Durham, North Carolina

Durham
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Flag of Durham, North Carolina
Designer	Al Nichols
Adopted	1989
Score in 2022 NAVA survey	6.93/10 (36th of 312)
Wikipedia article
Flags of the World article

The flag of Durham is the official municipal flag of the city of Durham, North Carolina. It was adopted in 1989 as part of a city-wide contest, won by artist Al Nichols.

Description

The flag is evenly divided into two halves; the half on the side of the hoist features two vertical, evenly divided bars of red and gold, and the second half features a blue field with seven stars.

Symbolism

The intention of the flag design contest was to create a flag representing the "New Spirit" of Durham, intending to tie the city's history with its future. Blue was chosen to represent courage, red to represent action and progress, gold to represent high quality and effort in growth, and white to represent high ideals.

The seven stars on the flag represent a group known as the Pleiades, found in the Taurus constellation. The stars are said to reflect Durham's spirit and history in the following ways:

• The arts
• Commerce and industry
• Education
• Medicine
• Human relations
• Sports and recreation
• Preservation of heritage

The seven stars in the Taurus constellation additionally represent the city's namesake, Bartlett S. Durham, through his zodiac sign, Taurus, and birthday, April 26. Durham was a physician and entrepreneur, and his professions can be found in the symbolism of the stars.