Columbia Patch Readers: Thank You For Helping Us Grow

COLUMBIA, MD — Thank you, Columbia Patch readers, for taking time in your busy days to spend a few moments with Patch. We appreciate your visits and contributions, and we want you to know we take nothing for granted here. Thank you for helping us to grow and thrive this year.

Almost eight years ago, Columbia Patch went online. We've come a long way since Oct. 15, 2010, and you are a big reason why.

Last month, Columbia Patch recorded 91,862 visitors. The figure, compiled and verified through Google Analytics, includes desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile and app users. That's a lot of readers — especially for a city that in the 2010 U.S. Census had 99,617 people!

There are so many different voices on Columbia Patch making it the resource that it is. We see you on our bulletin board, jobs section and calendar.

More than 3,300 people last month visited the calendar on Columbia Patch. It's the place to go if you want to know about upcoming happenings, like these:

• Howard County Brewery Tour on Sept. 22
• Wilde Lake and River Hill yard sales on Sept. 22
• Robinson Nature Center's 7th anniversary soiree on Sept. 23
• League of Women Voters of Howard County Candidates' Forum on Sept. 26.

Overhearing people saying at the Howard County GreenFest several years ago that they found out about it on Patch was one of the many times I could feel it in my heart that Patch was helping to connect people in a meaningful way. And we could not do that without you. Thank you to all those who post to the calendar on Columbia Patch!

Columbia Patch is lucky to have a vibrant community of contributors showcasing the various Columbia villages and facets of Columbia life. The Columbia Association has been a key source of information, from the CA budget to the BikeAbout. Hat tip to David Greisman, now senior manager of media relations for CA, who was the founding editor of Columbia Patch back in 2010.

Another vital contributor, the Howard County Arts Council, has posted news from the arts front, including beautiful photographs. We are grateful, as well, to public relations extraordinaire Jean Moon for sharing nonprofit happenings from Grassroots and other organizations, as well as information from Columbia developer Howard Hughes. Thank you to them and to all our contributors!

Here are some of the top stories from Columbia Patch this summer:

• Columbia 'Rockstar' Mom Competing On Big Brother
• Fallen Firefighter Identified After 7-Alarm Blaze In Clarksville
• Maryland's Best School Districts: New Rankings Released
• Columbia Woman Wins Gold At Special Olympics
• Two Found Dead At Howard County Fair, Overdoses Suspected: Police
• Homesense, 'HomeGoods On Steroids,' Opens Columbia Location
• Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center Needs Meals for Shelter
• Columbia Tied To Alleged Jacksonville Gunman
• Huge Crowds Shut Down Build-A-Bear Promotion At Mall In Columbia

As Columbia Patch has grown over the years, we have been there to celebrate milestones, such as the 50th birthday of Columbia last year, the opening of the Chrysalis and the groundbreaking of the Merriweather district this spring.

There have also been dark times, like the unsolved murder of an Oakland Mills football player, the killing of a pregnant Wilde Lake teacher and the deadly Columbia mall shootings.

Columbia is in a state of evolution, from the sale of the Long Reach Village Center to the realization of the Downtown Columbia Plan, but one thing has been constant: from fundraisers to vigils to marches to forums to blogs, Columbia offers many ways to be involved in the community. While many news websites are limiting access to free articles, Patch is always free to view and is honored to be one of the ways you stay connected.

We're thrilled you've made Columbia Patch a part of your life. Thank you so much for your support and readership.

Post Your News

Want to post on Columbia Patch? Sign up for a free user profile. As a Patch user, you can publish articles, events, jobs and announcements. Just follow the "rules of Patch":

• No abusive content
• Keep it local
• No commercial spam
• Be awesome

Subscribe And Follow

Get real-time Patch alerts and daily newsletters for Columbia Patch by joining our email list. More than 4,200 people already are on the list.

Check out the Columbia Patch Facebook page, too.

Get The Patch App

We've taken the best of Patch and packed it into a lightning fast, super-clean app that is loaded with features users have told us they want. If you haven't tried the app, give it a try. You can get the latest local news sent straight to your iPhone or iPad home screen on the free Patch app for iOS or the Android app.

Find Patch Facts

Did you know that Patch is among the 100 most popular websites in the United States? Patch ranks 91st on the most viewed websites in the country, according to Alexa.

Columbia Patch is part of a broad network, among 50 Patches in Maryland and more than 1,200 Patch sites across the United States. That's a lot of local news!

Contact Your Editor

Have a news tip? Contact Columbia Patch editor Elizabeth Janney at elizabeth.janney@patch.com.

And again, we thank you for reading, posting, commenting, sharing and participating as both Columbia and Columbia Patch grow.

Photo from Fourth of July courtesy of Howard County government.