Flags of the boroughs of New York City
Although a flag exists that represents the whole of New York City, each of New York City's boroughs has its own flag. The flags of New York City's boroughs represent those individual sections of the city.
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The Bronx [edit]
The design of the flag of the Bronx consists of a horizontal tricolor. The top band is orange, the middle band is white, and the band at the bottom is blue. In the center of the flag is a laurel wreath denoting honor and fame. The wreath encircles the Bronck family arms. The shield of the family arms shows the face of the sun with rays displayed rising from the sea, signifying peace, liberty, and commerce. The crest of the arms is an eagle facing eastward and with its wings expanded, representing "the hope of the New World while not forgetting the Old." The text underneath the shield is also the motto of the borough, and reads "ne cede malis," which is a Latin phrase meaning "Yield not to evil".
Brooklyn [edit]
The flag of Brooklyn has a white background with a seal at the center. Within the seal is a young robed woman set on a background of light blue, and bearing fasces, a traditional emblem of unity. Encircling that image is a ring of dark blue and the Dutch phrase "Eendraght Mackt Maght" which translates into English as "Unity makes strength". Also in the darker ring are the words "borough of Brooklyn". The outside and inside trim of the seal are gold-colored. The primary colors of the seal reflect the recognized colors of the borough, blue and gold.
Manhattan [edit]
Although the Borough of Manhattan does not have an official Borough flag, a flag similar to the New York City flag is used to represent Manhattan. This flag design was the order of one of Manhattan's Borough Presidents, and only differs from the City flag with the seal of the Borough President in place of the City Seal.
Staten Island [edit]
The flag of Staten Island was adopted in 2002 and consists of elements designed for a contest held in 1971. The contest was held by Staten Island's Borough President Robert T. Connor. The flag has flown over the Staten Island Advance and Chamber of Commerce buildings, and is on display in City Hall and Staten Island Borough Hall. The flag has a white background with an oval in the center. Within the oval is a blue sky and two white seagulls. The green outline represents the countryside, and the white shape represents the cityscape, denoting the residential areas of Staten Island. In the center of the oval are the words 'Staten Island' in gold. Under the name are five wavy blue lines to symbolize the water bodies surrounding the island.
Queens [edit]
The flag of Queens has three horizontal bands. The band at the top and bottom are blue, and the middle band is white. These colors represent the arms of the first Dutch Governor William Kielt. Also on the flag is a centered design, consisting of a ring, a tulip, and a rose. At the top-left of the flag is a queen's crown, the words 'Qveens Borovgh' (a stylized form of the name 'Queens Borough'), and the four digits of a date. The ring is a ring of wampum, shown because the area was named 'Sewanacky' (a word meaning 'island of sea shells) by the Lenape in reference to its being one of the few places where the Lenape could collect the clams and whelks used to make wampum. The tulip shown on the flag is a representation of the Dutch, who were early settlers of the area. The red and white rose is symbolic of the English houses of York and Lancaster. The queen's crown signifies the name of the borough, named in honor of Queen Catherine of Braganza. The date indicates the year when Queens became a part of the City of New York.[1]
| Flags of the boroughs of New York City | |||||||||
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See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Cultural Affairs: History of the Queens Flag". Retrieved January 12, 2013.
Further reading [edit]
- CRW Flags - information regarding NYC flags
