Abbotsford

Abbotsford
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Adopted	October 25, 1995
Designed by	Robert D. Watt
Proportions	3:5

The flag of Abbotsford, British Columbia, is a green field with diagonal, horizontal, and vertical blue stripes outlined thick in yellow, a yellow disc in the center and a Yorkshire flower inside of it,

Symbolism

Abbotsford is known as the “Hub of the Fraser Valley” and the flag is a symbolic depiction of this slogan. The bars represent the roads in the area, with the central disc representing Abbotsford at the centre of the crossroads. The green field represents the agricultural fields, meadows, and forests within Abbotsford. The green was derived from the flag of the District of Matsqui (which amalgamated with the District of Abbotsford in June 1995 to become the City of Abbotsford). The strawberry plant (Fragaria sp.) is called a “fraise” in heraldry. It is a pun on “Fraser” for Simon Fraser, the fur trader and explorer who mapped much of British Columbia, for whom the valley and river were named in about 1808. The plant also represents the strawberry itself, an important agricultural product of the area. The flag is a banner of the city’s arms.