Hi. My name is Chris Steller, editor of Fridley Patch. I'd like to welcome you to this new website all about Fridley. It's a place for folks in Fridley to get local news, say what's on their minds and see what's going on around town.

I come from just downriver in Minneapolis, where I grew up, on the east side, a few blocks from the Mississippi. For eight years I edited neighborhood newspapers there, serving communities that border the river like Fridley does.

I got to know Fridley while doing remodeling and maintenance on houses for a family-owned business that's based here. You might have seen me mowing grass on Seventh Street NE, in the neighborhood east of Moore Lake, or along River Road.

I've learned that Fridley is full of surprises. It's not new but it's still young, a post-war city that boomed in the 1950s. But it's historic, too—150 years ago, a village here called Manomin was even its own county for a while.

Just steps away from Target and Wal-Mart is the Springbrook Nature Center, where the city has preserved a beautiful natural environment.

Fridley's neighborhoods have houses and apartments, churches and schools from throughout the city's rise. And it's home to places for business too, from Moon Plaza, an early shopping center, to Medtronic—the world's largest medical-technology firm, a company now on the Fortune 500 which started in a garage not far away. I heard the mayor say that Fridley isn't really a bedroom community—more people work here during the day than sleep here at night.

Night or day, you'll find news about Fridley when you visit the Fridley Patch site or Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. You can leave comments, post questions and news tips; check or add events and announcements; find volunteer opportunities; and upload your own photos and videos. We worked hard to create a comprehensive directory to businesses and organizations in Fridley that I hope you'll find accurate and valuable.

Or, drop me a line any time at chris.steller@patch.com.

I hope to see you here again soon at Fridley Patch.