Last modified: 2005-02-12 by rick wyatt
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![[Flag of Roswell, New Mexico]](../images/u/us-nm-rw.gif)
by Dov Gutterman, 4 April 1999
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On the afternoon of June 13th, 1997, the new flag of the City of Roswell was raised over city hall. Mayor Tomes E. Jennings read a proclamation officially dedicating the City Flag for the pride of all the citizens of Roswell.
The competition for the flag's design and the subsequent design process took over a year to complete. The flag's designer, Stephen Fleming, offers the following description of the flag's emblematic symbolism.
"The design of the flag for the City of Roswell is inspired by the land, water and sky that surround us here in southeastern New Mexico. The blue field of the flag is representative of the vast sky above us and this same blue forms the mountain of Capitan, our ever-present companion in the west. The sun is represented by the Zia symbol of the New Mexico state flag reminding us that we are all part of the "Land of Enchantment". The stripes in the lower portion of the City of Roswell Flag are yellow for the plains of the Pecos Valley; green for the agriculture of our region; blue for the Pecos River; red for earth beneath our feet. This pattern of stripes also symbolizes the various strata of our subsurface geology and the precious resources, including water, which are so vital to life here. The green and red stripes also acknowledge our historical and cultural ties with Mexico and our vibrant Hispanic heritage. The small white circle in the upper left, positioned along with the stripes at the bottom are reminiscent of the Stars and Stripes of Old Glory, but also symbolizes the enigmas of the heavens above us, the challenges of the future and the wonder we all experience when we contemplate the mysteries of the universe."
Dov Gutterman, 3 April 1999