The Arizona State Flag: What the Rays, the Copper Star and the Blue Mean

Here is a question about the Arizona state flag that we could not answer from memory the first time we heard it: are there seven red rays or seven yellow ones? We looked it up in the statute. Seven red, six yellow. That small detail sent us down a longer road, and this page is the result. We rebuilt our old Arizona post around the state's own law and its State Library, so every fact here traces back to a source.

TL;DR: The Arizona state flag has a blue lower half, thirteen red and yellow rays across the upper half, and a copper star in the center. The rays stand for the thirteen original colonies and a western sunset. Red and yellow recall the Spanish flags of Coronado's 1540 expedition. The star stands for copper. Col. Charles W. Harris designed it in 1910 for a rifle team, and the legislature adopted it in 1917.

What the Arizona State Flag Looks Like by Law

We like starting with the statute because it settles arguments. Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-851 spells out the design in plain terms (>ARS § 41-851). The lower half is a blue field. The upper half is split into thirteen equal rays that start at the center of the dividing line and run to the edges, "consisting of six yellow and seven red rays." A copper-colored five-pointed star sits on top of everything in the middle. The red and the blue match the shades in the flag of the United States. The law even fixes proportions. A four-foot hoist takes a six-foot fly and a two-foot star, scaled the same way for other sizes. That is a 2:3 flag, the same shape as a standard 4x6.

The statute also says what the flag represents, in one sentence: "the copper star of Arizona rising from a blue field in the face of a setting sun."

Arizona Flag Meaning, Part by Part

The State Library of Arizona gives the meaning behind each element (>Arizona State Library, Arizona's flag). We summarize it in the table.

People often read the blue as the Colorado River. Our old post said so too. We could not find that meaning in the statute or on the State Library's page, so we no longer repeat it. We stick to what the law says: the state colors are "blue and old gold," and the blue matches the US flag.

Arizona State Flag History: A Rifle Team Needed a Banner

We like this part of the story because the flag began as a practical fix. In 1910, Col. Charles W. Harris took the Arizona National Guard rifle team to the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. Arizona was the only team there without a flag, so Harris designed one (>Arizona State Library, State of Arizona Flag). Arizona was still a territory then. It became the 48th state on February 14, 1912.

Who sewed the first one is where the accounts split. The State Library's blog lays out both versions: one credits May Hicks, and the other credits Nan Downing Hayden, wife of Carl Hayden, who later served Arizona in Congress until 1968 (>State Library of Arizona blog). Nan Hayden is sometimes called the "Betsy Ross of Arizona." We find it fitting that a flag with a disputed seamstress echoes the national flag, which has the same kind of story.

Adoption took years.

A 1915 bill stalled. In 1917 the Third Legislature passed the flag, and it became law without the signature of Governor Thomas Campbell, who never said why he let it pass unsigned. Some critics compared the rays to Japan's rising sun, a complaint that came back during World War II. It did not stick.

How Good Is the Arizona Flag? The Experts Weighed In

In 2001 the North American Vexillological Association asked its members and the public to rate 72 flags from US states, Canadian provinces and US territories. Arizona placed 6th with a score of 7.92 out of 10 (>NAVA survey results, archived). The flags that scored best shared simple shapes and few colors, and Arizona fits that pattern. No seal, no lettering, nothing a child could not draw from memory.

We agree with the voters.

How to Fly the Arizona Flag With the US Flag

We get asked about this more than anything else on this page, and the Flag Code rules are short. On one halyard, the US flag goes at the peak, above the Arizona flag (>4 U.S.C. § 7(f)). On two poles side by side, the US flag goes on its own right, which is your left as you face the flags, and it goes up first and comes down last. No state flag goes above it or to its right. On a horizontal display, the rays go on top. Hang it upside down and the copper star looks like it is sinking, which is the opposite of what the law says it means.

We also match sizes. When we pair a state flag with a US flag in front of a home, we use the same size or a smaller state flag. Arizona's flag is a 2:3 rectangle, so a 4x6 Arizona flag pairs naturally with a 4x6 Durable Patriot. The Durable Patriot is 100% nylon with embroidered stars and sewn stripes. For desert sun and monsoon wind, we point Arizona buyers to the Everlast American Pride, which is 100% spun polyester. Both are made in the USA. We explain the trade-off in our nylon vs spun polyester guide, and our flag size guide matches size to pole height.

One more date for your calendar. The Flag Code asks people to fly the flag on "the birthdays of States (date of admission)" (>4 U.S.C. § 6(d)). For Arizona that is February 14.

Arizona State Flag Questions

What do the 13 rays on the Arizona flag mean?

They stand for the thirteen original colonies. Together the rays also form a setting sun, a nod to Arizona's place in the West. By law there are seven red rays and six yellow ones, and they start at the center of the line that divides the flag into halves.

Why is there a copper star on the Arizona flag?

The copper-colored star identifies Arizona as the largest producer of copper in the United States, according to the State Library of Arizona. The statute describes the whole design as the copper star of Arizona rising from a blue field in the face of a setting sun.

Who designed the Arizona state flag?

Col. Charles W. Harris of the Arizona National Guard designed it in 1910 for the Guard's rifle team at the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. Accounts differ on who sewed the first one. The two names usually given are May Hicks and Nan Hayden, wife of Carl Hayden.

When was the Arizona flag adopted?

The Third Arizona Legislature adopted it in 1917, five years after statehood. The bill became law without the signature of Governor Thomas Campbell. Arizona joined the Union as the 48th state on February 14, 1912, which is the date the Flag Code suggests for flying the state's flag.

What does the blue on the Arizona flag represent?

State law makes the blue the same shade as the blue in the US flag, and it names blue and old gold as the state colors. Many websites say the blue stands for the Colorado River. We could not find that meaning in the statute or in the State Library's description.

Can the Arizona flag fly at the same height as the US flag?

On separate poles of equal height, yes, as long as the US flag is on its own right, your left as you face them, and goes up first. On a single halyard, the US flag goes at the top. A state flag should never sit above the US flag.

Keep reading: From 13 Stripes to 50 Stars: The History of the American Flag.