El Paso, Texas (U.S.)

El Paso County

Last modified: 2021-04-24 by rick wyatt
Keywords: texas | el paso | el paso county |
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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
  • Design
  • Symbolism
  • Selection
  • Designer
  • More about the Flag
• Alternate flag
• Previous flag
• The seal
• Police Department

See also:

• El Paso Community College
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• University of Texas at El Paso
• El Paso County
• Municipal Flags of Texas (index page)
• County Flags of Texas (index page)
• Texas
• United States of America

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 field of El Paso’s flag is dark blue with a traditional city emblem, an augmentation of the city seal, in the center. The center of the emblem is a gray five-pointed star, half of each point shaded in black making it appear three-dimensional. The hoist side of the top point of the star is shaded, as are the corresponding sides of the other points. The star overlays a bright yellow sun with 35 equal rays emanating from its circumference. The sun is on a maroon field (described officially as “red-purple”), and is enclosed within a narrow white circle that forms the inner edge of a maroon ring around the sun, its outer edge also bordered in white. An open wreath of green olives leaves fills the sides of the ring. Above the ring is a wide heraldic ribbon, white on the front and maroon on the back. The ribbon is folded so that the front shows from about 10 to 2 o’clock, and its back ends hang down to 8 and 4 o’clock. On the ribbon appears CITY OF EL PASO in maroon in an Arial-type font. A shorter ribbon covers the lower central part of the ring, with TEXAS in the same letters.

The drawing accompanying the ordinance of adoption shows a flag of 3 by 5 feet. The emblem is positioned 17 inches from the edge of the hoist and the fly, and 6 inches from the top and bottom. The emblem measures 26 inches horizontally, and 24 inches vertically.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Symbolism

No real distinction is made between white and silver on the flag, and the red-purple portions appear as one color, although the intention was to make the field around the sun a darker purple than the other maroon areas. The ordinance of adoption mentions only “red-purple” and does not specify two shades. Similarly, only “green” is mentioned, not “yellow- green”.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Selection

In 1960, a group of Girl Scouts wanted to embroider a city flag, and as the project proceeded, they learned that the city flag in council chambers had an incorrect city seal. The city administration decided to re-design the flag and ultimately came up with a new flag design deemed more authentic historically.
Flag adopted: 29 March 1962 (official).
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

Designer

The city planning department, for the administration.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

More about the Flag

The emblem on the flag dates to about 1880; it was enclosed in a cornerstone of a new city hall built in 1899. When that city hall was demolished in 1958 to make way for a replacement, the emblem was recovered. In addition to the star and radiant sun, it also shows a spray of wheat on its dexter side and grapes and grape leaves on its sinister side.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

From www.elpasotexas.gov/records/research_flag.asp :
"OFFICIAL FLAG OF THE CITY OF EL PASO

Until June of 1948, El Paso did not have a flag, official or unofficial. During that year a Resolution was passed creating an official flag, however the one manufactured in 1948 and displayed until 1950 was not in conformance with the Resolution. It rather resembled the design of the State Seal encircled by the words "City of El Paso, Texas".

The need for a new city flag was brought to light in 1960 by a group of Girl Scouts who wanted to embroider a flag for their City as a project, making it as specified by the City Council in 1948. To correct the error, the City Council had a flag designed and created, patterned after the emblem which was sealed in the cornerstone of the old City Hall, erected in 1899 and demolished in 1959. Due to the complex design, the girl scouts did not embroider the flag and it was machine made by a specialist. It was officially adopted by the City Council on March 29, 1962. The significance of the colors and symbols incorporated into the Official Flag of the City of El Paso are:

1. Golden-Yellow Richness of sunny climate
2. Yellow-Green Hope, good fortune and vitality
3. Silver Faith
4. White Purity
5. Blue Sincerity
6. Red-Purple Fellowship, warmth and shelter
7. Olive branches Peace, Plenty & land of promise
8. Wheat Staffs Abundance of produce
9. Grapes and vines Fertile land
10. Radiant Sun Superb climate
11. Star El Paso's pride in being a part of the "Lone Star State"".

Alternate flag

image by Tomislav Sipek, 23 February 2018

The flag of El Paso, Texas in use in February 2018 is different from the one pictured above. This picture was posted by Gerald Abella on the FOTW Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/.
Dave Fowler, 22 February 2018

Previous flag

image by Rob Raeside, 5 December 2014

Based on research by John Purcell, and published in American City Flags, El Paso had an earlier flag:

FORMER FLAGS: El Paso 1948-1960
"adopted its first flag on 17 June 1948. The ordinance of adoption specifies its design: Now therefore, be it resolved that the official flag of the city of El Paso shall be a light blue field with the seal of the City in gold in or near the center thereof. The flag was manufactured in a 5:8 ratio, but instead of the official seal of the city, the manufacturer used what was termed a city "crest", which was really the seal of the State of Texas with the city's name on a ring around it."
Ben Cahoon, 5 December 2014

The flag above is the flag as it was made. If the flag were to be made as intended by the text quoted, it would look more like the image below.
Rob Raeside, 5 December 2014

image by Rob Raeside, 5 December 2014

The official city seal does not have the olive and oak branches that wreathe the state seal, on the one hand, and on the other, the city seal has the name of the state spelled out around the star, one letter between each set of points. Since the “crest” was widely used (and still is) on city stationery, the difference went noticed until 1960 when the Girl Scouts examined the flag more closely, thinking to embroider a new one. Thus, with the adoption of a new flag, the 1948 version was never actually made.
John M. Purcell, American City Flags, Raven 9-10, 2002-2003

The seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 31 December 2019

Source: https://www.elpasotexas.gov/~/media/images/coep/main%20city/logos/el-paso-city-seal.ashx 
Paul Bassinson, 31 December 2019

Police Department

image by Valentin Poposki, 28 February 2021