The flag of Salem, 
Oregon, is a white background, with a blue stripe on the hoist, and a pink cherry blossom to the right of the center.
The flag was adopted on July 11, 2022, in a flag redesign contest, won by Jordan Keagle.
Symbolism[]
The cherry blossom represents Salem as the "The Cherry City" for its' cherry trees. The star represents the state capital. The blue represents the Willamette River.
Flag redesign[]
The Salem Flag Project launched a design contest in July 2020, accepting submissions for one year. Four finalists (the flags below) were selected by the Flag Committee and presented for a public vote in December 2021. The results were then submitted to the city council, which chose the final design on July 11, 2022.
.webp "Salem (flag redesign).webp (354 KB)")
2022 NAVA survey[]
The flag scored 7.66, was ranked 3rd out of 312, and got a grade of an A on the 2022 NAVA City Flag Survey, behind Reno, Nevada, and ahead of Norman, Oklahoma.
Former flag (1972-2022)[]
The former flag is a white field with five bands of yellow, blue and green forming a big white star. On the green band is a depiction of a building, and on the long yellow band there is the word "salem" written in white. It was adopted on 14 April 1972.
Symbolism[]
The star represents the city as the capital of Oregon. The white background shows peace and honor. The blue symbolizes sky and water, the green - freshness and eternal hope, and the golden yellow - fulfillment and the enjoyment of nature’s bounty. Together these colors also indicate the four seasons and are reminiscent of Salem’s setting, between mountains, rivers, and fields.
2004 NAVA survey[]
It scored a total of 4.71 / 51st out of 150 on the 2004 NAVA City Flag Survey, behind Charleston (West Virginia), and ahead of Fort Wayne.
