Colorado State Flag

Meaning of the Flag

The colors and the design of the state flag of Colorado design represent the natural features and history of the state. The colors are designed to symbolize the state’s history as part of the Gold Rush during the 19th century, the skies above, the snow-topped mountains, and the ruddy earth.

Colors of the Flag

Four colors are used in Colorado’s state flag. The background of the flag consists of a triband design featuring two horizontal blue bands separated by a band of white in the center. The blue stripes symbolize the skies. The white stripe represents the snowcapped mountains that the state is known for. There is a large letter “C” on the flag in the color red. This color was chosen to symbolize the ruddy color of earth. Finally, there is a gold disc located inside of the center of the letter C. This color was selected to represent the Gold Rush of the 1800s.

History of the Flag

The flag of Colorado was designed in 1911 by Andrew Carlisle Carson. It was adopted by the Colorado General Assembly later that year. Upon its adoption, there were no specifications for the shades of blue or red used or the size of the “C”, so there were many variations of the flag. It wasn’t until 1929 when the shades of red were designated to be the same colors used in the national flag, while legislation in 1964 provided standards for the letter “C.”

The current version of the flag was officially adopted on March 31, 1964.

Flag Facts

The state of Colorado is the only state in the nation to incorporate its complete flag design into its state highway markers.

The state flag of Colorado was ranked 16 out of 72 in terms of best design among state, territorial and provincial flags in North America in a 2001 survey.