States101 
Minnesota
State Flag
The Minnesota flag was formally adopted on August 2, 1983. Since, Minnesota has maintained the same flag for the last 41 years.
The Minnesota flag was voted 52nd best out of 51 Flags ranked by the North American Vexillological Association.
The 4 main colors in the Minnesota flag are #3D68C9, #FFFFFF, #FCB216, and #ED1A3A. The Minnesota flag width is 1.6 times the height. Standard flag size is 3 feet x 4.8 feet.
We also provide high resolution and Scalar Vector Graph (SVG) downloadable images — free of charge. Go to Flag Downloads.
Buy Your Minnesota State Flag Now!Minnesota Flag
Colors
| #3D68C9 | 79.5% |
| #FFFFFF | 10.2% |
| #FCB216 | 3.9% |
| #ED1A3A | 1.3% |
Description
The Minnesota state flag depicts the state seal centered on a medium blue background with a gold border. Surrounding the seal in the middle of the flag is a circular ring with a white background and yellow border. Within the ring are 19 five-pointed stars arranged in four groups of four with one group of three stars at the top. The word “Minnesota” is printed in red letters at the bottom of the ring. Inside the seal, a bare-footed farmer plows a field while an axe, gun and powder horn sit nearby on a tree stump. An American Indian rides on a horse in the distance as the sun sinks on the horizon. The seal also includes a red ribbon with the dates "1819" and "1893" printed in gold. The Minnesota state motto, “L’etoile Du Nord,” is also on the ribbon and means “Star of the North.” Minnesota’s nickname is the “North Star State.” Over the seal in gold letters is the date, "1858," which is the year Minnesota was admitted to the union.
Meaning
The seal presented on this flag holds many motifs central to Minnesota. First, the American Indian riding off into the sunset represents the state’s strong heritage. His spear and horse along with those items on the tree stump show the common tools used for hunting and labor at one time. The tree stump may also represent the rise of the lumber industry within the state. Furthermore, beyond the falls are three pine trees, representing the state tree and the three pine regions of Minnesota: the St. Croix, Lake Superior, and the Mississippi. Next, the Mississippi River and St. Anthony’s Falls portrayed demonstrate the importance of these resources for transportation. The year 1819 displayed is when Historic Fort Snelling was erected at the junction of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. Lastly, the year the flag was officially adopted was 1893, thus the representation of the date on the flag.
History
The first Minnesota state flag was adopted in 1893 and was designed by Pauline Gerhardin Fjelde. Originally, this flag consisted of the state seal on one side against a field of blue with just a background of white on the other. Redesigned in 1957, the different-colored sides were eliminated which made it less expensive to manufacture. While the flag may seem simple, it has had its fair share of criticism. Some say the farmer watching a Native American in the background is a symbol of Manifest Destiny and the inevitability of the land being taken by white settlers. Several bills have been introduced in the Minnesota Legislature to study changes to the flag and offer alternative designs. Nothing has come from these studies yet.
Contribute: This article was written by users like you! If you can improve or add to this article, please Contact Us with your suggestions. Be sure to mention which state you are referring too!
Download Minnesota State Flag
Download Minnesota State Flag as a high quality SVG file. Scaler Vector Images (SVGs) look good at any size. This flag can be used as tiny icons (height less than 50px) or you can make the flag huge (height over 2000px) and still look great!
Or, you can Download All State Flags!
We also provide a large black and white Minnesota Flag Line Drawings for download. This coloring-book style image are perfect for student activities.
Link To Us
If you use these flags on your own website, please provide a link back to us. Your link ensures others can find these images too. When using our black and white line drawings, a link back to use is required. For all other flags, a link back is optional but greatly appreciated.
Simply copy the code below and insert it on pages where you display the flags. If you are not a developer, please direct your web developer to this page or provide them with the code snippet below.