When Zoo Atlanta’s Mei Lan turned three, she was surprised with a giant “cake” made out of ice, bamboo and cinnamon.  When the Atlanta Constitution turned three in 1871, it celebrated by killing off its main rival, The Daily Intelligencier.

Unfortunately, I can offer nothing as refreshing or dramatic on this, Decatur Metro’s third birthday.

The site has certainly come a long way in the past year, with the most obvious change being the introduction of business sponsors and/or advertisers.  Each of them deserves our thanks for supporting DM and recognizing the power of locally focused online advertising.

Three years, 3,368 posts, and 36,710 comments later, I could have never predicted where this site – conceived on a whim – would take me or any of us.  Whether we’re saving owls, hosting City Commission debates, going 500+ comments deep on a potential Dollar General, eying the street, having in-depth and decent debates about healthcare reform, transportation, or local development, or just being beyond ridiculous, it’s a great joy (a large majority of the time) to helm this venture.

My heartfelt thanks to all who read, comment and submit news tips and pictures.  As I’ve said previously, it never would have lasted this long without the support and companionship from readers and other bloggers and journos.

But of course, the largest thanks continues to go to my wife for enduring the time-suck of this hobby-turned-occupation, as well as being an excellent sounding board for countless ideas, concepts and aggravations.

Here’s to the next 365 days!  May they be even more inspiring, challenging, nerve-racking and rewarding than the last.

Photo courtesy of the AJC