City of Boise Flag

At the City of Boise, we are committed to creating a city for everyone—and that begins with listening to the people who call our city home. Over the past several months, we have explored a redesign of the City of Boise's flag. As part of that process, we heard from many of you.

Your feedback was clear, and after careful consideration, we’ve decided to keep our existing flag.

This decision reflects our deep appreciation for community voices and our belief that public input should guide the way we represent our city. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your thoughts. Your engagement helps shape Boise’s future in so many ways.

The Survey Results: Your Voice in Action

Boise’s city flag should be a reflection of the people who call it home. That's why we turned to the community first—launching a survey that received nearly 3,000 responses to understand what symbols, colors, and themes best represent Boise. The results provided clear direction on what residents want to see in a new flag, guiding the call for design submissions.

Below, you’ll find key takeaways from the survey that helped to shape next steps in the design process:

A Brief History of Boise’s Flag and Visual Identity

The City of Boise’s current flag design, adopted in 1989, features the Idaho State Capitol building and a grove of trees outlined in white on a blue background. The words “BOISE City of Trees” are displayed on a white band, emphasizing Boise’s identity as a tree-lined city. While the flag’s design was functional and relevant at the time of its creation, some elements, like the Capitol building, no longer fully represent Boise’s identity or the diverse culture of its community today.

The City’s logo, introduced alongside the flag in 1989, has been widely used in both print and digital formats for government applications. Over time, a variation known as the “mark” was introduced in 2016 as part of a visual style guide, offering a simplified version for modern use.

Boise’s official city seal, however, predates both the logo and flag. Designed in 1893 by Max Kohn, the seal features symbols like a beaver, a miner, and a soldier, representing the city’s history and its founding. This seal remains in use today for official government purposes.

As the city evolves, so do the needs for its visual identity. The new flag design aims to better reflect Boise’s shared history, values, and collective identity while creating a modern, inclusive symbol of community pride.