The flag of Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

, was designed by Walter T. Proctor. Set on a blue background is a red vertical stripe along the hoist with the right side of the stripe angling inward toward the hoist and a white balance of three horizontal "bridges."

Red stripe

Although there is no documented symbolism for the red stripe, its creator indicated that the selection of the colors red, white and blue were to mirror the color scheme of the flag of the United States of America

Flag of the United States

The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...

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White bridges

The three white "bridges" across the flag symbolize the Grand, Locust, and Walnut Street bridges at the Des Moines River

Des Moines River

The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...

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Blue background

In the same pane of the flag as the bridges, the blue background symbolizes the water of the Des Moines River.

History

In 1974, the Des Moines City Council had an open submission of proposed city flag designs. When Walter T. Proctor's design was adopted by the City Council on April 15, 1974, he formalized the importance of the Des Moines River Walnut, Locust, and Grand Street bridges to the city. The flag depicts the, in Proctor's words, "modern bridges" that connect the east and west sides of the city across a key geographical landmark in Des Moines: Des Moines River

Des Moines River

The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...

. Proctor believes these bridges symbolize the unity of the city otherwise divided by the river.

About the river and bridges

The river flows north/south along the east side of downtown is the center of city services (city hall

City hall

In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...

, armory

Armory (military)

An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...

, library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

, police station

Police station

A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...

). Des Moines is again developing community attractions around the River by building a multi-million dollar urban riverwalk

Principal Riverwalk

Principal Riverwalk is a recreational park district now being built along the banks of the Des Moines River in Des Moines, Iowa.Funded by the city of Des Moines, Principal Financial and the Iowa state government, Riverwalk will featuring a 1.2 mile recreational trail connecting the east and west...

 along the river, largely funded by Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group is a publicly traded corporation based in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.The Principal Financial Group is a global financial services provider which offers a wide range of financial products and services, and is a U.S. leader in 401 plans. Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, the...

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