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The Ardenwald-Johnson Creek neighborhood flag was established in 2022 as a banner to unite the Portland and Milwaukie portions of the neighborhood, and to inspire a sense of pride, stewardship, and belonging for everyone in AJC. The hope is for this flag to remind us of the uniqueness of our neighborhood, and to move us to be better caretakers of this land, better patrons of our local businesses, and better neighbors to each other.
What does the flag symbolize?
Each part of the flag symbolizes some aspect of AJC’s landscape, history, or ideals:
Flower and star: A symbol uniting the dogwood flower from the Milwaukie flag with the four-pointed star from the Portland flag; this neighborhood contains parts of both cities. Also, the oldest and largest Pacific Dogwood tree ever recorded lived right here in Ardenwald (on the north side of SE Harrison Street)!
Blue wedges with fish: Johnson Creek and its wildlife (salmon and others) at the northern edge of the neighborhood. These fish are also a reminder of the Clackamas people and other Chinookan fisherfolk who first stewarded this land.
Blue triangle: The hill of Water Tower Park and the pediment (the triangle above the columns) of Ardenwald Elementary‘s iconic façade. Both places raise something precious—water or children—not just to elevate them, but to enable them to disperse outward to bring new life and nourishment to the wider world.
Chevron with sunrise/sunset: Forest green for part of our neighborhood name: wald (German for “forest”). The chevron (French for “rafter”) shape was once granted to the emblems of those who had helped build something important. Consciously or not, each of us is building this neighborhood every day. So the chevron and rising/setting sun ask us: What is the AJC of tomorrow that we’re building right now?
How was the flag established?
During the August Concerts of 2022, the AJC Neighborhood Association began spreading the word that a neighborhood flag contest was in the works, so that interested parties could begin creating their designs.
The contest opened in early October of that year. Five aspiring vexillographers (flag designers) of AJC submitted their designs, which were anonymously displayed at the Milwaukie Café and Bottle Shop (9401 SE 32nd Ave.) with descriptions of each design’s symbolism. Over several days, neighbors cast paper ballots using the STAR voting method.
After voting ended, representatives from the Neighborhood Association counted the ballots and found this design to be the neighborhood’s preference.
Where can I purchase a flag?
When the Neighborhood Association isn’t selling them at neighborhood events, flags (and other flag-bearing merch: stickers, t-shirts, etc.) can be found at Made in Milwaukie (2026 SE Monroe St.).
Your purchase of any AJC flag merch (whether from Made In Milwaukie or at an event) supports the Neighborhood Association, so we can put on the August Concerts in Ardenwald Park each year, give grants to charitable causes in AJC, and pursue other neighborhood initiatives. Thanks in advance for your purchase!
And if we haven’t yet produced a flag item you’d like (e.g., in a custom size), feel free to let us know, or even download the flag image (using the links near the top of this page) and produce your own merch. If you live or work in AJC, this is your flag to adapt and remix into new shapes and formats!
How do I establish a flag in another neighborhood?
In our process of establishing this flag, we gathered some resources we can offer here:
From the AJC flag’s journey
Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you’ve never noticed | Roman Mars
The TED Talk that inspired this whole endeavor! In this 2015 talk (which has moved several cities to redesign their flags), Roman Mars illustrates the principles of good flag design and how flags (when well-designed) can be boons for smaller localities. (NOTE: This talk includes some mildly colorful language, so use your discretion with any nearby little ones.)
Recommendations for Flag Designers and Neighborhood Associations
A trifold we designed mainly for our fellow neighborhoods of Milwaukie, but it can easily apply to any neighborhood looking to establish its own flag. This is not to declare any definitive process, but rather a template of steps to try out or adapt to your own needs.
Explainer Pamphlet for the AJC Flag
The trifold we provide with any flag purchase to answer common questions about the AJC flag. We provide it here just in case it helps spur any ideas.
Examples of other neighborhood flags
CincyFlags (Cincinnati, Ohio, USA)
Cincinnati took a city-wide approach, hiring a design firm to research, design, pitch, refine, and finalize a flag for each of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods.
The Flag of Historic Southwood Park (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA)
In 2020, this neighborhood unveiled its rather classy acorn flag, then commenced selling them to fundraise and spread local pride.
The Flag of Rocky Butte (Portland, Oregon, USA)
An unofficial flag for an unofficial area, Rocky Butte: a park, extinct volcanic vent, and historic landmark in Portland’s Madison South neighborhood.
The Flag of St. Johns (Portland, Oregon, USA)
Press was once available, but we now cannot find any official recognition of this flag from the St. Johns neighborhood. All that seems to remain is this listing where you can buy one.
The Flag of Maryhill (Glasgow, Scotland, UK)
In a contest between five designs in this northwestern Glasgow neighborhood, the winning design was chosen by locals, and then officially patented by Scotland’s heraldic authority!
Know of any other neighborhood flags not listed here? Let us know!
