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Carson City, Nevada (U.S.)

2:3 image(s) by permission of David B. Martucci
image(s) from American City Flags, Raven 9-10 (2002-2003), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright.

Carson City
Current Flag
- Design
- Symbolism
- Selection
- Designer
Variant or older flag(?)
City Seal

See also:

Carson City

Carson City is a City County unit which replaced Ormsby County and Carson City.
James J. Ferrigan III, 5 January 2001

Current Flag

Text and image(s) from American City Flags, Raven 9-10 (2002-2003), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright. Image(s) from American City Flags by permission of David B. Martucci.

Design

The specifications of Carson City’s flag are established in detail by ordinance, based on a field that is 4 by 6 feet. The flag is a horizontal tribar of white, blue, and white stripes, each one foot, four inches wide. The blue stripe is “process blue” and has two narrow white horizontal stripes one inch wide running across it, two and one-half inches from the top and bottom edges of the blue stripe. Over the blue stripe is a modified version of the circular city seal, 20 inches in diameter, its center one foot, seven inches from the hoist edge. A white line one inch wide encircles the seal on the portion that rests on the blue stripe.

The seal itself is enclosed in a narrow blue ring and depicts in its center the dome of the state capitol. Over the capitol fly (on the same pole) the United States flag, and below it, and slightly smaller, the Nevada state flag, both in full color. The white capitol is centered on a silhouette of the state in blue. In the upper hoist quadrant of the seal is a very large brown golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), in flight toward the fly; about half of its right wing extends beyond the seal onto the blue stripe and its left wing arches over the capitol, but behind the flagpole. Behind the eagle and capitol are blue sky and white clouds. Just above the center on both sides of the seal are snow-capped mountains. The remainder of the seal’s background is white. A narrow black line, passing behind the base of the capitol dome, divides the upper and lower half of the seal.

Dominating the lower hoist quadrant is a Pony Express rider on a horse in full gallop, facing the fly. The rider’s hat is white; his scarf, yellow; his shirt, “process magenta”; his vest, brown; his trousers, blue; his boots, black. The horse is a dark brown. Above the rider’s head is a white five-pointed star on the state silhouette, marking the location of Carson City as the state’s capital. Dominating the lower fly quadrant is an 1875 Virginia & Truckee Railroad steam locomotive (No. 22, The Inyo) and its tender, in three-quarter profile, shaded in black and white, headed toward the viewer. Most of its smokestack extends into the upper fly quadrant. Steam is emitting from the train’s whistle, behind the smokestack. Below the rider and locomotive, in the center in black lettering, is FOUNDED in Casio Open Face font, and immediately below, in the same font, but twice as large, is 1858, followed by two smaller letters, CC, all in black.

Curved above the seal, within a radius of 14 inches from the seal’s center, is CARSON CITY, and below, within the same radius, NEVADA, all in blue letters in Helvetica Condensed bold type.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Symbolism

Blue and white are the city’s official colors. The inner ring of the seal represents the city’s sphere of influence as the hub of government in northwest Nevada. The mountains are the Sierra Nevada and Carson ranges that surround Eagle Valley where Carson City is located.

The eagle recalls that the first permanent settlers hung a stuffed eagle over the doorway of their log cabin in November 1851 and suggests the courage, strength, perseverance, and stability of Carson City over the decades. The Pony Express came through Carson City in 1860 and was important to the territory’s development into a state. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad united Carson City with the rest of the United States and was the city’s largest employer for several decades. Carson City was named and surveyed as a town in 1858. The CC on the seal is for the United States Mint that was established there (all coins minted in the city bore the mint mark “CC” for Carson City).
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Selection

The Carson City Historical Commission developed the design and submitted it to the board of supervisors.
Flag adopted: 28 December 1992 (official).
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Designer

Verne R. Horton, a commercial artist, created the flag based on the elements suggested by the historical commission.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Variant or older flag(?)

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 February 2008

City Seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 5 October 2019
Source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com