When I moved to Fishers in May of 1991, the town’s population was estimated at fewer than 8,000 residents. The 1990 U.S. Census put the number just over 7,500.

At the time, I had no idea that 34 years later I would be living in a city with a population now exceeding 104,000. That milestone was reached thanks to a recently finalized annexation that added more than 3,000 residents and extended the city’s boundary to the Hancock County line.

With this growth, Fishers is now officially Indiana’s fourth-largest city—trailing only Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Evansville. The annexation moved Fishers ahead of South Bend and even our neighbor to the west, Carmel.

Why has Fishers grown so quickly? As someone who has lived here for more than three decades and written a local news blog for the past 13 years, I have a few thoughts.

First, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools have played a major role. My twin daughters, now 31 and both college graduates, received an excellent education through the HSE School District. Maintaining the strength of our schools is essential to the continued health of our city.

Fishers also made a pivotal decision in 2012, when residents voted to become a second-class city. In the 2014 election, Scott Fadness became our first—and so far, only—mayor. Over the years, he has pursued an aggressive strategy of economic development and has invested heavily in what he often calls “quality of life” initiatives. So far, those investments appear to be paying off.

And then, there’s something less tangible but just as important: the people. I always tell my friends who don’t live here that Fishers is full of genuinely good people. That doesn’t mean we don’t have our fair share of challenges, controversies, or problem individuals. But in my experience, this city is home to some of the best people I’ve ever known—a key ingredient in any thriving community.

So, to the new residents in the recently annexed area to the east: welcome. I hope your experience living in Indiana’s fourth-largest city is as positive and rewarding as mine has been.