Seattle City Symbols
On March 17,2003, the City Council designated the Great Blue Heron as the official City Bird. Resolution 30586 notes that the designation "will raise public awareness of ... habitat requirements of this species, and foster public stewardship for its continued existence..." The Seattle Audubon Society sponsored a yearlong campaign and public contest to select the City Bird. In voting that took place at nature centers, City parks, and in school classrooms, the Heron defeated its nearest rival, the common Crow, by a margin of two to one.
The Council passed Resolution 28207 on July 16, 1990, adopting an official City Flag. The Flag was designed by Councilmember Paul Kraabel. The Resolution called for a white and teal blue/green flag with a stylized portrait of Chief Sealth ringed by the words Seattle, City of Goodwill and undulating white lines, representing the waves in Puget Sound flowing from the center to the left edge. Only three copies of the flag were made.
Ordinance 32137, approved November 19, 1913, established the dahlia as the City's official flower and requested that the Park Board of the City plant and cultivate the flower in suitable quantities to make effective displays in the City parks.
Seattle has two official city slogans. Resolution 14456, adopted October 7, 1942, established Seattle as The City of Flowers. The Resolution requested and urged citizens to plant and cultivate a wide variety of flowers to further beautify the City.
On July 16, 1990, the City Council passed Resolution 28207 designating Seattle The City of Goodwill. The latter resolution was adopted prior to the opening of the Goodwill Games, an international sporting competition held in Seattle during the summer of 1990.
The current official corporate Seal was adopted in 1937 by passage of Ordinance 67033. The Seal includes an imprint of the profile of Chief Sealth in the center of a circle. On the upper outer edges of the circle and partially encircling the imprint are the words, CORPORATE SEAL OF THE, and in a smaller circle under the aforementioned words and above the imprint are the words CITY OF SEATTLE. Beneath the portrait is the year 1869 signifying the date the City was incorporated. Included in the outer circle, beneath the portrait, are two cones from an evergreen tree and what appear to be two salmon.
The Seal was patterned after a model designed by artist/sculptor James A. Wehn of Seattle. The Seal was cast by Richard Fuller, director of the Seattle Art Museum.
In May 1909 Arthur O. Dillon petitioned the City Council to adopt "Seattle the Peerless City" as the City Song. The Finance Committee recommended the petition be granted providing Mr. Sawyer (a member of Council) sings the song for the Council. The City Council subsequently granted Dillon's petition.