About the City of Jackson, TN City Flag
By Kris Stewart, Flag Design Contest Winner
This flag is about connection.
Connecting to the music history of Jackson:
On the left, there are six white lines leading into the circular shield emblazoned with a star. These represent the six strings and sound hole of a guitar, which is meant to honor the music history of the City of Jackson. Known especially for being the home of Rockabilly, the City has also been an important location for other musical genres, such as blues, gospel, and more.
“Connect Here” (Jackson’s tagline)
The large green triangle on the left is a representation of an arrow. This is a reference to the logo of the City of Jackson, which utilizes a green arrow to communicate the City’s tagline: “Connect Here.” This arrow also points to the right, which is symbolic of progress, hope, forward thinking, and continuous development and improvement.
Connecting to the State of Tennessee:
The circular shield emblazoned with a star — the “Star Shield” — is a reference to the Tennessee State Flag. On that flag, there is what is called the “Tristar” shield, wherein each star represents one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee: West, Central, and East Tennessee. Jackson is often considered to be the hub of West Tennessee, and is popularly nicknamed the “Hub City”. Therefore, the star from the State Flag that represents West Tennessee is the single star present on the flag of the City.
Connecting with each other:
Notice that the two green lines on the left, which lay outside of the green arrow, intersect in the center of the Star Shield. The green lines are each a symbol of two separate paths. The Star Shield, in this instance, is symbolic of the City of Jackson as a destination. Thus, these paths connect with one another in Jackson.
Furthermore, as we continue right, these two paths follow the negative space of the three white lines on the right. Note that while these paths were once almost perpendicular to each other (on the left), they now run parallel with one another (on the right).
This is symbolic of the journeys many of us take. It doesn’t matter if Jackson is the place you start or the place you stop along the way. The City calls on all of us — residents and visitors — to connect with one other. Wherever our lives may take us, our paths, once connected, are now parallel, symbolic of the idea that we are never truly alone.
Connecting by road, rail, and water/air:
The three white lines on the right represent the three modes of transportation that give the City of Jackson its nickname of the “Hub City”.
The first mode of travel is by road. The City is conveniently located halfway between Nashville and Memphis along Interstate 40, and includes several other major roadways within and nearby.
The second mode of travel is by rail. Jackson, of course, was an important location historically for the railroad.
The third mode of travel has changed over time from travel by water to travel by air. Historically, Jackson’s “hub” status referenced its location being just an hour away from the two major rivers of Tennessee: the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers. In the modern era, we now consider it to be travel by air, referencing Jackson’s regional airport.
Connecting to the founding of Jackson:
The Star Shield’s width is approximately 21% of the width of the total flag - a mathematical reference to the founding of the City of Jackson in 1821.
General Flag Display:
Horizontal: When the City of Jackson, TN Flag is displayed horizontally against a wall, the green “Connect Here” triangle should be to the observer’s left with the top of the star inside the Star Shield pointing up.
Vertical: When the City of Jackson, TN Flag is displayed vertically against a wall, the green “Connect Here” triangle should be uppermost with the top of the star inside the Star Shield pointing to the observer’s right.
From Flag Pole: When the City of Jackson, TN Flag is displayed from a flagpole, the star inside the Star Shield should point up.
Fringe on Flag: The City of Jackson, TN uses white fringe around the border of the city flag displayed inside city venues.
Download the Flag
The flag for the City of Jackson, TN is public domain and may be downloaded for public use. Click the link below to download a high resolution copy in .pdf or .jpg format.
High Resolution PDF (36" x 60")
High Resolution JPG (3000px x 1800px)