Appalachian Flag

Finally, this design was chosen from a list of 6 possible designs in an online vote taken by over 300 participants from Appalachian social media groups, receiving a vast majority of the votes. Following the vote, the design was placed under Creative Commons as to ensure the highest degree of ease of access is available to Appalachians interested in representing their region.

Color Scheme

• The green is representative of the lush forests that wrap around the ancient mountains and the rural setting of the region.
• The navy blue is representative of the blue hue that colors the distant ridgelines that rest on the horizon while traveling through Appalachia.
• The gold is representative of the morning sun pouring out over the distant hills, indicative of a bright future for those who reside in these hills.
• The off-white of the quilt star motif is taken from the color of cloth, indicative of a blank canvas from which each Appalachian may draw their own colorful story.
• Altogether, the design forms a depiction of the beautiful mountain landscape that is distinctly unique to the Appalachian region.

Design Elements

• The quilt star is a symbol found throughout Appalachian arts and crafts, commonly seen on the facades of barns and in the construction of quilts in many Appalachian homes. The inclusion of this symbol is meant to symbolize the unique Appalachian people that reside within the mountains, with every rendition of the star being done in the artist’s style and coloration, further including the diverse array of cultures, faces, and backgrounds in the Appalachian people.
• The horizontal construction of the flag is meant to convey the message of the overlapping scenes of the mountains on the horizon.
• The jagged peaks, while not common in much of Appalachia, are meant to convey a stronger symbol of mountains and match the quilt star’s geometry.
• The rolling lines of the rolling hills flag is meant to be closer to the reality of the Appalachian mountains for many people, conveying the actual topography of these weathered ancient mountains that many of us call home.
• the broken color fragments of the mountain quilt is meant to convey the analogy of a quilt, a common craft that can be found throughout Appalachia.

What was excluded from the design

• This design leaves out any semblance of reference toward ethnicity or race. While it is true that there are predominant trends in ethnic movements and backgrounds in Appalachia (the Scots-Irish likely being the most notable), Appalachia still is a constantly changing region with many different faces, each contributing to our region’s culture and identity in their own unique way. By including any sort of symbols for any specific ethnic background, you are simultaneously excluding every other background by not representing them. Therefore, the flag remains neutral in this and instead seeks to only represent the symbol that unites all of us: the mountains that we call home.
• The design leaves out any sort of reference to political affiliation. While general political cultures exist, the Appalachian region also has a colorful history with many different political leanings and the inclusion of political elements would only serve as a divisive and inconclusive element.
• This design leaves out any sort of reference to economic activity in the Appalachian region. While it is true that there were predominant resource industries that dotted this region, many of those economic activities have spotted history for many Appalachians and are not all-inclusive.