I grew up in Havre de Grace. It's always been my "hometown."

But my first home was in Aberdeen—a rancher on Maxa Road.

We moved when I was 3.

A year ago, I returned to Aberdeen, moving closer to Havre de Grace, where I was—and still am—working as the editor for Havre de Grace Patch. My wife, Liz, and I lived in Bel Air for about five years, had two kids there, and decided it was time to move closer to my job, our parents and into a bigger place with a yard for our black lab, Sadie.

We've been here for a year as of this month.

So, Aberdeen is home, again.

Fitting, I guess, that Aberdeen Patch is becoming home, too.

We live here, shop here, eat here.

Why not edit here?

You may have seen my byline atop stories on this site since it launched in December 2010. You'll be seeing more of it now.

I'm excited about writing more about Aberdeen. It's a unique city.

In many ways it's a community of families who have lived here for generations—similar to Havre de Grace. But it also has a bedroom community feel to it, with folks traveling to Baltimore or elsewhere in the county for work, too.

I'm excited to try to reach more of those families with our site, and make it the most valuable tool possible for my fellow residents. Our goal at Patch is simple: make life ridiculously easy for you and your neighbors.

I'm a neighbor.

Life isn't simple. I'm down with it being simpler.

Here are a few things I want to focus on with content:

1. You. I'll aim to tell the stories of the people in Aberdeen. The business owner. The employee. The customer. The elected official. The teacher. The student-athlete. The average Joe. I'd also love if you would tell the stories of the city, too. Our Local Voices section needs a little more localizing. How about you help me with that? Write about your interests, share your expertise, tell us what your organization is up to, and more. We're trying to bring Aberdeen to life online here.
2. Businesses. The small, mom-and-pop shops are awesome. We'll feature them plenty. We'll also dig into the news of more businesses coming to the area. There are plenty of commercial spaces popping up in the area. Who will be going there? I'll let you know. And I'll ask your opinion regularly on what businesses you'd like to see. (Ahem. Starbucks? Chick-Fil-A? Who's with me?)
3. City government. I'll be at every City Council meeting. Much to my wife's chagrin, I'll be at Aberdeen and Havre de Grace's city halls on alternating Mondays, covering the meetings live. If you can't be there, follow along with my live posts. We'll also dig into the projects the city is taking on, the people that make it run and anything else pertinent.
4. Crime and breaking news. Make sure you're signed up for our breaking news alerts. Just click on "Newsletters" at the bottom of the site. I'll try to be the first to tell you why traffic is at a standstill and there are flashing lights at the signal ahead—and I'll try to get the word to you through Facebook and Twitter and our breaking news alerts in time so that you won't get stuck. We'll report on the fires and police activity in the city. And I'll do my best to post a regular police blotter so you know what's going on and where.
5. Aberdeen Proving Ground. APG is more than just that place at the end of MD Route 22 that serves as the source for all that booming and banging going on all day. Trust me. No, I'm not sure what all they do out there. Pretty sure they stopped all the monkey business. What I do know is APG is directly responsible for bringing a bunch of new jobs, neighbors, friends and business to the Harford County area. Yes, traffic, too. I'll do everything I can to update you on anything APG- and BRAC-related.

I'll also be covering the IronBirds and the Eagles, but that's fun for me. I'm a sports nut, as you'll probably learn over the next few weeks. Baseball season is right around the corner. Of course, IronBirds season usually starts by the time the Orioles are already out of the pennant race, but who cares—the IronBirds bring some fun and excitement to town.

I'm hoping to do a little of the same.

Don't hesitate to reach out.

I'll rarely turn down a story idea.

Post announcements, get your events up on the calendar and claim your business listings in our directory. Let Patch work for you and your business.

If you have questions, comments or story ideas, call or text me at 443-299-7702. You can also email me at sean.welsh@patch.com or find me on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

I'm sure you'll see my face at City Hall, Panera, Target, Aberdeen High School or Ripken Stadium soon enough.

I just hope I see your username on Patch just as often.

TELL US: What are some major topics you'd like to see covered on Aberdeen Patch? Leave a comment, email sean.welsh@patch.com or send a text to 443-299-7702.