DPC (Daniel Pope Cook) Flag / Cook’s Flag

About the DPC (Daniel Pope Cook) Flag / Cook’s Flag

The stars represent the three primary mission objectives that Cook County government performs on behalf of the residents of Cook County. The stars’ design also invokes a sense of familiarity with the stars in the Chicago city flag but are different in that the County’s stars have 7 points vs. 6 points on the City’s stars.

• The first star represents Health Care. Cook County plays a major role in providing health care and health resources through its county-wide network of hospitals and clinics.
• The second star reflects Law & Justice, which is supported through the County’s circuit court system, and the Offices of Public Defender, State’s Attorney, and Sheriff.
• The third star represents the County’s commitment to the Environment and Open Spaces. This is accomplished through its support and maintenance of the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

The 7 points on all 3 stars together represent Illinois’ admission as the 21st state of the Union. Daniel Pope Cook, whom Cook County is named after, was a leader, congressman, and the driving force for Illinois’s admission into the union. The colors blue and gold reflect the color gold in the current Cook County seal.

Blue also represents Lake Michigan, where the shoreline of Chicago and Cook County reside. The three blue fields also represent the three geographic regions of Cook County which primarily are, northwest, north, and south. The blue of the three regions of Cook County is also the same color blue on the U.S. flag, which represents perseverance and justice.

In the Y symbol, the wavy lines represent the north and south branches of the Chicago River, which converge on the heavy, straight line which symbolizes Cook County’s roads and highway system and its continued role to support and maintain the countywide network of roads and highways.

And lastly, the color white represents the respect and acceptance of all county-wide neighborhoods and neighbors towards one another.