The official flag of Calgary features a

cowboy hat The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western and southern Unit ...

and the letter "C" on a red

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

, with white strips on the top and bottom of the field. The flag was adopted in 1983 as a result of a contest. Gwynneth Llewellyn and Yvonne Fritz, a former

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from sin ...

member, created the design. The previous design of the flag was a field of white, with a red vertical band on the left third. Within the red band was the city's coat of arms. The white portion of the flag featured the text "Calgary" with maple leaves of the Flag of Canada above and below the text.

Design and symbolism

First flag

Calgary's first flag featured a white field, with a red vertical band spanning the leftmost third of the flag. In the red band was a black letter "C" spanning the circumference of a vertically counterchanged version of the city's coat of arms, with the left half being white on black on red and the right half being black directly on the white. The "C" was half the height of the flag. To the right of the band was the text "Calgary" in all capital letters and a black, sans-serif font. Maple leaves like the one found on the Canadian national flag can be found above and below the text.

Second flag

The red field symbolizes the uniforms of the North-West Mounted Police. The flag's red and white colour scheme symbolizes hospitality and spirit. The white strips are both the height of the flag. The large "C" is the height of the flag and symbolizes the city's

centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

, character, culture, charm, and the harmony between the city and its citizens. The "C" features a small outer ring around the circumference of the C. The Calgary White Hat located within the "C" symbolizes the history of rodeo within Calgary. It was deliberately placed inside the "C" to symbolize the people living inside the city. Due to its colour scheme and use of a cowboy hat, the flag has been jokingly compared to the logo of the

Arby's Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, ''Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)". Arby ...

restaurant chain.

History

A contest was organized by the Centennial of Incorporation Committee, along with the city council. The winners were Gwin Clarke and Yvonne Fritz. Fritz would later serve in Alberta's Legislative Assembly for the Calgary-Cross district. It is assumed that the first design served until 3 October 1983, when it was replaced by the design which won the contest.

Usage

The flag flies outside

Calgary City Hall Calgary City Hall (often called Old City Hall or Historic City Hall), is the seat of government for Calgary City Council, located in the city's downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The historic building completed in 1911 serves as the offic ...

and flies in the

Calgary City Council The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 202 ...

chamber, though the flag is present throughout the city.

References