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Las Vegas, Nevada (U.S.)

Clark County

3:5 image(s) by permission of David B. Martucci
image(s) from American City Flags, Raven 9-10 (2002-2003), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright.

Current Flag
Former Flag
Seal
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

See also:

Current Flag

Text and image(s) from American City Flags, Raven 9-10 (2002-2003), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright. Image(s) from American City Flags by permission of David B. Martucci.

Design

The ordinance of adoption sets forth the specifications for the flag of Las Vegas:

The flag for the City of Las Vegas shall be of cloth and three by five feet (3’x5’) in size. Smaller or larger reproductions may be made provided all parts and portions are proportionate to the dimensions as shown. In general, the flag shall have a Royal Blue background with a Silver diagonal stripe upon which a facsimile of the city seal shall be placed. The silver stripe shall be four and five-eighths inches (4-5/8”) in width. The upper edge of the stripe shall coincide with a line drawn diagonally from the upper left to the lower right corner.
The facsimile of the city seal shall be as follows. The center picture portion shall be the same in color and shape as the actual seal, however, the outer ring shall carry only the words City of Las Vegas, Nevada in the following manner: The words City of Las Vegas shall be centered in the upper outer ring and the word Nevada shall be centered in the lower outer ring. The seal facsimile, sixteen and one-half inches (16-1/2”) in diameter shall be placed in the center of the silver stripe. The center of the seal shall be exactly fifteen inches (15”) from the left edge of the flag. All other portions or parts of the flag shall be Royal Blue in color.

The “center picture” shows a cluster of three tall silvery buildings in the center, the middle building the tallest, the hoist building the shortest, and the fly building midway between the two in height. The buildings have yellow marquees framed in silver at their base. On the lower hoist side of the buildings is Hoover Dam (originally Boulder Dam) in white, at about the center of the seal horizontally, from which blue water of the Colorado River runs across the base of the seal to the center. A narrow portion of a brown cliff is on the hoist side of the dam. On the lower fly side, at about the same horizontal position as the top of the dam, is Sunrise Mountain, in brown with orange shadings. In the foreground in front of the mountain is a green Joshua bush with four limbs. The sun, in yellow with orange rays, rises behind the mountain where it joins the center buildings. The sky above is blue, from light to dark from the center to the edge of the scene. A jet plane flies in the distance near the hoist side, and heading in that direction, leaving a horizontal contrail. The outer ring around the seal has a royal blue field; the lettering on it and the edges of the ring are silver. The lettering above is clockwise and below, counterclockwise. John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Symbolism

Silver and blue were adopted as the city’s official colors on the same date as the flag’s adoption, representing the silver state of Nevada under clear skies of blue and in a land filled with beautiful natural colors. The buildings with their marquees suggest tourism, the city’s most important industry. Man-made Hoover Dam, controlling the Colorado River to form Lake Mead, complements the ruggedness of the natural desert symbolized by the mountain and Joshua bush. The jet represents civil and military air traffic in the region.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Selection

On 7 April 1965, the city council authorized a contest for a city flag design. The winning design was not officially adopted for 3 years.
Flag adopted: 2 October 1968 (official).
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Designer

Kenneth A. Bouton, an administrative assistant to the city manager.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

More about the Flag

When the flag was adopted, the city seal on it had been adopted two years earlier, on 19 October 1966. That seal was identical to the current seal except that in the lower half of the ring surrounding it, instead of just the name of the state, also appeared the name of the county, so that the lower portion of the ring read CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA, in silver letters on blue. On 7 November 1979, the seal was altered to remove the name of the county.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Former Flag

image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 2 March 2002

A white flag with the seal of the city.
Jarig Bakker, 2 March 2002

Seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 5 October 2019

Source: https://sawebfilesprod001.blob.core.windows.net/images/Logo/city-seal.png
Paul Bassinson, 5 October 2019

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

image by Randy Young, 7 October 2017

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. The flag of the LVMPD can be seen in photographs online, particularly at http://tactical360.511tactical.com/wp-content/uploads/20150810-P1080418.MOV.Still002.jpg and http://kvvu.images.worldnow.com/images/10972112_G.jpg. The flag features the seven-pointed star badge of the police department centered on a hunter green field. Arched above the badge are the words "LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN" in white capital letters, while the words "POLICE DEPARTMENT" are arched below in similar letters.
Randy Young, 7 October 2017