What does the West Virginia state flag symbolize?

It symbolizes the state's identity: a farmer and a miner for its work, crossed rifles for the fight for freedom, and a rhododendron wreath for its nature.

What does the West Virginia flag say?

The flag has the words State of West Virginia on a red ribbon, and the Latin motto Montani Semper Liberi , meaning Mountaineers are always free.

What is the date on the West Virginia flag?

The stone in the coat of arms is marked June 20, 1863, which is the date West Virginia became a state.

Did West Virginia change its flag?

The current flag was adopted in 1929 and it has stayed the same since.

What is West Virginia's state flower?

The rhododendron is the state flower. It makes up the wreath around the coat of arms on the flag.

West Virginia Flag: Meaning, Symbols & History

The West Virginia flag is a white field with a blue border and the state coat of arms in the center. A wreath of rhododendron surrounds it, with a red ribbon above reading "State of West Virginia".

What the West Virginia flag looks like

The state flag of West Virginia is white with a wide blue border. In the center is the coat of arms of the state. A wreath of rhododendron, the state flower, surrounds it, and a red ribbon above the wreath carries the words State of West Virginia.

The arms show a farmer on one side and a miner on the other, standing beside a rock covered in ivy. Between them are two crossed rifles with a liberty cap on top, and a stone carved with the date June 20, 1863. The Latin motto Montani Semper Liberi is written on a ribbon. The flag is quite long, around 1.9 times as wide as it is tall.

West Virginia flag meaning and symbolism

The farmer and the miner stand for agriculture and mining, the two chief occupations of the state. The crossed rifles and the liberty cap show that freedom was won by arms, and the date is the day West Virginia joined the Union. The motto means "Mountaineers are always free", and it is a reference to the mountain landscape and to the spirit of independence.

The rhododendron wreath represents the state flower, which blooms across the mountains. The white field with the blue border is a simple frame, with the color scheme linking back to the flag of the United States. For a broader comparison, see our U.S. state flags.

History of the West Virginia flag

West Virginia separated from Virginia during the Civil War and became the 35th state on June 20, 1863. The coat of arms was created at that time. The state did not have an official flag for decades after, and the first design combining the arms with a wreath was approved in the early twentieth century.

The current design was adopted by the legislature on March 7, 1929. That version put a simple blue border around the white field, added the red ribbon and made the rhododendron wreath the main frame for the arms. The design has not changed since. It is flown at the capitol in Charleston and across the state, and the neighboring Virginia flag uses a very different style.