The flag of
Chicago consists of two light blue horizontal
bars, or stripes, on a
field of white, each bar one-sixth the height of the full flag, and placed slightly less than one-sixth of the way from the top and bottom. Four bright red stars, with six sharp points each, are set side by side, close together, in the middle third of the flag's surface.[1]
Chicago is a city in
Illinois, United States. Its flag was adopted in 1917 after the design by
Wallace Rice won a
City Council sponsored competition. It initially had two stars until 1933, when a third was added. The four-star version has existed since 1939. The three sections of the white field and the two bars represent geographical features of the city, the stars symbolize historical events, and the points of the stars represent important virtues or concepts. The historic events represented by the stars are the establishment of
Fort Dearborn, the
Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the
World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, and
Century of Progress Exposition of 1933–34.
The three white background areas of the flag represent, from top to bottom, the North,
West, and
South sides of the city. The top blue bar represents
Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the
Chicago River. The bottom blue bar represents the South Branch of the river and the "
Great Canal", over the
Chicago Portage.[3] The light blue of the flag's two bars is variously called
sky blue[4] or pale blue;[5] in a 1917 article of a speech by designer Wallace Rice, it was called "the color of water".[6][7]
Stars
There are four red
six-pointed stars on the center white bar. Six-pointed stars are used because
five-pointed stars represent sovereign states and because the star as designed was found on no other known flags as of 1917.[9] From the
hoist outwards, the stars represent:
Original to the 1917 flag: This star stands for the
Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Its six points represent the virtues of religion, education, aesthetics, justice, beneficence, and civic pride.[1][3]
Original to the 1917 flag: This star symbolizes the
World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Its six points symbolize transportation, labor, commerce, finance, populousness, and salubrity (health).[1][3]
Added in 1933: This star represents the
Century of Progress Exposition (1933–34). Its points refer to: Chicago's status as the United States' second largest city at the time of the star's addition (Chicago became third largest in a 1990 census when passed by
Los Angeles); Chicago's Latin motto, Urbs in horto ("City in a garden"); Chicago's "I Will" motto; the Great Central Marketplace; Wonder City; and Convention City.[1][3]
Additional stars have been proposed, with varying degrees of seriousness. The following reasons have been suggested for possible additions of a fifth star:
In the 1980s, a star was proposed in honor of
Harold Washington, the first African-American mayor of Chicago.[12][13]
The 1992
Chicago flood was suggested as an additional natural disaster deserving of a star,[citation needed] in line with the existing star for the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. Another fifth star was in the works from a group of Chicago real estate professionals to represent Chicago's entrepreneurial spirit in the early 1990s.[citation needed]
The
Chicago History Museum has an ongoing exhibition where the public is encouraged to vote for a potential fifth star.[18]
Chicago Mayor
Lori Lightfoot suggested that Chicago's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic could warrant adding a fifth star to Chicago's flag.[19]
Unlawful private use
Per the
Municipal Code of Chicago, it is unlawful to use the flag, or any imitation or design thereof, except for the usual and customary purposes of decoration or display. Causing to be displayed on the flag, any letter, word, legend, or device not provided for in the Code is also prohibited. Violators are subject to fines between $5.00 and $25.00 for each offense.[20] However, the United States Constitution, via its
first and
fourteenth amendments, prohibits this section from being enforced (Street v. New York).
^
abcdeCity of Chicago (March 18, 2020) [Originally published 1990.].
"1-8-030 Municipal flag – Design requirements". Municipal Code of Chicago (Municipal code.). American Legal Publishing Corporation. sec. 1-8-030. Archived from
the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020 – via American Legal Publishing's Code Library.
^City of Chicago (March 18, 2020) [Originally published 1990.].
"1-8-090 Private use of flags and emblems unlawful". Municipal Code of Chicago (Municipal code.). American Legal Publishing Corporation. sec. 1-8-090. Archived from
the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020 – via American Legal Publishing's Code Library.