Guides
The Chicago Flag, Explained: What the Four Stars and Two Stripes Mean
The Chicago flag is one of the most recognised city flags in the world: two light-blue stripes and four red six-pointed stars on a white field. You see it on every block of the city, tattooed on forearms, and on the hats and socks in our shop. Here is what every part of it means.
The two blue stripes
The top stripe stands for Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River. The bottom stripe stands for the South Branch of the river and the Great Canal. The three white bands between and around them are the three sides of the city: the North Side, the West Side and the South Side.
The four red stars
Each star marks an event that shaped the city, and each of its six points carries its own meaning.
- Fort Dearborn (added 1939). The 1803 fort that stood where Michigan Avenue crosses the river. Its points stand for transportation, labour, commerce, finance, populousness and salubrity.
- The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The fire that destroyed the city and started the rebuild. Its points stand for religion, education, aesthetics, justice, beneficence and civic pride.
- The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. The world’s fair that put Chicago on the map. Its points stand for the six flags that have flown over the land: France, Great Britain, Virginia, the Northwest Territory, Indiana Territory and Illinois.
- A Century of Progress, 1933. The second world’s fair. Its points stand for Chicago as the second-largest city (at the time), the Latin motto “Urbs in Horto” (City in a Garden), the “I Will” motto, the Great Central Market, the Wonder City and the Convention City.
Why six-pointed stars?
Designer Wallace Rice chose six points on purpose in 1917 so the stars would not be confused with the five-pointed stars of the US flag. Each point is sharp and the stars are set in a row, which is why the flag reads so clearly at a distance.
A short history
The city held a design competition in 1917 and adopted Rice’s two-star flag that year. The third star came in 1933 for the Century of Progress fair and the fourth in 1939 for Fort Dearborn, which is why the stars are not in date order. A fifth star has been proposed many times, for the Cubs, the Bulls or the Chicago Public Library, and always turned down.
How to wear it
Chicagoans wear the flag more than any other city we know of. The most popular pieces in our shop are the Chicago flag caps, socks, magnets, keychains and stickers, and the flag scarf when the wind comes off the lake. All of them are in store at 343 E Illinois St and ship anywhere in the US.
Frequently asked
What do the four stars on the Chicago flag mean? Fort Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Century of Progress Exposition of 1933.
What do the blue stripes mean? Lake Michigan and the two branches of the Chicago River.
Why are the stars six-pointed? To tell them apart from the five-pointed stars of the US flag.
When was the Chicago flag adopted? 1917, with stars added in 1933 and 1939.
