Boise

Boise
Country	United States
State	Idaho
Adopted	March 2001 (modified in 2020)
Proportions	3:5

The flag of Boise, Idaho, is a blue background with the city's logo in the center. A narrow horizontal white stripe extends from the lower half of the logo to the flag's edges.

Symbolism

The capitol dome denotes Boise's role as capital city of Idaho. The trees reflect its motto, "City of Trees". The motto suggests the origin of the name of the city, corrupted from the French "Les Bois", "The Woods".

Other flags

On May 6, 2025, the Boise City Council passed a resolution 5-1 to approve two flags that fly outside the City Hall, the Progress Pride flag and a Donate Life flag, as official city flags. Like with Salt Lake City, which passed a similar ordinance adopting three new official city flags on the same day, this came after the state limited what flags governments could fly.

Progress Pride Flag

Donate Life Flag

History

Boise
(1921-1972)

Boise
(1972-2001)

Boise
(2001-2020)

Boise
(2020-present)

Flag redesign

On January 10, 2025, the city announced that it was inviting residents to help redesign its flag. A public survey was launched on January 13, and closed on January 31. It asked the community to share ideas and values they want reflected in the design. Nearly 3,000 responses were submitted. The process would be in four phases, which included local artists submitting designs in February, with the deadline for submissions on February 24, 2025, and the finalists were chosen through a blind review by the Flag Design Committee in March. Voting started on April 3, and was expected to end on April 18, and the new flag was to be unveiled in May. However, the finalist designs received backlash from the public, leading to a petition which gained over 3,000 signatures. On April 8, 2025, the mayor announced that the city would be keeping its current flag.

Below are the four finalists that were originally chosen.

Flag Entry A

Flag Entry A is a wavy diagonal tricolor of yellow, blue, and green, with a yellow five-pointed star at the bottom right corner in the green section.

Symbolism

The yellow section at the top symbolizes the Boise Foothills, reflecting the city's beautiful natural landscapes and outdoor recreational opportunities. The middle blue stripe represents the Boise River, central to the city's life and a key element in its geography and recreation. The green at the bottom stands for Boise's Greenbelt and the greenery of Boise. The star represents the capital.

Flag Entry B

Flag Entry B is a dark blue background with a disc containing a wavy unequal horizontal tricolor of white, light blue, and green, with a dark blue five-pointed star above the wavy blue stripe in the white section.

Symbolism

The dark blue represents justice and wisdom. The star in the center indicates Boise as the capital city of Idaho. The circle symbolizes community. The green represents the beautiful nature in and surrounding the city. The light blue wavy line represents the Boise River that cuts through the city and is the center of so much year-round activity. The white represents hope and optimism.

Flag Entry C

Flag Entry C is a wavy unequal diagonal tricolor of green, white, and blue, with a white syringa flower (with five petals rather than four) containing a yellow five-pointed star in the green section.

Symbolism

The syringa flower is the state flower of Idaho. The star symbolizes the state capital. The squiggly white line separating the blue and the green shows the Boise River. The squiggly line also represents the Boise foothills. The green symbolizes nature, along the river, in the Botanical Gardens, and all around Boise.

Flag Entry D

Flag Entry D is a wavy unequal vertical tricolor of green, dark blue, and light blue, with a white syringa flower (with five petals rather than four) containing a yellow five-pointed star in the green section.

Symbolism

The blue represents the Boise River and the green represents the trees. The syringa flower is the state flower of Idaho. The star symbolizes the state capital.