Back in 1836, the population of Texas was 50,000. As for the rest of us? Well, we got here as soon as we could.

When I arrived in Texas I almost instantly fell in love with it — and with my native-Texan wife, Jima (except that was instant, of course). What a breath of fresh air to see the pride in and care we take of our local and broader communities. Proud citizens help each other. We fix problems and focus on the best of what we do, rather than complain and dwell on negatives.

And what most symbolizes that pride? It is to see our flag flying high. It is the most visible symbol we can all get behind. It is the common bond that ties us together.

Fly The Flag, Texas is about where we live. It's about promoting the area, our local businesses and local citizens. It's about the positives that improve our lives. The stories in Fly The Flag, Texas are designed to inspire and present the best of what our community has to offer. Each month our main "Flying Our Flag" two-page spread feature spotlights a person who or organization which makes us all proud of where we live. Often these are local non-profits driven by self-less volunteers who are the cause of so much good in our community (see www.texasvolunteers.org). However, any notable initiative of which we can all genuinely be proud is eligible for this feature and we welcome story ideas. These features are archived on our web site each month.

We launched our Athens, Cedar Creek, LaRue edition in February 2012 and, within four months, were voted small business of the month by the Athens Chamber of Commerce. The testimonials from our advertisers in and readers of our Athens edition show why.

Fly The Flag, Texas. We're proud of it, and we hope you will be too.

Simon and Jima King, Publishers. Fly The Flag, Texas.