California State Flag

What Is the California State Flag?

The California state flag is the official banner representing California. A white field covers most of the flag. A red stripe runs along the bottom edge.

A brown grizzly bear walks across green grass beneath a red star. The words California Republic appear below the bear in bold capital letters. Each element comes from the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt.

Government buildings, schools, and public locations across California fly this flag.

Meaning of the California State Flag

The California state flag represents the state's period of independence during the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846. Each element reflects California's transition from Mexican territory to U.S. statehood.

The grizzly bear symbolizes strength and unyielding resistance. Grizzly bears roamed California when settlers raised the original Bear Flag. The bear projected power during the uprising.

The red star recalls the Lone Star Flag flown during the 1836 revolt against Mexican rule. The white background stands for purity. The red stripe reflects courage.

History of the California State Flag

The flag design originated during the Bear Flag Revolt in June 1846. American settlers in Sonoma raised a handmade banner to signal their break from Mexican rule. William L. Todd painted the original flag using blackberry juice and fabric scraps from local women.

The original Bear Flag flew for less than a month. On July 9, 1846, the U.S. Navy hauled it down and raised the Stars and Stripes. The original flag was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The California Legislature authorized a new version on February 3, 1911. The bear varied depending on the manufacturer until 1953. That year, Governor Earl Warren signed specifications standardizing the design. Donald Graeme Kelley illustrated the official version based on an 1855 watercolor by Charles Christian Nahl.

Previous Versions of the California State Flag

1836

Lone Star Flag

Featured a single red star on white, flown during Juan Alvarado's rebellion against Mexican rule.

1846

Storm's Bear Flag

Designed by Peter Storm and raised in Sonoma during the Bear Flag Revolt.

1846

Todd's Bear Flag

Created by William L. Todd with a bear, star, and California Republic text painted with limited materials.

1911–present

Modern State Flag

The official California state flag, standardized in 1953 based on Charles Christian Nahl's watercolor.

Symbols of the California State Flag

California State Flag Bear

A brown grizzly bear walks across the center of the flag. Grizzly bears roamed California before disappearing in the early twentieth century.

Settlers chose the bear during the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 to project strength and resolve. The 1953 standardized version was modeled after Monarch, the last California grizzly in captivity who died in 1911. Artist Charles Christian Nahl painted Monarch in 1855. Kelley used that watercolor as his reference.

California State Flag Star

A red five-pointed star appears in the upper left corner. This element connects the flag to earlier revolutionary designs.

The star appeared on the Lone Star Flag flown during the 1836 revolt against Mexico. It links multiple independence movements in California's history.

California State Flag Red Stripe

A horizontal red stripe runs along the bottom of the flag. It balances the design and anchors the central imagery.

Early Bear Flag designs included this stripe. The official version adopted by the state carried the element forward.

California Republic Text

The words California Republic appear below the bear. William Todd added this text to the original 1846 flag.

The phrase represents the brief period when American settlers declared California independent from Mexico. The republic lasted less than a month before the U.S. claimed the territory.

California State Flag Colors

The California state flag uses five colors: white, red, green, tan, and brown. California statute specifies exact shades through Cable numbers and Pantone values.

White forms the background field. Red colors the star, stripe, and bear's tongue. Green represents the grass beneath the bear. Tan colors the bear's body. Brown appears in the bear's shading, paws, and text. California is one of only four state flags without blue.

California State Flag Facts

• California adopted its state flag on February 3, 1911
• The design comes from the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt
• The grizzly bear is extinct in California since the 1920s
• The original 1846 flag was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake
• The flag was standardized in 1953 with exact color specifications
• The flag ranked 13th in a 2001 North American vexillological survey