I still remember my frustration freshman year when I realized finding a TV station in Northeast Ohio that played a Bengals game was next to impossible. My shock mounted when I learned that no one had ever heard of Meijer or Kroger’s. When I tried to explain the amazingness that is Skyline Chili, people looked at me like I was ridiculous for talking about a chili dog like it was the Hope diamond.

After mispronouncing Pat Catan’s and eliciting cries of “Oh my god!” from my roommate when I asked what Rockne’s was, I came to the conclusion that my heart would always belong to the area below Columbus city limits.

But that was two years ago, and a lot can change, especially when you spend your summer living in Kent, working in Stow and interning in Cleveland.

Somewhere between making too many trips to Giant Eagle, going to my first drive-in movie in Ravenna and exploring every music venue in Cleveland from B Side Liquor Lounge to Time Warner Cable Amphitheater, I became a townie.

I don’t know how it happened. One minute I was talking about my favorite neighborhoods in Columbus, and the next minute I was defending Cleveland against naysayers. I had gone to the other side, and I kind of liked it.

Some people give Kent a lot of flak. It’s too small or there’s nothing to do but go to the bars, or it’s just full of a bunch of hippies who never left. However, after growing up surrounded by corn fields, I welcomed the small-town, eclectic feel of Kent. I may have been slow to commit to my new home, but now I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Independent coffee shops, record stores, downtown galleries and hookah bars were all new to me. In fact, the whole idea of having a local scene was a foreign yet much needed notion in my life.

As all editor, I want to showcase Kent. For so long, this section has focused on stories outsides the city we live in. Everyone comes from a different place, but when you come here, Kent becomes your home, so you might as well find something cool to do here.

Kent may not be my hometown, but just like the townies, I will defend it until the end. Whether it’s our feature story on “Project Runway” designer and Cleveland native, Suede, or a profile on Kent band, Annabel, this issue is for the locals. Whether you’ve lived here your whole life or you just unpacked a week ago: consider this your welcome home.

Contact all editor Brittany Moseley at [email protected].