innocent Kansas"

Arkansas' flag is basically a beer bottle label. WHICH IS NO BAD THING. But Arizona wins my vote and Maryland prob second for being trippy. Yes, I realize it's not really a flag's job to be trippy and hard to make out at a distance. I don't care. DO YOU SEE HOW IT IS A DAZZLEFLAG??

Jersey's is terrible. And I live there.

I love Maryland and South Carolina. SC's is simple, but pure genius.

I voted for the only one I have a tattoo of.

I think polls might have lolcatted.

this poll is pretty. i didn't know you could post images in polls now!

and i voted for alaska's

i might vote for WY's if they took the seal off it, leaving just the bison

i also like SC, DC, and NM

Much as I like NM's, I think AZ's is great.

The only thing I've ever seriously considered getting tattooed on my body is the RI state flag.

Right across the forehead.

on my nuts, actually.

Twice?

on the scrotum, not the actual testicle.

Yeah, testicle tats are hard to show off.

HAS SC GONE DHIMMI

whatever, nabisco, i'm going with the dudes with a big fucking bear on their flag

^^^this is otm

The only thing I've ever seriously considered getting tattooed on my body is the RI state flag.

ha, i'm getting the chicago flag on the inside of my left biceps before i leave!

wow, minneapolis has a flag

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/clerk/cityflag.asp

and it sucks

whatever, nabisco, i'm going with the dudes with a big fucking bear on their flag

^^^this is otm

Why is this so on the mark? The big fucking sun can cook the big fucking bear.

The big fucking dipper has eight big fucking suns, big fucking deal.

Portland has a flag too, and it's great and 70s.

The Oregon flag is the only one with something different on the back! (It's a beaver.)

HIDDEN NINJA BEAVER

OHHHH SHIIIIIT

RI flag is so classic -- I fly one outside my house!

Flags that are not ass: AK, AZ, CA, NM. What a shock, three of them are from the 20th C. Worst is CO by a long stretch. I think I've grown to like MD's spastic flag.

any flag featuring stars & bars or union jack = automatic ass in my book.

Actually several of the other flags are also not ass, but those four are the really great ones.

OK, if there's a ninja beaver, I demand to be allowed to change my vote.

What's the yellow/black/red spiropaint one?

merlin!

Colorado must have the same designer for their flags and basketball uniforms. Check out Denver's flag:

http://img9.imagepile.net/img9/545cidenv23.jpg

THERE'S A STATE CALLED MERLIN NOW? I AM SO FUCKING MOVING THERE.

xpost

Apart from its distinction of being two-faced, I think the Oregon state flag is pretty crappy. The state seal is a crowded, muddled mess and the beaver is hardly inspiring. The state motto, "She flies with her own wings" is like a failed joke. Nice colors, though.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

It's a secret?

what the hell happened to the img sizes?

i couldnt even tell if it was AK or SC that won w/o looking at the url.

I only see numbers. If I view the page source, I can see the URLs for the gif files.

i see a flag with the stars and bars tying for second. wtf people

uh

I have no idea of what states have what flags. I need to see pics of the flags.
i see a flag with the stars and bars tying for second. wtf people

What flag is that?

11
8
8
7
6
6
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

8080?

so some people arent seeing any images?

i'm seeing tiny, 15x10 pixel versions.

I see nothing.

I've tried it on IE and The top 3 seem to be

http://www.netstate.com/states/images/flag_southcarolina.gif 11
http://www.netstate.com/states/images/flag_arizona.gif 8
http://www.netstate.com/states/images/flag_mississippi.gif 8

I'm seeing normal 60 x 40 pixel versions. (Opera 9 for OS X)

lol flags r unhueg.

according to view-src:
11 - Arizona
8 - Mississippi, California
7 - Maryland
6 - New Mexico, Alaska
3 - Ohio, Massachusetts
2 - Teas, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Tennessee, New Jersey, Colorado, Oklahoma
1 - Alabama, Montana, Washington, DC, Florida, Utah

rest have zilch

Teas = Texas obv

yr gonna want to edit that one, curtis

View source for me shows SC at 11, AZ at 8, etc down Curtis' list

i.e., move the last state on each line down one level

http://img03.picoodle.com/img/img03/8/6/4/f_flagm_3c3e8e1.jpg

I thought for a second that this was Chicago's, seen below.

