In June 2022, the city of Kent formed a flag committee to choose the new design for the city’s official flag. Of the 68 unique designs submitted by community members, the final choices have been narrowed down to three.
The city’s current flag was designed by a Holden Elementary student in 1975, but has hardly been seen since. The city thinks it’s now time for an update.
The indicates the goal for the new flag is to be a timeless symbol of unity for the community. The committee has used the North American Vexillological Association’s guide on good flag design in its deliberation, eliminating symbols that could be divisive or those that specifically reference or Theodore Roosevelt High School.
Members of the Kent community are encouraged to visit the display, read about each design and share their voices through a . Physical surveys will also be provided at the library, which the public may return or mail. The deadline is June 16, 2023.
The final three designs will be on display from March 1-June 15, 2023, at the Kent Free Library, at 312 W. Main St.
Those who visit the display have an opportunity to rank the designs in order of most to least favorite and provide feedback which may help the committee in its final decision.
The new Kent city flag will be displayed at the Kent Heritage Festival, the new City Hall, throughout downtown and will hopefully be flown at Kent residents’ homes.
All three flags are burgee-shaped, which pays homage to the state of Ohio flag as well as recalling Kent’s original flag.
Option A:
Green is a symbol of agricultural influence, prosperity, fertility, youthfulness and hope. It also serves to symbolize Kent’s status as the Tree City.
Option B:
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:
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.
To read the full description of each flag and vote on your favorite, please visit the .