Why does the Texas flag have one star?

The single star stands for Texas as a sovereign republic and later as a unified state, giving it the name Lone Star State. It is meant to represent all of Texas.

What is the only flag that can fly above the U.S. flag?

The U.S. Flag Code does not allow any state flag to be flown above the national flag. The usual exceptions are the United Nations flag at its headquarters and the church pennant during naval chaplain services. Texas is often said to be an exception, but it is not.

Why does Texas have a different flag?

Every U.S. state has its own flag. The Texas design dates from the independent Republic of Texas in 1839 and was kept as the state flag after Texas joined the Union in 1845.

What are the six flags of Texas?

The phrase refers to the governments that have ruled the territory, including Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas and the United States.

Texas Flag: Lone Star Meaning, Colors & History

Q: What do the colors of the Texas flag mean?

Under the 1933 flag code, blue stands for loyalty, white for strength and red for bravery. They are also the colors of the U.S. flag.

The Texas flag, known as the Lone Star Flag, has a blue vertical band at the hoist with one white star, beside two equal horizontal bands of white over red. It was first flown by the Republic of Texas in 1839.

What the Texas flag looks like

The Texas flag has a simple three-part layout. A vertical blue band covers the left third of the flag, and a single white five-pointed star sits in its center, pointing upward. The remaining two thirds are split into two equal horizontal bands, white on top and red below.

The proportions are 2:3 and the blue band is exactly one third of the length. Because it has no seal, no text and no extra symbol, it is one of the most recognizable of all U.S. state flags. The same pattern is used in many other places in Texas, from license plates to the walls of buildings.

Texas flag meaning and symbolism

The single star gives Texas its nickname, the Lone Star State. It first stood for Texas as a separate and independent republic, and it has come to mean state pride and the unity of all Texans. The star is usually described as a symbol of the whole state rather than any one region.

The colors share the red, white and blue of the flag of the United States. The 1933 Texas flag code assigns them meanings: blue for loyalty, white for strength and red for bravery. That code also sets the official shades and rules for display.

History of the Texas flag

Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836. The first national flag of the new republic, sometimes called the Burnet flag, was a blue field with a large gold star. The design we know today was approved by the Congress of the Republic of Texas in January 1839, and it is commonly credited to Senator William H. Wharton, though some historians question who designed it.

Texas joined the United States in 1845, and the Lone Star Flag became the state flag. In 1933 the legislature adopted an official flag code to set exact colors and proportions and to describe how to display it. It also introduced a pledge to the flag, which was extended in 2007 with the words "under God".

The phrase "six flags over Texas" refers to six governments that have ruled the land: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas and the United States, among others.

Flying the Texas flag

A popular belief says the Texas flag can fly higher than the American flag because Texas was once an independent country. That is a myth. Under the U.S. Flag Code, no state flag may fly above the national flag when they are shown together. Texas law allows its flag to be flown at the same height as the national flag, which is where the confusion comes from. Texas also has a state flag pledge and rules on handling and retiring worn flags.