The flag of Wheeling, West Virginia, is a horizontal tricolor of blue and white, with five yellow compass roses in the center.
Symbolism[]
The three sections symbolize river, road and rail. The two blue sections represent the Ohio River and Wheeling Creek. The five stars are navigational stars, paying tribute to Wheeling as a transportation hub. Each star represents a different era in Wheeling's history.[1]
- The first star - The Indigenous Star: represents local tribes that used to live in this area.[2]
- The second star - The Frontier Star: notable for the Zane brothers and their settlements/Fort Henry.[2]
- The third star - The Transportation Star: centering the city as the hub of the early modes of transportation.[2]
- The fourth star - The Statehood Star: it was once the capital of West Virginia.[2]
- The fifth star - The Industrial Star: represents how it once used to be an industrial powerhouse.[2]
Former flag (1968-2018)[]
The former flag of Wheeling is a white background with a blue border. On the center are two yellow lines, and an emblem in the center. The emblem consists of a circle with a white frame, split between depictions of a church and buildings, and yellow, with a speeding white V-shape. Surrounding the circle, is a blue wreath. On the top and bottom of the emblem are the words "CITY OF" and "WHEELING" in yellow and outlined in black. It lasted from 1968 to 2018, following a flag redesign contest.
2022 NAVA survey[]
The flag reached 8th out of 312 on the 2022 NAVA City Flag Survey, with a score of 7.52, and a grade of an A, tied with Lincoln and ahead of Springfield.
