In June 2022, the City Flag Committee was formed in an effort to choose the new design for Kent's official city flag. Over the course of several months, the committee worked to narrow 68 unique proposals submitted by over 30 community members down to three designs. 

Of foremost importance was that the new flag be a timeless symbol of unity for our community as a whole. As such, the committee utilized the North American Vexillological Association’s guide on good flag design in its deliberation, eliminating symbols that could be divisive or that specifically referenced Kent State or Roosevelt H.S. The committee then presented its findings to City Council on December 7, 2022. 

The three flags will be displayed from March 1 - June 15 at the Kent Free Library, located at 312 West Main Street. We encourage members of the Kent community to visit the display to see the flags in person and read about each design and the committee’s process. The new City of Kent flag will be displayed at the Kent Heritage Festival, the new City Hall, throughout downtown, and will be flown at some Kent residents’ homes.

Your community needs your input! Which design is your favorite? We invite you to share your input via a brief, public survey.

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OPTION A  

• A burgee-shaped flag pays homage to the State of Ohio flag and reflects Kent’s original flag.
• Blue signifies determination, liberation, alertness and good fortune. It also symbolizes the Cuyahoga River and canals, which were a central piece of Kent’s past and a point of charm and appeal in modern times.
• Green is a symbol of agricultural influence, prosperity, fertility, youthfulness and hope. It also serves to symbolize Kent’s status as the Tree City.
• White, the symbol of peace and harmony, reflects Kent’s history of seeking peace and harmony locally and globally.
• The simple modern design is meant to suggest Kent’s goal of civic progress and the city’s forward-looking spirit. 
• The converging stripes form an eight-pointed star that symbolizes the North Star, which was used on quilts that guided slaves escaping captivity. It also symbolizes Kent’s history of inclusion, diversity and forward thinking.
• The green vertical center stripe and intersecting blue diagonal stripes form the letter “K.” All the stripes point to the central star, forming arrows that are meant to point to the future.
• The four stripes, both green and blue, are meant to recall Kent’s history, from pre-settlement, settlement and canal era, railroad era, and university founding. They are also meant to celebrate Kent’s intersection of cultures that come together to form a cohesive yet diverse community.
• Yet another interpretation of the stripes is the convergence of Kent’s railroads, canal and river.

OPTION B

• Also a burgee-shaped flag that pays homage to the State of Ohio flag as well as recalling Kent’s original flag.
• The black triangle points forward to progress and hope. All three elements unite to form the letter “K” for Kent.
• As with Option A, the green stripe represents Kent’s agricultural history, prosperity, fertility, youthfulness and hope. It also symbolizes Kent’s status as Tree City. The blue stripe, a symbol of revitalization and resilience, also represents the Cuyahoga River.
• The black triangle is meant to represent a bird silhouette. It celebrates Kent’s chimney swifts and black squirrels as well as the city’s railroads.

OPTION C

• Like the other two, a burgee-shaped flag pays homage to the State of Ohio flag as well as Kent’s original flag.
• The blue chevron represents the “crooked” Cuyahoga River. The two green chevrons recall the initial settlements of Carthage and Franklin Mills, two small villages that united to form Kent. The way the green comes to a point is meant to reference the shape of a mound and symbolizes the prehistoric mound builders that lived in this area.
• Taken as a whole, the chevrons and the negative white space to their left form the letter “K.”
• The four red stars are presented as they appear on the State of Ohio flag. Here, they represent four segments of Kent history: pre-settlement, settlement and canal era, railroad era, and university founding.
• The blue is meant to signify determination, liberation, alertness and good fortune. Green represents Kent’s agricultural history, prosperity, fertility, youthfulness, hope and the Tree City.
• White, the symbol of peace and harmony, reflects Kent’s history of seeking peace and harmony locally and globally. Red is meant to pay homage to the state flower (carnation) and the state bird (cardinal).

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