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:0VcIRf_02Z78eM:www.amun.org/images/chicago_flag.gif

(Each of the stars have significance of course, but the Chicago thread recently taught me that each of the 6 points on each star has its own significance (eg, the first star's points symbolize "transportation, labor, commerce, finance, populousness, and salubrity")).

oh shit you're right, gabb

11 - South Carolina
8 - Arizona, Mississippi
7 - California
6 - Maryland, New Mexico
3 - Alaska, Ohio
2 - Massachusetts, Texas, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Tennessee, New Jersey, Colorado
1 - Oklahoma, Alabama, Montana, Washington, DC, Florida

is that right?

quite surprised by the results of this - when I saw the poll title I thought Cali was so going to walk it -- didn't see the poll before it closed, unfotunately.

I mean, it's got a bear! and a red star! and the word REPUBLIC on it! what's not to love?

why the hell do all you people like the arizona flag so much? shit is ugly.

it looks like their mom designed it

I like the AZ flag approach, but prefer NM because it's both subtler and less single-faceted. I voted WA because it combines both the trad/political - a seal - and the non-trad/physical - green - in coherent fashion.

I guess the AZ flag has the star, but it's a little much.

I kind of love AZ because it reminds me of this, which I have a nice print of:

http://www.jesserinyu.net/images/painting/DontrunIloveU.jpg

The AZ flag is bright and recognizable and fun and a bit timeless! I mean it's clearly nothing they would have come up with in the 19th C. but it's also not, like, weirdly outdated looking like the CO flag or even the AK flag which I like despite its awkwardness.

Who are the shadowy figures voting for the most hick flags in the entire group? Not saying your hick, but your flags are.

TODAY IS FLAG DAY BIOTCHES

Not otm, yesterday was Flag Day.

also, my birthday.

betsy ross = my sprirt guide

It's not the season, but do you know what would be dope as fuck? A Maryland flag bikini!

South Carolina's is fucking awesome.

Really liking Tennessee these days.

The original flag of Maine is way cool:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Flag_of_Maine_%281901-1909%29.svg/640px-Flag_of_Maine_%281901-1909%29.svg.png

yeah that's lovely

county & city flags can be really beautiful too. des moines & roswell:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKwJfPbWcAAtTKR.png
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKwbVFeW8AAr4J1.png

Also, some of the worst flags:

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/galleries/113704_provo.jpg

flags with text are really interesting because they can look crazy evocative depending on the default snappy typeface of their era

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKwbVIsW8AAI-YQ.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Flag_of_Rochester%2C_Minnesota.svg/800px-Flag_of_Rochester%2C_Minnesota.svg.png

These are all awesome inc. Provo

i google image searched the maryland flag last week it's like a beautiful migraine

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKwGwFyWEAAC_ns.jpg

i kinda wanna grotesquely rep for provo & provo-wave flags in general but when you cruise a bunch of flags & see the kind of confused cgi-era flags that seem to only think of a flag's dimensions as its criteria it gets pretty depressing, cf

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Flag_of_Harker_Heights%2C_Texas.png

strong The London Borough with the worst logo vibes

OMG @ Provo. The Rochester one is weirdly fitting for their quaint Mayo technocracy.

Every town in Sweden has their own quasi-medieval seal and they are of course glorious.

I'm pleased that the Roswell flag bears more than a passing resemblance to the final scenes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Pueblo's reminds me of

http://i.imgur.com/to9Z6zG.gif

And good Lord, Provo.

http://i.imgur.com/hk0uMzc.jpg

Not sure where Montgomery's going with this.

http://i.imgur.com/eWdQZt7.png

Well, the bend sinister is usually a mark of distinction, added to another coat to denote bastardy.

wow

http://i.imgur.com/rN3cNcj.jpg

oh my, on milwaukee, anyone seen the new proposed flag? absolutely beautiful

http://media.jrn.com/images/b99744199z.1_20160614212539_000_g7kg19jc.1-0.jpg

Aboriginal Australia says "hi".

http://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/images/galleries/aboriginal_flag/aboriginal_flag.jpg

... but the water reflection is clever and beautiful and I do like the Milwaukee one.

hehe yeh not too ab-original then :)

tbf the setting sun idea has been done quite a bit, but yeh the three rivers adding as the reflection brings milwaukee to another level

The choice of white for the sun is pretty unexpected and compelling, too.