We all know the South Carolina flag. Its unmistakable design lines each corner of the Palmetto State, from license plates and bumper stickers, to the poles outside schools and government buildings.
That got us thinking — why doesn’t Greenville have a flag?
Flag vs. seal
While a flag is used to symbolize a city’s culture, identity, history, or any other facet of life, a seal is a functional tool of government. Greenville’s is pictured above — you might have seen it stamped onto official documentation after waiting in line at City Hall.
But in Greenville, plenty of thought went into the circular black and white image.
A quick history lesson
In 1973, the city was looking for a new seal, and had a list of criteria:
- They wanted something round.
- They wanted something symbolic.
- They wanted something with strong visual identity.
- And they wanted a progressive, modern image.
The lines with the dots above represent people, the triangles between them are representative of nature and could be seen as trees or mountains, and the cog in the middle represents industry.
All three are connected within a circular structure to symbolize the unity of these three elements working together.
Flagging down the future
So, why doesn’t Greenville have a flag? There’s not really a clear answer for this. Officials simply haven’t chosen to create one.
Charlotte’s flag has stood for almost 100 years, Columbia recently adopted a new one, and even Asheville has one.
Perhaps Greenville will join the club one day. The closest we can find is a Reddit user’s flag designs for the city, posted several years ago. With so many wonderful creatives + artists in this city, it’s surely only a matter of time.
Do you want Greenville to adopt a flag? Let us know.
