Kansas
Best: Wichita
Wow, this one really is unique
(even if they stole that symbol from the New Mexico flag). Hard to believe this
baby is 80 years old. Yup, it was
designed by local artist Cecil McAlister, way back in 1937. He got $40 for it.
The North American Vexillological
Association ranked this one pretty high – 6 out of 150.
Worst: Countryside
Ah, yes, the PowerPoint school of flag design. This suburb
of Kansas City 1) is only 3x4 blocks big and 2) was absorbed by neighboring
Mission in 2003. I’m not sure it’s even worth coming up with anything new for
this one.
Kentucky
No, it’s not all that great. Honestly, though, you should
see the competition.
It actually flies with this odd streamer below it:
Maybe we could make a play on that streamer – adding the
seal, say, to make it more official (and, yes, we are redoing the best this state has to offer):
If you do keep the original, however, do please ditch that trademark
symbol. Thanks.
Almost forgot … This burg of 23,000 is just south of
Cincinnati.
Honorable mention: Louisville's former city flag
Honorable mention: Louisville's former city flag
Worst: Alexandria
I call this one “text on a bedsheet” (“TOB”).
The town itself has about a third the people of Florence,
but is in the same rough area. Interestingly, Alexandria shares the county seat
(of Campbell County) with another town (Newport).
Alexandria, KY was supposedly named after Alexandria, VA, so
maybe we could get a redesign going around their flag, which is not bad:
Because Alexandria, KY is right between two rivers, the Ohio
on the East and the Licking on the West, maybe we could add some blue to either
side to reflect that – and to liven things up a little as well:
I’ll let the Alexandrians themselves work on that seal. Heck,
they could even make it purple if they want. ... Nah
Louisiana
Best: Lafayette
It might not have occurred to you right off the bat, but
this is actually a cursive L. Can you see it now? Clever, huh? I don’t know,
maybe they should a little show more of the letter.
Lafayette is generally considered the capital of Cajun
country. It has almost 130,000 people.
Worst: Mamou
Did we leave anything out?
So, I guess this little town of 4,000 is supposed to be the musical capital of Cajun country. Well,
they do have a well-known venue (Fred’s Lounge), feature in a number of song titles,
and have their own festival. So …
A redesign could keep those (traditional Mardi Gras) stripes
of colors but maybe limit the number of other things. Heck, let’s keep it super
simple and just include a treble clef (symbolizing music, doncha know):
Maine
Best: Bath
A classic – and very classy – traditional heraldic
treatment. Indeed, the flag shares those wavy lines (representing a river) with
the coat of arms for Bath, England (nice touch, that).
The Bath on this side of the pond is a city of 8,500, near
Portland. It’s known for shipbuilding, and is pretty darn quaint and touristy.
I should know – I visited there once.
By the way, Bathers (I guess that’s what they’re called) are
very proud of having their flag approved by the North American Vexillological Association.
Worst: Lubec
I’m surprised this doesn’t have some ads on it. It looks a little like a diner menu.
Another scenic place, this one is right on the border with
Canada. It’s got about 1,300 people.
I guess we could refashion it after the flag of Lubeck,
Germany (for which it was named), but that thing’s just too darned German:
I know, I know! How about if we just take that cool
lighthouse and plop it on a nice, clean blue background:
Feel free to add the name,
some compass points, the sun, whatever … Just don’t overdo it.
Maryland
Best : Rockville
Another classic heraldic look,
this is based on the town’s seal, which is in turn based on the coat of
arms of some guy, I guess. Wish I knew a little bit more.
This suburb of DC has a population of 60,000. F. Scott
Fitzgerald is buried here for some reason.
Worst: Somerset
This looks like one of those flags you buy at the local
garden shop. Just stick it in your lawn to signal summer.
We’re in the great DC sprawl again, but with only 1,000
folks this time.
There’s not a lot to this little town (it only dates back to
1890), so perhaps we could take some inspiration from the flag for the shire of
the same name back in Merrie Ol’ England:
Here’s a little something to distinguish It a little – a play
on the Maryland flag:
See what I did there?
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