Minnesota Flag

The flag of Minnesota is a royal blue field featuring the state seal centered within a gold (yellow) border and surrounded by 19 gold stars arranged in a circular pattern. The central seal is a complex emblem depicting a Native American on horseback riding away from a settler plowing a field, with a waterfall, pine trees, and the year 1858 prominently displayed. The flag's design is categorized as a seal on a bedsheet, a common style for U.S. state flags, though Minnesota's version is distinguished by its gold border and star circle framing the seal.

Below the central emblem, a red ribbon contains the state motto in French, 'L'Étoile du Nord' (The Star of the North). Three dates are woven into the seal's imagery: 1819 (establishment of Fort Snelling), 1858 (statehood), and 1893 (adoption of the first state flag). The flag's current design, adopted in 2024, replaced a previous version that had been in use since 1957 and was widely criticized for its complex and dated imagery.

The new flag features a simplified, modern design with a dark blue shape resembling Minnesota on the left, a white eight-pointed star on the blue, and a solid light blue field on the right. This design was selected to be more distinctive, memorable, and representative of the state's identity, moving away from the traditional seal-on-a-bedsheet format.

The central symbolism of the new flag is its eight-pointed star, which represents Minnesota's motto, 'L'Étoile du Nord'. The star's eight points symbolize the state's eight recognized sovereign Native nations: the Dakota and Ojibwe communities. The dark blue shape on the hoist is an abstract representation of Minnesota's distinctive geography, evoking its lakes, rivers, and natural boundaries.

The color scheme carries specific meaning: the light blue field signifies the state's abundant waters, the white represents winter snow, and the dark blue of the shape symbolizes the night sky. The overall design is intended to be a unifying symbol, focusing on the state's landscape and the North Star as a guiding symbol, moving beyond the complex and contested historical narratives depicted in the old state seal.

Minnesota's first official state flag was adopted in 1893, featuring the state seal on a blue field. This design was revised in 1957 to remove offensive language from the seal and standardize the flag's appearance. For decades, this flag was consistently ranked poorly by vexillologists for being overly complex and indistinguishable from other state flags at a distance.

In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature established the State Emblems Redesign Commission to create new designs for the flag and seal. After a public submission process and extensive review, the commission selected the final design. The new flag was officially adopted by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz in May 2024, with an effective date of May 11, 2024, known as Statehood Day.