Another city just voted to fly the former Minnesota state flag

Tim Harlow, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Apr 21, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — A majority of Elk River residents wanted the former Minnesota state flag to be the one displayed on city-owned properties, and on Monday the City Council obliged by passing a resolution making it so.

The unanimous vote on April 20 means the Minnesota state flag from 1983 to 2023 will be the representative flag of the state of Minnesota “now or in the future,” at buildings or properties in Elk River when a state flag is displayed.

The far northwestern metro city is the latest to bring back the previous flag that was retired as the state’s official flag in May 2024. The new flag features a dark blue, state-shaped outline containing a white eight-pointed North Star on the left with a solid light-blue field on the right, which is meant to represent water.

A State Emblem Redesign Commission adopted the new design. It replaced the old state flag, which featured the state seal on a blue field, which included imagery deemed offensive by many Native American tribes.

But a growing number of municipalities have changed course and swapped out their new state flags for the old one. In recent months, Champlin, Zumbrota, North Branch, Detroit Lakes, Pine Island, Crosslake, Babbitt and Wadena have voted to stop waving the new flag.

Some Elk River residents previously approached city officials to consider bringing the old flag back, according to the resolution.

More than 1,050 people listing an Elk River address responded to a recent city survey asking the public to join the conversation about which flag to fly. Nearly 75% said they wanted the former flag displayed.

The resolution cited several issues regarding the new flag, including that there were no correlations between the state seal and the new flag, concerns over how the new flag was selected, inadequate representation of greater Minnesota on the commission that selected the flag, poor marketing and implementation for a statewide public engagement process, and feedback from Elk River residents.

The switch will not cost the city any money. Flags from 1983 were preserved in storage or were left on display, according to city documents posted online.